We believe that high quality teaching is teaching that inspires and motivates children and enables them to make good progress in their learning. Our underpinning vision is for all children to achieve the very best that they can and to be inspired to learn; hence our school statement 'inspiring a passion for learning'.

At Priory Rise School there is a focus on high quality teaching and learning. High quality teaching is characterised by a number of key ingredients; at Priory Rise we believe the most significant 'ingredient' is that teaching should enable all children to learn effectively in a happy, caring and supportive community. We have set out below some of the key 'ingredients' of our approach to achieving high quality teaching.

• We know that excellent relationships are fundamental to children being able to thrive and enjoy learning. At Priory Rise children enjoy learning - they feel safe and secure in their environment and feel confident to take risks with their own learning. This is achieved through the promotion of excellent relationships and the development of a strong learning and caring ethos. 
• High standards of behaviour are important at Priory Rise and we place great emphasis on courtesy, respect and kindness towards others. Children feel happy and confident when they know what is expected of them and they know that they are able to learn in a positive, happy and purposeful learning environment. We believe this is essential to good learning. Good routines are established and good manners and polite behaviour are characteristic of our school environment. Priory Rise is a school where everyone is valued and diversity and achievement are celebrated; this is an important ingredient in our positive learning culture. The development of good citizenship is part of this learning culture - respecting and valuing others, understanding the difference between right and wrong and the importance of this in a community.
• We believe passionately in the important influence that the physical environment has on children. Not only does the learning environment help to promote high standards and expectations it also supports children's learning. At Priory Rise there are attractive, high quality displays which celebrate children's achievements and endorse the high standards of the school. Classrooms have a variety of age appropriate prompts to support learning - e.g. word banks, number lines, washing line words. Artefacts, books and other materials stimulate children's interest and enjoyment. We have also re-designed the outside learning environment to reflect our school aims and to provide excellent facilities for physical, social and imaginative play. We truly believe that the environment does 'inspire a passion for learning' ... and playing.
• We make the most of the wonderful learning environment and excellent resources to promote learning. At Priory Rise materials and resources are well organised to enable children to take some responsibility for their learning and be as independent as possible. We also make effective use of technology and we know that our children are growing up in a digital work and need to be confident and safe users of modern technology. The governors have invested significantly in technology to enable our staff to draw upon a wide range of interactive and imaginative learning resources to support children's learning.
• To make sure children's learning is built on their prior learning and provides an appropriate level of children, teachers plan conscientiously and ensure that there are clear learning intentions. Our staff know the children very well and work very hard to ensure good progress through a stimulating, interesting curriculum.
• We believe strongly in making teaching as interactive and engaging as possible. At Priory Rise teachers use a range of stimulating questions and other strategies to engage all children. This includes the use of different types of questions, the use of whiteboards, interactive boards, fan cards and other resources to ensure high levels of participation and engagement from children. Children also participate by asking questions, collaborating, presenting to class and taking some responsibility for directing their own learning. In short, our staff deliver interesting lessons and use a wide variety of resources and strategies to make learning interesting.
• We believe an important ingredient in successful teaching and learning is that children need to understand what they can already do well and what they need to do to improve their learning further. At Priory Rise children receive high quality feedback about their learning - with younger children there is a greater emphasis on oral feedback as this is often best done at 'the point of learning'. Written feedback is given in teachers' marking and teachers emphasise what has been achieved and what things could be even better next time.
• And finally ... we know that for children to achieve their very best they need to be effective learners. At Priory Rise we aim for children to develop positive learning habits and behaviours so that they become enthusiastic, independent learners with a thirst and a passion for learning. We therefore aspire for our children to demonstrate the following characteristics and actively support children to achieve these aspirations:

An effective learner is:

• confident and prepared to try out new things - some of which may involve taking a calculated learning risk;
• clear about their own learning and has a thirst for more - they are enthusiastic, curious and inquiring;
• has an understanding about how they learn best and how to learn more;
• able to draw upon a wide range of experiences and resources and make links between aspects of their learning;
• resilient - they are not put off by hurdles and obstacles. Good learners are tenacious and they don't give up;
• is able to take responsibility for aspects of their own learning and they demonstrate good levels of independence.