Furness Primary School

PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH – THE 8Es:

Embed: We know that high-quality teaching involves providing adequate opportunities for pupils to practise consolidating what they have been taught; throughout every topic, teachers provide pupils with spaced retrieval of key knowledge via recall, recognition and relearning to ensure it is embedded in pupils’ long term memory.

Explore: At the beginning of a topic or lesson, pupils are exposed to a question or task linked to the learning objective that requires them to draw upon prior knowledge and learning, applying it independently.  This allows teachers to quickly assess pupils’ levels of understanding and possible misconceptions to address during teaching, whilst motivating pupils to ‘have a go’ and learn from their mistakes.

Explain: The teacher, as the expert, imparts key knowledge and information, demonstrates a skill or models a process, deconstructing and breaking down concepts to develop and deepen pupils’ understanding.  Teachers may draw upon additional resources to support the acquisition of knowledge or reinforce key objectives (for example videos, images, texts or concrete resources) and meet the individual needs of pupils.

Examples:  Independent pupil learning activities are provided to embed the core learning objective of the lesson.  Pupils have the opportunity to practise the skill or concept, consolidate the learning and demonstrate their understanding.  Pupils continue to work at the Example stage until they have demonstrated a secure understanding of the concept.

Expansion and Enrichment: Additional activities are provided to pupils who are ready to progress and deepen their learning.  The purpose of Expand and Enrich activities is to present the concept in a different way and encourage pupils to apply their understanding in a different context, making links to prior learning and/or drawing upon other areas of knowledge.  When pupils engage with this rich content and increasing levels of challenge, concepts become more deeply embedded and pupil thinking is exposed.  Crucially, expansion and enrichment tasks require a higher level of reasoning, problem solving and application of knowledge that allows learners to progress further.

Evaluation:  Pupils are given opportunities to reflect upon their learning through self or peer assessment of their work, asking questions or setting themselves targets.  This encourages pupils to take ownership of their learning, fostering greater levels of independence and self-efficacy.

Expertise:  Individuals who demonstrate mastery of a particular skill or concept are given opportunities to share their expertise with others by supporting their peers with learning activities, demonstrating a skill for others, giving feedback or peer marking of work.  This approach greatly develops pupils’ self-esteem and confidence whilst also further consolidating their own understanding and helping others to make more rapid progress through peer support.

CURRICULUM SUPPLEMENTATION & ENRICHMENT:

• Cross-curricular teaching and teaching with real world experiences, such as using trips and visitors is integral to our school curriculum. We believe it gives the children experiences that many within our context would otherwise not have. Extending learning with such opportunities makes it more relevant to the children, creates greater positivity about learning and encourages the children to develop a love for learning whilst also developing their cultural capital.
• Cooperative learning is used within our curriculum through the implementation of learning ‘buddies’. This improves social skills and cooperation between pupils; ensures that all pupils are actively engaged in their learning; supports all academic abilities and means that children become less reliant on the class teacher for support.
• Within the year, whole school theme weeks such as Maths Week, British Science Week, Kid Inventors’ Day, Anti-Bullying Week and many more are built into our curriculum. This raises the profile of different subjects and gives the children opportunities to deepen their knowledge, develop skills at a higher level and try something new.
• We have developed a more exploratory and problem solving approach to our curriculum in order to develop resilience. Children experience success and failure in a safe and supportive environment. Growth mindset is actively promoted to nurture resilience in our pupils and cultivate the understanding that intelligence can be acquired through effort 
• Within our curriculum, we prepare the children for life in the real world by providing them with experiences to empathise, perform and communicate in the community. This supports the children in becoming well-rounded individuals, whilst building on their own self- esteem, confidence and mental health.
• Our curriculum is enhanced by a great range of extra- curricular activities, which are used to further children’s interests and learning; there is limited cost in order for them to be inclusive to all
• Our curriculum is further enhanced with the use of some specialist teaching to provide further opportunities for children in Spanish , Music and PE
• Within our curriculum is our unique provision of swimming lessons for all pupils from years 3 to 6
• Our intervention structure (based on a fluid approach) means pupils are targeted promptly and their gaps urgently addressed