St. Mark’s Church of England Primary School
Headteacher:
Mr. Peter Barfoot
Deputy:
Mrs. June Grant
School Business Manager:
Denise Conroy
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Welcome to Teaching and Learning . . .
Teaching and Learning at St Mark’s
At St Mark’s we believe education is fundamentally about the nurture and development of the whole child as a fully rounded human being. We provide a curriculum which is underpinned by our commitment to two key areas; our Christian ethos and Values and provision for the development of key skills (communication through speaking, listening, reading and writing, application of number, problem solving, working with others and working independently).
We work in partnership with others involved in a child’s life to contribute to their full education and development e.g. parents, wider family members, local community and religious leaders. Learning opportunities are enhanced through use of the outdoors, specialists in particular areas of learning e.g. P.E or science, themed events such as ‘Book Week’ or ‘Fairtrade Fortnight’, visitors to school and educational visits off site.
We know all children can succeed. Progress in learning starts from and then builds on the child’s existing skills and knowledge. Learning objectives and success criteria are made explicit to the children to ensure their continuing progress. Written and verbal assessment, marking and feedback given to the child relates directly to the learning purpose of each lesson or task. Children are fully involved with the assessment process to help develop their independence and understanding of future targets. All members of the staff team have high expectations and provide opportunities for children to experience appropriate challenge regardless of background or ability.
Teaching is not just about delivery of the National Curriculum. We try to include aspects of learning which relate to the children’s interests and allow for a creative and imaginative response. We encourage and teach positive learning behaviours and social behaviours. We give praise and encouragement regularly. Praise is focused on specific successes, achievement of personal goals or on particular learning behaviours. We aim to make learning interesting, challenging and fun !