High Quality Inclusive Teaching

Our teaching and learning at St Mary’s places pupils with SEND front and centre by design, high-quality teaching for pupils with SEND is good teaching for all (EEF, 2020).

 Our ambition at St Mary’s Catholic High School is to provide a classroom experience that is high quality and inclusive of all learners. We believe that our excellent teachers are our most valuable resource and we are committed to continuous improvement and professional development. It is our responsibility to always strive for better for the learners we teach. As professionals we look to research and evidence to ensure we provide the highest standard of curriculum delivery.

 The curriculum at St Mary’s is focussed on ‘knowing more and remembering more’ and our curriculum delivery supports this by considering the process of memory making set out in cognitive load theory (Sweller, 2016).

 Or curriculum implementation is based on what research tells us are the key elements of effective teaching; Challenge, Explanation, Modelling, Independent Practice, Questioning and Feedback (Allison & Tharby, 2017). These are the principles that we refer to as ‘High Quality Inclusive Teaching’. These are the ingredients for great teaching for all. We deliver this through a variety of effective teaching techniques.

 At St Mary’s we are ambitious for all learners, we do not set different expectations or limitations on pupils’ potential living out our mission statement of doing ‘all things through Christ’. Teachers set ambitious learning goals and support all learners to reach their potential, including learners with SEND. Teachers support and scaffold to ensure all learners reach their potential. Teachers use formative assessment strategies like cold-calling as routine to systematically check for understanding and adapt teaching accordingly.

 Mr D Haste – Senior Assistant Headteacher – Teaching and Learning

Special educational needs in mainstream schools (2020) EEF. EEF. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/guidance-reports/send (Accessed: October 9, 2022).

Allison, S. and Tharby, A. (2017) Making every lesson count six principles to support great teaching and learning. Carmarthen: Crown House.

“Cognitive load theory” (2016). Available at: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203764770