Teaching and Learning

At St Michael’s C.E. Primary School, we are committed to providing high-quality teaching and learning that enables every child to achieve their potential and flourish.

Our approach to teaching and learning is known as The St Michael’s Way. It provides a clear and consistent framework for teaching across our school, while recognising that effective teaching must be responsive to the subject being taught and the individual needs of pupils. Children’s learning is at the centre of everything we do, and we maintain high expectations for all pupils.

Through our whole-school approach, we aim to develop confident, independent and resilient learners who think deeply, take pride in their achievements and are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for future success. Our classrooms are purposeful, inclusive environments in which pupils are encouraged and supported to achieve highly.

The St Michael’s Way

The St Michael’s Way is our whole-school Teaching and Learning Framework. It supports consistency in the quality of teaching pupils experience as they move through the school.

Our framework is informed by educational research and is built around six pedagogical principles:

Challenge • Explain • Model • Question • Feedback • Practice

These principles provide staff with a shared language for discussing and developing teaching and help ensure that pupils receive high-quality teaching and support.

Challenge

We have high expectations of every pupil. Children are encouraged to aim high, think deeply and take pride in producing work of the highest possible standard. Support and scaffolding are used where necessary to enable pupils to access ambitious learning without lowering expectations.

Explain

Clear explanations help pupils connect new learning with what they already know. Teachers break complex ideas into manageable steps, explicitly teach important vocabulary and use carefully chosen examples and experiences to make learning meaningful and accessible.

Model

Teachers make learning visible by demonstrating processes, thinking aloud and showing pupils what successful outcomes look like. Modelling and worked examples give pupils the support they need before responsibility is gradually transferred to them.

Question

Effective questioning ensures that pupils think hard and participate actively in lessons. Teachers use questions to activate prior knowledge, check understanding, uncover misconceptions and encourage pupils to explain and develop their thinking.

Feedback

Feedback is used throughout learning to help pupils understand what they have done well, identify what they need to improve and know what to do next. Feedback is timely, precise and designed so that pupils can act on it and improve their work.

Practice

Pupils are given regular opportunities to revisit, rehearse and apply their learning. Retrieval practice, quizzes, guided practice and independent application help pupils build fluency, confidence and independence and enable learning to become secure over time.

Inclusive Teaching

The St Michael’s Way is designed to support all pupils.

Teachers maintain ambitious expectations while adapting teaching to remove barriers to learning. Strategies including modelling, small steps, visual supports, vocabulary support, sentence stems, concrete resources, oral rehearsal, pre-teaching and re-teaching may be used according to pupils’ needs.

Adaptation at St Michael’s is not about providing separate or less ambitious learning. It is about knowing our pupils well, providing the right support at the right time and helping every child become increasingly confident and independent.

Our Learning Environments

Our classrooms are calm, purposeful, well-organised and inclusive. Working walls, displays, vocabulary, models and examples are used carefully to support current learning rather than simply decorate the classroom.

Resources and visual supports are accessible so that pupils can increasingly use the classroom environment independently to support their learning.

Developing Our Teaching

We are committed to continually improving teaching across St Michael’s. Professional development is closely linked to The St Michael’s Way and provides staff with opportunities to explore research, share effective practice, receive coaching and feedback, and practise effective teaching strategies.

This ongoing approach helps us maintain consistency while continually developing the quality of education pupils receive.

Teaching and Learning Policy

You can read our full Teaching and Learning Policy below for further information about The St Michael’s Way and our approach to high-quality teaching and learning.