Teaching and Learning

At Chiltern Academy we are committed to delivering high quality teaching in all lessons to provide academic rigour and challenge for all students.

Teaching and Learning at Chiltern Academy takes place in a learning environment where students are encouraged to take initiative, apply themselves and take an active role in their own learning. We have the highest standards and expectations with respect to teaching and learning; effective teaching promotes high levels of learning, progress, enjoyment and well-being for all students and it uses effective feedback as an integral mechanism for meeting the needs of all students. Teaching and learning opportunities are tailored to meet the needs of all learners, providing appropriate challenge and maximising potential.

Through this, pupils will be supported to:

• Embrace a growth mindset

• Develop high quality subject knowledge based on the content delivered in a broad and balanced curriculum 

• Work hard and develop skills and knowledge with academic rigour

• Value the importance of learning from ‘good mistakes’

• Develop aspirations and challenge themselves to maximise their potential

• Develop meta-cognition

• Foster the skills of creativity, resilience and independence

• Be empowered to take responsibility for their own learning

• Experience a wide variety of teaching and learning strategies

• Make good / excellent progress towards their targets

• Evaluate their own learning and respond successfully to effective feedback

• Develop strategies to support their memory and recall for long term memory retention 

• Develop reading, writing, numeracy and communication skills in all areas of their study

High Quality Teaching

Teaching and Learning Team

The Teaching and Learning Team work across the school to ensure lessons remain high quality for all pupils, exploring the most up to date research and pedagogy, as well as providing bespoke and excellent CPD opportunities for teachers.

 Lessons

Chiltern Academy values the importance of educational research and aims to incorporate theory into practice within the classroom to ensure effective teaching and learning. This is underpinned predominantly by the findings of Doug Lemov (Teach like a Champion 3.0), Dylan Wiliam (Meta-cognition, Assessment and Feedback), Carol Dweck (Growth Mindset), David Didau, The Learning Scientists, the EEF and the Sutton Trust as well as numerous other educational thinkers to ensure consistently high standards in the classroom.

Through this research we have developed our Chiltern Champion Lesson Structure which is underpinned by our teaching and learning policy - CAMMFES.

This ensures that In every lesson we are promoting consistently high quality teaching and learning  to ensure the best possible outcomes for our pupils. 

Technology for Learning 

Blended learning is the combination of traditional teaching and learning methods in the classroom combined with online methods of teaching and learning using Google Classroom, the G Suite of apps and other online learning platforms. Effective blended learning promotes high levels of learning, progress, enjoyment and well-being for all students and it uses technology, marking and assessment as an integral mechanism for meeting the needs of all students. Chiltern Academy is a Google school and many of our students have chromebooks as part of their equipment. Teachers use blended learning within their lessons to make the most effective use of chromebooks as a resource to develop pupil learning. 

Some excellent websites or apps which allow for blended learning include, but are not limited to:

- Educake

- Maths Watch

- Kahoot

- Quizizz

- Accelerated Reader

- Jamboard

- E-Library

-The Day

Chiltern Champion Retrieval Practice

Retrieval Practice is a key teaching and learning initiative at Chiltern Academy with RRR (revise, review, revisit) time built into the the start of every lesson. This is a time for subject areas to revisit topics previously taught, review students’ long-term learning and retention, and revise content as and where necessary. Children Champion Retrieval Practice sessions also take place during form time on a weekly basis in the canteen for each year group delivered by subject experts to provide further opportunities for students to revisit their learning.

This is underpinned by research into Ebbinghaus’ Forgetting Curve. This curve shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it; therefore by revisiting concepts regularly, the students are able to move concepts from their working memory into their long term memory, thus improving their retention of knowledge.

Teaching and Learning for pupils with SEND

Provision for pupils with SEND is in accordance with the SEN Code of Practice (2015) which states the following:

• ‘The class or subject teacher should remain responsible for working with the child on a daily basis.’
• ‘They should work closely with any teaching assistants or specialist staff involved, to plan and assess the impact of school and interventions and how they can be linked to classroom teaching.’

Staff should be aware of the needs of pupils with SEND in their classroom which can be found on the pupil passports. These provide personalised strategies to support students with SEND in their lessons. Teachers communicate regularly with the Support for Learning department, teaching assistants and key workers to plan personalised provision to ensure pupils make progress and can access the learning. 

Staff will liaise with support for learning staff and keyworkers to tailor home learning to meet pupils’ learning needs to ensure tasks are appropriate and accessible.