Teaching and Learning at Ridgeway Secondary School
At Ridgeway Secondary School, we have a structured framework through which teaching and learning takes place across the school.
We have thoughtfully researched the best pedagogical practices suggested by evidence-informed research and decided on an approach which suits our students, within our context.
This approach provides all teachers and students with a shared language through which to communicate and understand classroom expectations so that excellent teaching and learning can take place, consistently.
This structured approach allows us to accelerate student learning and progress through:
Ensuring all students’ attention remains on the teacher’s instruction or the task they are completing, 100% of the time.
- Ensuring all students are participating in the learning 100% of the time e.g. through listening, tracking, reading, writing, speaking.
- Ensuring all teachers are constantly checking for understanding throughout every phase of the lesson to ensure responsive teaching and feedback is taking place at all times.
Our approach to teaching and learning is heavily influenced by the work of Doug Lemov and Teach like a Champion 3.0. Lemov studied the practice of highly effective teachers, teaching students from low socio-economic backgrounds across different communities.
Following his observations and research, he codified his findings into 64 techniques which he found to be used by all highly effective teachers to ensure students’ remained attentive to the teacher’s instructions, teachers checked for understanding, students wrote extensively in lessons and that student discussions were structured and high quality.
At Ridgeway Secondary School, we have selected 10 of Lemov’s 64 techniques as our ‘core techniques’. We expect all teachers to use these techniques in all lessons, as appropriate.
These techniques support our teachers to achieve our aims outlined above. Whilst we train our teachers on a number of other TLAC 3.0 techniques, we appreciate that not every technique can be used in every lesson. However, we do advocate that our 10 chosen techniques are used consistently and effectively in every lesson, as applicable.
Our approach is also heavily influenced by Engelmann’s Direct Instruction model. Engelmann sought to identify teaching methods that would accelerate the progress of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The Direct Instruction model is based on the following principles:
All children can be taught
- All children can improve academically and in terms of self-image
- All teachers can succeed if provided with adequate training and materials
- Low attainers and disadvantaged learners must be taught at a faster rate than their peers if they are to catch up
- All details of instruction must be controlled to minimise the chance of students misinterpreting the information being taught to them and maximise the effect of the instruction.
Teaching & Learning at Ridgeway Secondary School
Engelmann’s research came from ‘Project Follow Through’ which was the largest controlled comparative study of pedagogical techniques in history: from 1967 – 1995, over 700,000 children in 170 disadvantaged communities across the United States participated in this $1 billion study to discover the best practices for teaching disadvantaged students. This was the result:
When the testing was over, students in Direct Instruction classrooms had placed first in reading, first in maths, first in spelling, and first in language. No other model came close. Many of the others underperformed the control group! Direct Instruction even defeated the developmental and affective models that came from their own turf! Direct Instruction students also placed first in self-esteem. Apparently, children who mastered reading, writing, and maths felt better about themselves than those who did not.
At Ridgeway Secondary School, all lessons are planned and delivered with the principles of Direct Instruction in mind.
At Ridgeway Secondary School, we implement a model of teaching that is rooted in research and formulated across four key ‘sections’.
| Section 1: Recap | It is the expectation that each new lesson begins with a review of the previous lesson and/or previous learning. Daily review can strengthen previous learning and can lead to fluent recall. |
| Section 2: Content and Knowledge Development | Each lesson has a clear objective that all students should achieve. This is linked to delivery grids and curriculum design. Objectives are designed with progress in mind and all students should be able to articulate their ‘learning journey’ for each topic (and lesson).
Any new material should be introduced in brief and ‘chunked’ steps and thought is given to how much new information is provided. Staff understand that the working memory is only small and can only handle a few bits of information at once, and consider this in their planning and delivery. |
| Section 3: Independent Silent Study | Students are given opportunities to apply and practice in different formats to show and strengthen their learning. Models are given, where possible, to allow for connection & link-making. Teachers give thought to cognitive support throughout their planning. Staff understand that fluency arises through practice over time. |
| Section 4: Review, regular and frequent checking for understanding | Teachers constantly check understanding by asking a large number of questions, throughout the lesson, and check with all students to ensure misconceptions have not arisen. Planned assessment takes place for each unit of work with individualised feedback that moves students forward and addresses learning needed. Summative assessment is used at the end of each topic to evaluate learning and progress made. Teachers gather this data to inform further teaching and planning. |
– Whole school routines are essential – they set norms, expectations & help build relationships with staff.
- Silent Corridors
- Equipment checked every day relentlessly
- Every day begins with reading
- Ever lesson begins with retrieval
- 3-2-1 Ready means stop and pay attention in silence
- Tracking signposts students where to pay attention
- 3-2-1 Go signifies when a task is due to start
- Every lesson has Independent Silent Study
- All students read aloud
- All students ask and answer questions
– Prior knowledge influences new learning and needs to be considered when planning.
– Knowing our students thoroughly and understanding their backgrounds and context is vital in ensuring provision is personalised and tailored.
– High standards for behaviour is maintained and supported by the thorough use of the rewards and sanctions systems.
We believe that good teaching and learning takes place when:
- a culture of being here means being better;
- a culture of no opt out;
- disruption is never tolerated;
- a culture of letting students off lets them down
- lessons are purposeful and delivered at a brisk pace;
- there is clarity around learning objectives within a lesson;
- Passive learning is tackled through different strategies including a variety of questioning techniques and maintaining high standards;
- the lesson includes regular review and checking for understanding in which students identify and review what they have learnt and or misunderstood;
- the teacher inspires students by conveying his/her enthusiasm for the subject;
- the teacher selects appropriate resources and provides a variety of activities;
- the teacher adapts and scaffolds tasks to meet the needs of all students, where appropriate;
- the teacher seeks to involve each student and makes appropriate use of praise and constructive feedback;
- the teacher builds and maintains good relationships with the group, respecting each contribution and using humour where appropriate;
- high standards of behaviour are maintained through a consistent approach to discipline and adherence to the whole school behaviour policy;
- seating plans are used to create a positive learning environment and ensure students are effectively supported;
- equipment is used with accuracy and care;
- teaching assistants are used effectively with individuals and groups of students they are ‘helicopters’ not ‘velcro’;
- the lesson ends with students knowing, understanding or being able to do more than when they arrived.
Professional Development at Ridgeway Secondary School
We invest heavily in staff professional development; therefore, we ensure that all teachers are trained, supported and coached to meet our high standards.
As part of this supportive approach, all teachers attend our weekly CPD sessions where they are trained on our core ‘Teach Like a Champion’ techniques. In addition to this weekly CPD, all teachers are assigned a coach upon joining Ridgeway Secondary . Coaches drop into lessons twice per half term to gather live feedback and follow through their drop-ins.
We ensure that our approach to coaching and feedback is research informed: the feedback teachers are provided with actionable ‘action steps’ each fortnight which they are then supported by their coach to embed immediately. Furthermore, all CPD at Ridgeway is underpinned by deliberate practice.
This ensures that teachers are provided with the opportunity to practise our core techniques with their coach or within CPD before they apply them in their classrooms. This approach to coaching, feedback and practice ensures our teachers develop rapidly.
‘Developing and training staff has been a forefront of the school’s work. This has proved to be a highly effective strategy. It means that staff are extremely well trained to deliver the curriculum. This contributes considerably to the exceptional quality of education.’
Ofsted, 2025
In addition to our whole school’s generic pedagogy offer, we ensure that the subject knowledge and subject specific pedagogy of all teachers is developed by subject experts on a weekly basis through designated Department CPD time.
We are also committed to ensuring all staff are developed at an individual level. As part of this commitment, we ensure that staff requests for CPD beyond the school and departmental offer are always taken into consideration.
