Teaching and Learning

The heart of St Birinus School is the high quality teaching and learning that takes place in every lesson, every day.  Teachers plan and deliver lessons that ensure all students are able to explain their learning for themselves.

St Birinus teachers are experts in their subject areas and this is demonstrated through carefully designed, 7 year curriculums that offer stimulating, engaging and well sequenced routes through learning.  Depth and breadth in learning is important to us and our students make good progress by constantly developing their knowledge and their critical skills which they learn how to apply confidently and independently.

Lessons at St Birinus are characterised by effective use of our effective SBS teaching and learning systems to create purposeful and focused climates for learning and the enactment of Rosenshine’s Principles of Instructions to ensure that the delivery of the curriculum supports all learners to be successful. 

Teachers are responsive in planning for the students in their classes and in the teaching and learning that takes place in every lesson.  The most vulnerable learners in our school community are constantly considered and planned for and supported with care.

Learning Outcomes

Research shows us that students who have a clear understanding of exactly what they need to do, and the steps that they need to take, to be successful are more confident learners and make better progress.

We use Bronze, Silver and Gold learning outcomes in every lesson to make it clear to the students what they need to aim to achieve by the end of the lesson and use them to clearly state graduated stages of success that students will move through. 

The learning outcomes are explained by the class teacher at the start of the lesson and are visible throughout the lesson as a constant reminder of the purpose of the learning and how to be successful.

Teachers expect all students to aim for Gold and plan and teach responsively so that every student, especially our most vulnerable learners, are able to meet the Gold success criteria.

The ‘SBS Challenge Logo’ indicates an extra layer to a learning task, a more challenging alternative to a learning task or extension work that pushes to another level of understanding.

CAR Marking

Students at St Birinus School receive continuous, high quality, responsive verbal feedback that allows them to overcome misconceptions quickly and make immediate progress in lesson time.  The verbal feedback is consolidated by our use of the principles of CAR marking which provides regular, formative written feedback for students.  Students are given planned response time in lessons that enables them to process this feedback and act thoughtfully on the guidance offered.

All teachers use CAR marking stickers to clearly indicate where formative written feedback is being given.

CAR marking provides entirely personalised feedback and teachers take the educational needs of all students into account when formulating comments and creating actions for improvement.

CAR feedback will take the following format:

C - Comment:

• The teacher will provide a comment that is entirely positive. 
• The comment will focus on aspects of the work that is particularly good; knowledge that has been shown or a skill that has been demonstrated. 
• The comment should clarify why the content/skill shown is good.
• The comment should be in student appropriate language

A - Action:

• The teacher will identify specific things that will improve the piece of work or extend the learning of the student.
• The teacher will make it clear where the improvement/extension needs to be made.
• The actions should be in student appropriate language.

R - Response:

• The response to the actions should be completed by the student in green pen.
• Teachers expect students to respond thoroughly, purposefully and thoughtfully.
• Adequate time will be planned into lessons to allow the student responses to be thorough, purposeful and thoughtful.