Learning
Peacehaven Community School's commitment to research-informed learning activities ensures that our students receive an exceptional education that prepares them for a bright future in a changing world. By embracing the most effective teaching methods within educational research, we cultivate cognitive and social-emotional growth, empowering our students to become responsible global citizens who can confidently aspire, believe, contribute, and achieve.
Evidence-Informed Teaching and Learning
We pride ourselves on our evidence-informed approach to teaching and learning.
This commitment is echoed in our approach to professional development of our teachers, who are constantly seeking to improve their practice and learn from the latest research in education. Our impressive research engaged approach has been recognised and published in Eton College's Journal for Innovation and Research in Education and in the Chartered College of Teaching's Impact
Journal for Effective Pedagogy and Applying Research in Practice.
This is a testament to our dedication and passion for providing the highest quality education for our students:
Our learning activities are designed to activate prior knowledge, seamlessly integrating it with new knowledge and concepts. We carefully consider cognitive load, meticulously planning our lessons to reduce extraneous load and learning activities promote mastery of threshold concepts. This approach allows our students to engage in deeper thinking within lessons and fosters a strong foundation for future learning.
Moreover, we prioritise formative assessment, assessing and activating students' thinking to enable adaptive teaching that responds to their individual needs. Through this responsive approach, we continually set high expectations and support every student in reaching their full potential.
Developing Reflective, Self-Scaffolding Learners
We are dedicated to cultivating self-scaffolding, reflective learners who are equipped to excel in a rapidly changing world. We achieve this by carefully planning our learning activities to reduce scaffolding over time, empowering our students to become independent, critical thinkers.
Our learning activities explicitly teach metacognitive strategies, encouraging students to reflect on their learning and develop a deeper understanding of their thought processes. Furthermore, we use modelling as part of guided practice before independent practice, teachers regularly plan “I do, we do, you do” activities allowing students to learn from examples and experience a high success rate, which in turn boosts their motivation and engagement in their lessons.
Comprehensive Feedback for Continuous Progress
We believe that regular, constructive feedback is crucial for our students' ongoing progress and success. Our dedicated teachers provide timely and actionable feedback, enabling students to refine their skills and knowledge continually.
By incorporating this feedback into our learning activities, we ensure that our students remain focused on their growth, fostering a culture of resilience, determination, and achievement. As a result, our students are well-prepared for their future endeavours, equipped with the skills and knowledge to contribute positively to society and excel in their chosen fields.
Fostering Advanced Literacy Skills
We recognise the pivotal role of literacy in our students' academic success and personal growth. Therefore, we emphasise literacy throughout our curriculum, equipping students with essential reading, writing, and oracy skills for thriving in all life aspects.
Our learning activities integrate explicit literacy teaching across all subjects, enabling students to articulate complex ideas effectively. We incorporate the Accountable Talk framework for oracy, fostering purposeful classroom discussions that refine students' communication skills. Our teachers also explicitly teach tier 2 and 3 vocabulary through engaging activities that explore morphology and etymology, cultivating an appreciation for language intricacies. Furthermore, literacy learning activities consistently activate prior knowledge and model high-quality writing criteria, guiding students towards excellent written communication skills.
Our focus on evidence-informed education, development of self-scaffolding learners, and promotion of advanced literacy skills ensures that our students are equipped to face the future with confidence and a strong foundation for lifelong learning and success.