Excellent Teaching and Learning

EFFECTIVE TEACHING

‘Great teachers help create great students’

At the English School, we constantly strive to improve our teaching practices by adhering to the following conditions of what we believe constitute effective teaching:
 

• teachers set high expectations for all students
• teachers exhibit an excellent subject knowledge
• teachers strive to develop positive relationships with their students in and out of the classroom
• lessons are carefully planned, including effective starter activities and plenaries, the use of ICT and a diverse range of activities
• classroom practices and approaches which encourage the use of:
  • interactive work that promotes active participation and student involvement and thus, gives students agency and voice in the learning process
  • teacher-student dialogue through the use of effective questioning
  • differentiated teaching based on the understanding that students learn in different ways and have different abilities and aptitudes
  • continuous assessment for learning evident in self and peer assessment, high quality feedback, effective questioning, sharing learning objectives and success criteria
  • positive and constructive feedback involving praise on progress achieved and accurate guidance about what students should do next in order to improve further; this is based on the belief that students can incrementally improve their abilities
  • building on the prior experience and learning of students
  • use of new technologies/ICT
• a teaching environment that is calm, well-disciplined and orderly
  • classrooms which are clean and tidy and where there are bright, attractive and informative displays of student’ work
  • A purposeful and stimulating environment
• teachers are committed to personal and professional development

Effective teaching can also be supported by extrinsic factors such as school ethos, leadership, professional development, time and space and research. The English School is more than ever committed to raising teaching standards and thus, learning outcomes. School ethos is about the culture and values of the school and more specifically, it is about developing supportive relationships where students feel their views are listened to. That is why we are committed to encourage Student Voice and find ways by which students will assume responsibility for their learning and to contribute to decision making. In addition, the Head Teacher and the Senior Leadership Team are strongly committed on constantly improving the standard of teaching in the school and on achieving positive outcomes for all its students. This is demonstrated in a clear, well-communicated school improvement plan of what the school will be trying to achieve over the next few years.
 
 EXCELLENT LEARNERS

The ISI report that followed the inspection of our school in November 2015, notes that,
‘the quality of the pupils’ achievements and learning is excellent. Pupils are very well educated, in accordance with the school’s aim to promote academic excellence through high quality teaching.’

Excellent learners are able to:
 

• take an active interest in their learning and seek to improve their performance
• enjoy lessons and become involved
• care about the classroom and take responsibility for maintaining its organisation and resources
• raise questions, try to find answers and ask for help when needed
• work collaboratively in pairs and in groups as well as independently
• persevere with challenging tasks and meet deadlines
• develop research skills
• retain knowledge and apply it in unfamiliar contexts and make connections
• respond positively to opportunities to engage in extension activities