Implementation

Curriculum Implementation 

At our school we employ a standardised approach to the planning and delivery of lessons using The NLC Progress Cycle: a model for excellent teaching. This is broken down into five key components that provides teachers the structure to deliver excellent lessons with effective teaching and learning strategies embedded within each component to support all students with their learning. The Progress Cycle has been developed using relevant educational research that ensures students are regularly provided opportunities to revisit prior knowledge, consolidate their learning and allows for clear teacher instruction which provides the platform for students to work independently.

The teaching components that form The Progress Cycle outlined below are underpinned by our core values of Ready, Resilient and Respectful and ensure a calm and purposeful learning environment that allows for effective teaching and learning to take place.

 Retrieval practice is a low-stakes teaching and learning strategy where teachers provide opportunities for students to revisit prior learning so that it becomes embedded in their long-term memory and eventually less effort to recall. Retrieval practice requires students to think hard to access and in turn, reinforce the curriculum knowledge they've been taught and apply it to future learning.

Learning Goals allow students to focus on the learning that is about to take place. Learning goals should be student-focused and measurable through formative assessment strategies throughout and/or at the end of the lesson.

Developing Understanding is the instruction component of a lesson. This should be teacher-led and include carefully planned modelling of new learning and concepts. Teachers check whole-class understanding and address misconceptions through effective AfL strategies and questioning techniques that empower students to work independently.

Practice encourages students to use what they have learnt and apply it to meaningful and engaging tasks which help to build fluency, and demonstrate understanding. Carefully selected tasks promote independent, self-confident, and resilient learners, whilst live feedback during this component allows teachers to adapt to student needs by providing bespoke interventions as well as offering stretch and challenge opportunities.

Consolidation involves reviewing and reinforcing the learning that has taken place. Tasks in this component should prompt students to reflect on what they have learnt and should be assessed against the learning goals.

Learning Environment

At our school we understand the need for the consistent application of clear classroom routines and the positive impact it has on teaching and learning. We have established our NLC non-negotiables that all staff follow, to ensure that teaching and learning can take place in a calm and purposeful environment. Our NLC non-negotiables are outlined below and the implementation of these are regularly monitored through quality assurance processes.

• Meet and greet at the door
• Register completed in the first five minutes
• Up to date Class Profile available in place
• Positive relationships fostered
• School behaviour policy followed
• Achievement points awarded
• Orderly dismissal

Adaptive Teaching and Class Profiles

Teaching and learning at our school will take the backgrounds, needs and abilities of all students into account. We will adapt our learning to cater for the needs of all our students including:

• Students with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• Students with English as an additional language (EAL)
• Disadvantaged students (PP/FSM)
• Students that are identified as higher able (HAP)

Students are identified within bespoke annotated Class Profile folders that every teacher has in place within their classroom. This ensures that the relevant information and suggested strategies shared across the school through central records and CPD are implemented within the classroom and that every child is seated in the most appropriate place and supported with their learning. The use of Class Profiles is regularly evaluated and up to date information is shared about specific students to aid teaching and learning. This strategy allows staff to use an adaptive approach to their teaching and are armed with powerful information that enables them to scaffold their lessons accordingly to meet the individual needs of their students. It empowers staff to target specific students through questioning, implement scaffolds to aid learners and provide resources such as writing frames, overlays and other materials that allow all students to access their learning regardless of any barriers they may have.

Feedback

At Netherhall Learning Campus High School we have implemented a whole-school feedback policy that ensures the consistency of approach and high quality of feedback for our students.

Feedback is information given to the learner about their performance enables learners to understand that their ability is not a fixed quantity. Effective feedback is well-evidenced to have a high impact on learning outcomes and effects are high across all curriculum subjects (+5 months), and is most effective when learners are fully engaged in their learning. However, it must be meaningful, manageable and motivating. Dylan William summarises effective feedback with two fundamental principles: the only thing that matters, is what students do with it and feedback should be more work for the student than it is for the teacher.

Principles for Effective Feedback:

• Before providing feedback, teachers should provide high quality instruction, including the use of formative assessment strategies to address learning gaps. This lays the foundations for effective feedback. (EEF Recommendation 1)
• Feedback should focus on moving learning forward, targeting the specific learning gaps that pupils exhibit. High quality feedback may focus on the task, subject, and self-regulation strategies. (EEF Recommendation 2)
• Feedback should be appropriately timed based on teacher judgement – immediate or delayed. (EEF Recommendation 2)
• Teachers should also provide opportunities for pupils to use feedback before DIRT. Only then will the feedback loop be closed so that pupil learning can progress. (EEF Recommendation 3)
• Feedback can be effective in both written and verbal formats depending on the principles above. (EEF Recommendation 4 and 5)

Feedback is broken down into immediate and delayed, and each department has their own subject specific feedback policy that is in line with the whole school approach, taking into consideration the individual needs of their subject.