Monitoring and evaluating the quality of Teaching and Learning

At Gretton Primary School we have a very robust cycle of monitoring and evaluation.

Every term the Principal and all subject leaders carry out a range of monitoring activities to ensure the following:

• we know our school very well.
• that we can swiftly identify any aspect of the school that needs development or improvement and put actions into place to ensure this happens.
• that all children are making expected or accelerated progress to enable them to realise their full potential.

There is a termly cycle of monitoring & evaluation which is as follows:

• Data capture points - three times a year, teachers use a range of assessment tools to evaluate a child’s current performance against age-related expectations for each subject.
• Pupil Progress Meetings - teachers meet individually with the Principal after each data capture point to identify any individual children who are not making the progress that they should. Actions to address these issues are discussed and agreed and are then subsequently assessed for impact at the next meeting.
• Monitoring of teaching & learning - all teachers are observed teaching and are provided with feedback on areas of strength in their teaching and areas needing improvement. If necessary, support from colleagues will be provided to model effective teaching & learning approaches.
• Children's books are also scrutinised to ensure;
  • that all children are being presented with an achievable challenge in their work
  • that the quality of presentation is high
  • that teachers expectations of all pupils is high

The Leadership team also conduct 'learning walks' and ‘Drop Ins’ each term which involve visiting every class to assess the quality of the learning environment created by each teacher in the school. These lesson dips also give insight into the typicality of teaching and learning in classrooms. All teachers receive a written summary of the findings from both the book scrutiny and learning walk with identified key areas for improvement highlighted.

Pupil Voice - regular “Snack and Chat” sessions are held with pupils to gain insight into pupil perception and experiences regarding teaching and their learning.

Following such monitoring activities targets or areas for development are identified and these are then a focus in future monitoring.