Teaching & Learning

At Newport High School we believe that highly effective teaching is fundamental in ensuring all pupils develop as ambitious confident young people who can express themselves with clarity and have the skills and knowledge to realise their dreams. Pedagogy is at heart of our curriculum and our 3 P’s are central to our teaching and learning vision.

Purpose

Curriculum development in Newport High School is designed with a clear purpose. All practitioners across our 6 Areas of Learning regularly consider why aspects of learning matter, taking account of specific knowledge, skills and experiences. This helps us to focus our planning and ensure it is purposeful so learners understand the purpose of what they are learning and how it contributes to realising the four purposes.

Progression

At Newport High School the principles of progression and the statements of what matters directly inform planning for progression. When planning for progression we ensure learning has a clear rationale considering how learners are intended to develop and improve their skills and knowledge over time. We understand and consider how the learning will help increase their breadth and depth of knowledge, deepen their understanding of ideas and disciplines and how to learners can refine their skills in order to become more effective learners providing increasing opportunities to apply learning in new contexts.

Understanding what progression looks like is fundamental to being able to help students to develop their skills and knowledge. Progression Rubrics are the tool we use to show what progression looks like. This comprehensive success criteria allows staff and pupils to understand what progression should look like in each learning episode.

Planning

Lesson planning and delivery sits at the heart of our role as teachers. At Newport High School commitment to planning and effective delivery is integral to strong teaching and learning. All teachers plan learning experiences that are purposeful, meaningful and focused on the learning journey of each Area of Learning. This journey carefully considers how to meet individual needs and also ensures it is at a pace that is appropriate to each individual learner.

Being ‘responsive’ and ‘reflective’ as practitioners is paramount to our planning and to ensuring that all learners make rapid progress. By making well-informed decisions in the classroom and planning a responsive curriculum that enables all staff to use evidence from real-time formative assessment to adjust instructional inputs and practice activities in response to students’ levels of success and confidence. To support our approach to responsive teaching our Newport Norms provide a consistent routine for the learning environment and ensures high expectations for behaviour are established through our positive culture of RISE:

• Respectful
• Independent
• Safe and
• Equipped. 

Teaching and Learning Policy 2024