At our school, teaching and learning is driven by a structured yet flexible lesson design based on research-informed practices. Our approach is grounded in cognitive science and pedagogy, ensuring all learners are supported, challenged, and equipped to succeed.

Each lesson is built around five interconnected phases: Reactivate, Teach/Facilitate/Model, Learn Together, Independent Practice and Reflection. These phases are not followed rigidly in a linear order but are revisited as needed to adapt to learners' needs in real time.

Learning begins by reactivating key prior knowledge essential for the new lesson, ensuring that all pupils are ready to engage. The main teaching follows, delivered in small, manageable steps with modelling, scaffolds, and ongoing checks for understanding to reduce cognitive overload and foster clarity. Teachers make thinking visible, use multiple representations, and engage pupils through guided questions and responsive techniques.

Following the introduction of new learning, children are given structured opportunities to explore it further with their peers under teacher guidance, allowing them to reason, discuss, and clarify their understanding.

Independent Practice then enables children to apply this knowledge, moving from modelled replication to deeper, context-based thinking with increasing independence. Throughout this, high success rates and responsive support are key to ensuring long-term retention.

Finally, lessons conclude with a reflection phase that secures the day’s learning and prepares pupils for the next step in the sequence.