Teaching and Learning
"Leaders’ design of subject curriculums is consistently excellent. Much thought is given to the rich and ambitious subject knowledge that pupils should learn. Leaders are clear about how and when pupils should learn this knowledge. Teachers use their subject expertise to implement the subject curriculums extremely well."
Ofsted, 2022
Broughton High School Teaching and Learning Mission Statement
At Broughton High School, we are committed to providing a learning environment that fosters intellectual curiosity, personal growth, and academic excellence. Our teaching approach is grounded in evidence-based practices, and our staff routinely draw on current academic research to ensure that classroom pedagogy remains innovative and cutting-edge. This commitment to ongoing professional development allows us to continually refine our methods, ensuring that we meet the diverse needs of all our pupils and support them in achieving their full potential.
Modelling High-Quality Practice: Our teachers consistently model effective learning strategies, demonstrating how to approach and solve problems, how to think critically and how to engage with subject content. By modelling expert techniques, we help pupils understand how to approach tasks successfully, therefore developing expertise and confidence.
Clear and Structured Explanations: Teachers provide clear, structured explanations that break down complex concepts into manageable parts. These explanations are designed to ensure that all pupils can follow the progression of the lesson, build understanding step by step and feel supported in their learning journey. We aim to ensure clarity and accessibility for all learners, enabling them to grasp challenging ideas with ease.
Purposeful Questioning to Encourage Deep Thinking: We use a variety of questioning techniques to promote curiosity and stimulate critical thinking. By asking open-ended and thought-provoking questions, we challenge pupils to explore new perspectives, justify their reasoning and develop a deeper understanding of content. This encourages intellectual independence and active participation in lessons with the onus being on all pupils engaging with lesson content.
Targeted Marking and Constructive Feedback: We are dedicated to providing timely, specific and actionable feedback that empowers pupils to reflect on their progress and take ownership of their learning. Feedback is not only a tool for assessment but is also a means to guide pupils in their improvement, helping them identify strengths and areas for development to enhance their academic growth.
Teaching for Long-Term Memory and Retention: We design our curriculum to ensure pupils retain knowledge over time by embedding strategies such as spaced repetition, retrieval practice and regular review. This approach helps strengthen connections between lesson content, supporting long-term retention and enabling pupils to build upon prior learning to achieve deeper mastery in their subjects.
Developing Academic Writing Skills: We prioritise the development of high-level academic writing, encouraging pupils to express their ideas clearly, concisely and with a critical voice. Our curriculum supports pupils in mastering the conventions of formal academic writing, including structure, argumentation, evidence, and referencing, so they can effectively communicate their ideas across all disciplines.
Cultivating Disciplinary Reading and Analytical Thinking: Our pupils engage in reading materials specific to their subject disciplines, developing the ability to interpret, critique and analyse texts in ways that are relevant to their studies. This disciplinary reading helps pupils gain a deeper insight into subject content and enhances their critical thinking skills by exposing them to a wide range of perspectives and ideas.
Fostering Oracy and Communication Skills: We place a strong emphasis on oracy, ensuring that pupils develop the ability to speak confidently and articulately in a range of academic and social contexts. Through structured debates, discussions, presentations and collaborative activities, we enable pupils to refine their verbal communication, express their thoughts clearly and engage in meaningful dialogue with peers and teachers.
SEND Provision and Support: We are dedicated to ensuring that every pupil, regardless of their individual needs, has access to a high-quality education. We provide tailored support for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) through personalised interventions, in-class assistance and the use of adaptive learning strategies. Our experienced SEND team works closely with teachers, parents and external professionals to ensure that pupils receive the appropriate resources and accommodations to thrive in the classroom.
Subject-Specific Homework as a Tool for Developing Pupils: Subject-specific homework plays a vital role in reinforcing learning and fostering independent study skills. Homework is designed to complement the curriculum, providing pupils with the opportunity to consolidate their understanding, practice key concepts and apply knowledge in real-world contexts. By tailoring assignments to the specific demands of each subject, we encourage pupils to engage deeply with content, build discipline-specific skills, and develop the confidence to work autonomously.
"Teachers make sure that no pupils are left behind or fail to achieve all that they should. Teachers quickly spot when pupils do not grasp essential knowledge first time around. They take careful and effective action to cement pupils’ understanding before new learning is introduced. As a result, pupils learn a rich body of knowledge that they remember over time. This leads to their excellent achievement."
Ofsted, 2022