From the Director of Teaching and Learning

Teaching and Learning in our classrooms are guided by the following key principles:

Our classrooms reflect safe and supportive learning environments that foster relationship building and student trust: Students learn best when they feel valued and have a connection with their teachers and the school community. Building relationships that are based on care and trust form the basis of all our classroom practice. Our teachers forge strong positive relationships with students, and this sets the foundation on which deep learning occurs.

Our classrooms reflect learning environments that are challenging to further student learning whilst promoting grit and resilience: Real learning comes from making mistakes. When we run into difficulties and start to make mistakes, we need to learn how to correct these mistakes. This forces our brain to concentrate. In safe and supportive learning environments, we provide opportunities for students to take risks, make mistakes and learn from these mistakes, and through this process, they develop integral qualities of grit, resilience, and a growth mindset.

Our classrooms reflect learning environments that allow opportunities for experiential and hands-on learning: Contextualising learning by making connections between what is being learnt in the classroom with the real world makes the learning meaningful and relevant. Students are actively involved in posing questions, experimenting, investigating, being creative and curious, problem-solving. As they develop and hone these skills, they make connections between the subject content and real-life contexts, thus making the learning concrete and tangible. 

Our classrooms reflect learning environments that provide opportunities for differentiation to cater for differing student abilities and needs: It is our endeavour to ensure that each student’s learning journey is personalised based on their individual needs. Heads of Departments and teaching staff work closely with Heads of Year to ensure the best educational outcomes for each student. Research shows that one of the key contributors to improved student outcomes is teacher efficacy. In the words of Professor John Hattie, “It is what teachers know, do and care about which is very powerful in the learning equation.” Our Heads of Department are all experienced educators who are passionate about their subject areas. This passion filters down to the departmental staff who are subject experts and deliver the curriculum through pedagogy that is current and backed by research. 

We look forward to continuing working with your sons and daughters to support, nurture and extend them as they navigate their learning journey through the Middle and Secondary years.