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“Strong relationships build strong learning. When students feel valued, respected, and understood, they rise to meet the highest expectations...not out of compliance, but out of pride.”

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When the Adults Change, Everything Changes - Paul Dix

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Establish classroom routines explicitly...practice them until automatic.

Pre-plan phrasing for behaviour reminders (“We’re focusing on learning now,” “Let’s reset and start again”).

Plan praise intentionally...use a ratio of 4:1 positive to corrective comments.

Identify potential flashpoints and pre-empt with seating, transitions, or time reminders.

Develop a calm script for intervention and follow-up (“What happened?”, “What should you do next?”, “How will you fix it?”).

Incorporate character education and ARA values (Respect, Resilience, Responsibility) into lesson reflection moments.

During the Lesson:

Greet students positively and personally...every start is a reset.

Use body language, proximity, and tone to project calm authority.

Narrate positive behaviour (“I can see three students ready to learn, excellent focus”).

Apply consequences privately, never emotionally...always with clarity and dignity.

Praise effort, improvement, and teamwork as much as attainment.

Use restorative conversations after conflict to rebuild relationships and accountability.

Encourage peer leadership...model how students can support and regulate each other positively.

Close every lesson with a collective reflection or appreciation moment.

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Planning Prompts

How do my routines and tone set the emotional climate of my classroom?

What specific systems ensure consistency in behaviour expectations and responses?

How do I reinforce positive behaviours and relationships daily?

When behaviour dips, do my interventions teach, not just correct?

How am I modelling respect, empathy, and resilience in my interactions?

Are my expectations equally high for behaviour and effort across all students?

How do I celebrate growth in attitude and conduct, not just achievement?

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Relationships are the foundation of effective teaching. When trust, respect, and consistency exist, learning thrives. A calm, purposeful classroom environment enables curiosity, challenge, and risk-taking. Outstanding behaviour practice isn’t about control, it’s about connection, clarity, and shared responsibility. The best teachers make expectations explicit, reinforce them positively, and build relationships that motivate students to meet high standards because they want to, not because they have to.

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“Progress is the story of learning, told through growth, reflection, and resilience. When students can see how far they’ve come, they’re inspired to keep going.”

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Sequence lessons to build on prior knowledge and revisit key concepts regularly.

Identify milestone tasks that showcase skill development over time.

Embed formative assessment (e.g., exit tickets, retrieval practice) to measure short-term progress.

Plan opportunities for students to review, redraft, or extend their work.

Design tracking systems (digital or visual) that highlight growth and encourage ownership.

Include success criteria that describe what progress looks like at different stages.

During the Lesson:

Begin with retrieval questions linking prior learning to new objectives.

Highlight explicit examples of improvement (“You can now do what you couldn’t last week”).

Use questioning to deepen understanding: “What’s changed in your thinking since the last lesson?”

Provide short reflection moments (“What’s one thing you do better now than before?”).

Use feedback loops...teacher → student → self → peer to sustain improvement.

Celebrate visible progress through verbal recognition or display of before/after examples.

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Planning Prompts

How do I know my students are making progress today, not just at the end of a term?

What systems help me and my students see and track improvement over time?

How do I connect today’s learning to previous knowledge and future goals?

What evidence of progress exists in books, dialogue, or performance?

Are all learners moving forward, including those who started behind or ahead?

How can I use reflection and feedback to help students celebrate growth?

What role do formative assessments play in shaping my next lesson?

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Progress is the heartbeat of great teaching. It’s not just about moving forward...it’s about knowing where you started, where you’re going, and how to get there. Outstanding progress happens when teachers build clarity, feedback, and reflection into every lesson. When students can see their improvement and articulate how they’ve grown, learning becomes meaningful, motivating, and measurable.

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Identify cross-curricular and subject-specific vocabulary for explicit teaching.

Integrate reading comprehension activities... prediction, summarising, questioning.

Plan sentence starters, paragraph frames, or model answers to structure writing.

Include opportunities for oral rehearsal before extended writing tasks.

Embed retrieval of vocabulary and concepts through quizzes, low-stakes tests, or concept maps.

Display and regularly update word walls, exemplar work, and sentence scaffolds.

During the Lesson:

Model reading aloud, demonstrating fluency and expression.

Use reciprocal reading strategies: predict, clarify, question, and summarise.

Highlight and unpack powerful vocabulary as it appears in context.

Encourage academic talk...prompt students to use full sentences and precise terminology.

Provide time for structured peer feedback on writing (focus on clarity, evidence, accuracy).

Circulate to support vocabulary use, correcting misconceptions in real time.

Praise and display excellent examples of literacy in action...both spoken and written.

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Planning Prompts

How am I embedding reading, writing, and speaking into my lessons every week?

What opportunities exist for students to discuss and debate using subject-specific language?

How am I modelling and scaffolding extended writing or structured responses?

Which keywords and sentence frames do my students need to master this unit?

How am I checking for understanding of academic vocabulary?

Am I helping students become confident readers of subject texts and data sources?

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Literacy is the gateway to learning. When students can read critically, write clearly, and speak with confidence, they access deeper understanding across all subjects. Every teacher is a teacher of language... because without language, students cannot reason, question, or express their ideas. Embedding literacy within lessons ensures all learners, including EAL and SEND students, can engage fully, think independently, and communicate powerfully.

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Identify key academic and subject-specific vocabulary for explicit teaching.

Prepare visuals, dual-language resources, or labelled diagrams to support understanding.

Write sentence starters or frames to guide extended responses.

Plan opportunities for structured talk (e.g., think-pair-share, discussion roles).

Anticipate linguistic misconceptions.

Build retrieval of vocabulary across lessons...repetition leads to retention.

During the Lesson:

Use gestures, visuals, and modelling to reinforce spoken language.

Speak clearly and naturally... avoid oversimplification, but check comprehension frequently.

Pre-teach new vocabulary and revisit it throughout the lesson.

Pair EAL learners strategically with supportive peers for language modelling.

Praise effort in communication, not just accuracy... build confidence first.

Model language through sentence stems: “We can infer that…”, “This shows that…”.

Give processing time after questions...wait time supports language formulation.

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Planning Prompts

How am I enabling my EAL students to access key concepts without reducing challenge?

What new vocabulary or sentence structures will I explicitly teach today?

Are visuals, gestures, and modelling consistently supporting comprehension?

How will I give EAL students time to rehearse and practise new language before producing it?

Am I encouraging peer interaction to build language through collaboration?

What opportunities exist for students to use new vocabulary in context, not isolation?

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Language should never be a barrier to learning...it should be a bridge. Effective EAL teaching is about equity, not simplification. By giving students the tools, vocabulary, and confidence to access and express ideas, we empower them to engage fully in the curriculum. Great EAL practice ensures that language and learning develop hand in hand...every student can think deeply, communicate effectively, and feel part of the classroom community.

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Dylan Wiliam talks... inclusive differentiation

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Use prior data and formative assessments to inform differentiated goals.

Plan tiered success criteria to allow visible progression.

Prepare scaffolded resources (sentence starters, models, exemplars) but plan when to fade them.

Incorporate choice and depth...tasks that increase in complexity rather than quantity.

Design questions using Bloom’s Taxonomy or Depth of Knowledge frameworks to vary cognitive demand.

Anticipate common misconceptions and plan pre-emptive interventions.

During the Lesson:

Use live assessment to adjust challenge...raise expectations when students succeed, add scaffolds where needed.

Cold call higher-order questions across ability groups to normalise challenge.

Use screens or whiteboards to model sophisticated answers and analysis.

Encourage peer mentoring or “learning buddies” for collaborative stretch.

Narrate your belief in capability: “I know you can do this because…” to reinforce growth mindset.

Celebrate resilience and risk-taking... normalise productive struggle.

Circulate with purpose... intervene through prompts, not answers.

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Dear all,

Here is a website that I have seen used very well to create routines and and aid the delivery of high quality lessons. Feel free to create an account and have a look at what it can do.

James

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Planning Prompts

How am I ensuring every learner experiences appropriate challenge in this lesson?

What scaffolds will help students access the challenge without lowering expectations?

How will I know when to remove or reduce support to build independence?

How can I design tasks that allow for multiple entry points and outcomes?

How am I stretching high attainers while supporting developing learners?

How will I use questioning to deepen, not just check, understanding?

What routines help students persevere when work becomes difficult?

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Differentiation is not about giving different work... it’s about giving every learner the right level of access and challenge. When lessons are designed to stretch all learners while maintaining accessibility, classrooms become equitable spaces of aspiration. High expectations for all, underpinned by scaffolding, questioning, and adaptive teaching, ensure that every student is seen, supported, and stretched to achieve their potential.

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Secondary Feedback Structure

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“Feedback is not a finish line...it’s a conversation that keeps learning alive. Every response, question, and reflection builds confidence, ownership, and progress.”

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all school leaders understand the importance of providing meaningful feedback. done well

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and thereby closing the gap between where a pupil is and where the teacher wants them to be.  however

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not all feedback has positive effects. done badly

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feedback can even harm progress. nor is feedback ‘free’. large amounts of time are spent providing pupils with feedback

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perhaps not always productively.  historically

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much consideration has been given to the methods by which feedback is delivered. specifically

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or should it be verbal? this guidance report aims to move beyond this and focus on what really matters: the principles of good feedback rather than the written or verbal methods of feedback delivery.  the guidance report is based on the best available international evidence

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in addition to a review of current practice

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and refined through consultation with teachers and other experts.

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Teacher Feedback to Improve Pupil Learning

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Six recommendations for using teacher feedback to improve pupil learning

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Plan diagnostic questions that reveal misconceptions rather than test recall.

Build AfL checkpoints into lesson flow (starter review, mid-lesson hinge, plenary reflection).

Design success criteria that allow students to self-assess and peer-assess with clarity.

Plan feedback opportunities with time for reflection. Don’t just mark to show you have...respond to learning.

Embed reflection tasks that prompt students to explain changes in their understanding.

During the Lesson:

Use cold call, mini whiteboards, or quick polls to check for understanding from all students.

Probe deeper with “Why?”, “How do you know?”, or “Can you convince me?” to develop reasoning.

Give immediate, concise verbal feedback linked to success criteria.

Allow time for students to respond to feedback in green pen, annotation, or revision tasks.

Model effective use of feedback...“Here’s how this student improved based on feedback…”.

Encourage peer feedback routines using sentence starters: “You did well because…”, “Next time, focus on…”.

Regularly revisit feedback in future lessons...make progress visible through comparison or retrieval.

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Planning Prompts

How do I check for understanding beyond simple recall questions?

When and how do I provide feedback that moves learning forward?

Do my students know how to act on feedback effectively?

Are my AfL routines consistent, visible, and embedded across lessons?

How am I using student responses and assessment data to adapt future teaching?

What strategies help me hear from every learner, not just the confident few?

How can I make reflection a natural part of the learning process?

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Assessment for Learning is not a moment in the lesson...it’s the system that drives progress. Effective AfL empowers both teachers and students to understand where learning is, where it needs to go, and how to get there. Feedback, when timely, specific, and actionable, turns reflection into improvement. Outstanding practice builds a culture where assessment is not done to students, but with them, making learning visible, measurable, and meaningful.

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“Technology doesn’t replace great teaching...it reveals what’s possible when expert teaching meets limitless creativity. Use it to empower, not to impress.”

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Choose the tool after defining the learning intention... technology should serve pedagogy, not dictate it.

Plan for interactive use...students creating, discussing, or reflecting digitally.

Design tasks that encourage ownership (e.g. research journals, design boards, multimedia reflections).

Plan explicit routines for device use, care, and transitions (e.g. “screens down” cues).

Consider equity...ensure all learners can access and benefit from digital tools.

Include formative assessment opportunities through digital feedback tools (e.g. Google Forms, Nearpod, Padlet).

During the Lesson:

Model purposeful digital behaviour and academic use of devices.

Use real-time tools to assess understanding (e.g., quizzes, polls, live documents).

Encourage collaboration through shared platforms...peer editing, idea walls, or project spaces.

Use digital examples to model excellence (student showcases, exemplar folders).

Reinforce digital citizenship expectations and model respectful online interaction.

Reflect with students: How did technology help your learning today?

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Planning Prompts

What is the learning purpose behind using this technology?

Does the chosen tool enhance thinking, collaboration, or assessment?

How can students use technology to show learning rather than consume content?

Have I planned explicit digital routines and expectations?

How will I ensure accessibility and support for EAL or SEND students?

How can technology support feedback, reflection, and independence?

Am I modelling safe and ethical digital behaviour for my learners?

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When used purposefully, technology amplifies learning... it doesn’t replace great teaching, it enhances it. Thoughtful digital integration helps students collaborate, create, and think more deeply. Effective use of technology builds digital literacy, independence, and engagement, while preparing students for a world where innovation and adaptability are essential. The key is not the tool itself, but the learning it enables.

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“Outstanding planning builds confidence and clarity...every well-structured lesson gives students the freedom to think, explore, and achieve.”

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“A well-thought-out seating plan is invisible when it works...it creates calm, clarity, and confidence. Every seat becomes a space for learning, belonging, and growth.”

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“When students understand how they learn, they unlock limitless potential. Every reflection, every question, every challenge faced with courage, builds the skills for lifelong success.”

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Design lessons around learning processes, not just outcomes... model how to plan, monitor, and evaluate work.

Include metacognitive questions: What strategy will help you most? How will you check if it’s working?

Build resilience tasks... short challenges that require persistence and iterative improvement.

Embed opportunities for student reflection at each lesson stage (starter, midpoint, plenary).

Use group roles to structure collaboration (e.g., facilitator, summariser, questioner).

Plan for explicit teaching of learning habits linked to ARA values... Respect, Resilience, Responsibility.

During the Lesson:

Use language that highlights learning process (“Tell me how you got there”).

Model thinking aloud to make metacognitive strategies visible.

Use feedback to promote next-step thinking (“What will you do differently next time?”).

Encourage students to set mini goals: What do you want to achieve in the next 10 minutes?

Allow time for peer feedback focused on learning behaviours, not just outcomes.

Celebrate persistence...praise the process, not just the end product.

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Planning Prompts

How often do my lessons give students the opportunity to reflect on how they learn, not just what they learn?

Are there explicit routines for self-assessment and goal setting?

How can I structure group work to promote meaningful collaboration and accountability?

In what ways am I modelling curiosity and critical thinking?

How can I help students embrace challenge and see mistakes as part of learning?

How do I explicitly teach resilience, reflection, and independence in my subject?

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Teaching learning skills means empowering students not just to complete tasks but to understand how they learn. When learners can plan, question, reflect, and self-regulate, they become more independent, motivated, and resilient. Embedding learning skills into everyday teaching develops lifelong learners... critical thinkers, collaborators, and problem-solvers who are ready for future challenges in education and beyond.

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Secondary Seating Plan Templates

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

Use student data (SEND, EAL, attainment) to inform placement; balance need with opportunity.

Design seating for visibility; ensure you can see every student’s workspace.

Build collaboration into layout (e.g., pairs for peer dialogue, trios for problem-solving).

Plan a clear “teacher zone” for proximity support and monitoring.

Map pathways for movement; ensure smooth transitions between group and independent tasks.

Review seating plans termly and adjust based on observed interactions and progress.

During the Lesson:

Reinforce expectations around focus and collaboration linked to seating.

Move purposefully within the layout; proximity praise before intervention.

Use seating adjustments to reset dynamics quietly and constructively.

Highlight the why when rearranging: “We’re moving to new groups today to share strategies and ideas.”

Regularly check the impact; are quieter students engaged, are higher attainers challenged?

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Planning Prompts

What is the main learning purpose behind my seating arrangement?

How does my seating plan promote inclusion, accessibility, and engagement?

Where am I positioned to observe and support every learner effectively?

Have I planned strategic groupings (ability, language, collaboration)?

How can I adapt the plan to suit different lesson phases (group vs individual work)?

Does the plan support positive relationships and behaviour consistency?

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An effective seating plan is more than an organisational tool...it’s a strategic framework that supports inclusion, engagement, and progress. The thoughtful placement of students can strengthen relationships, enhance collaboration, promote positive behaviour, and create equitable access to learning. A purposeful seating plan communicates expectations, promotes focus, and ensures that every learner feels seen, supported, and valued.

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Practical Strategies

Planning Stage:

- Start with measurable outcomes using 'I can...' or 'We are learning to...' statements.

- Include retrieval and application tasks early to assess understanding.

- Sequence content to move from teacher modelling to independent practice.

- Plan success criteria that reflect both knowledge and skill progression.

During the Lesson:

- Refer to objectives and success criteria at transitions to reinforce focus.

- Use questioning routines like 'What makes you say that?' to extend thinking.

- Check for understanding through mini-plenaries or hinge questions.

- Encourage peer reflection at the end of key phases.

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Planning Prompts

• How does my lesson connect to previous and future learning?

• What misconceptions might arise, and how will I address them?

• Where will I embed opportunities for reflection?

• How will I make progress visible during the lesson?

• Are challenge and support planned for all students?

• How can I adapt based on feedback in real time?

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The best available evidence indicates that great teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve pupil attainment. Ensuring every teacher is supported in delivering high-quality teaching is essential to achieving the best outcomes for all pupils, particularly the most disadvantaged among them.

It is important that schools consider how children learn, how they develop knowledge and skills, and how they can be supported to lay firm foundations for later learning. Teaching approaches that ensure long-term retention of knowledge, fluency in key skills, and confident use of metacognitive strategies are crucial. These are fundamental to learning and are the ​'bread and butter' of effective teaching:

Cognitive strategies include subject-specific strategies or memorisation techniques such as methods to solve problems in maths.

Metacognitive strategies are what we use to monitor or control our cognition, for example checking whether our approach to solving a mathematics problem worked or considering which cognitive strategy is the best fit for a task.

The explicit teaching of cognitive and metacognitive strategies is integral to high-quality teaching and learning, and these strategies are best taught within a subject and phase specific context. Approaches such as explicit instruction, scaffolding and flexible grouping are all key components of high-quality teaching and learning for pupils.

Teachers should be mindful of the differing needs within their classes - it is just as important to avoid over-scaffolding as it is to ensure all pupils are adequately supported. Similarly, we know that retrieval practice supports knowledge retention, but it is important to think carefully about how that is implemented in individual subjects across the curriculum to ensure it supports learning.

It is also important to take account of the prior knowledge that children bring to lessons and to help them to build upon this understanding. Additionally, anticipating common misconceptions, and using diagnostic assessment to uncover them, is an important way to support pupils.

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Evidence indicates that great teaching is the most important lever schools have to improve outcomes for their pupils.

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Every outstanding lesson starts with purpose and passion. Planning isn’t paperwork; it’s the blueprint of learning. Through thoughtful design, clear outcomes, and creative structure, you shape lessons that challenge, inspire, and make learning visible.

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Primary Seating Plan

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Critical thinking, problem-solving, innovation and independent skills: Independent/collaborative research opportunities

Collaboration: Wide range of learning opportunities for students to interact and collaborate

Misconceptions: Deliberate (opportunity for student problem solving)

Real-world application: Meaningful connections to deepen understanding of the world

UAE links: How can you link your lesson to the UAE?

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SEN: Ensure they are seated in locations where they can easily access resources and receive the necessary support

G&T: Children who are gifted in the subject to be noted.

CAT4 Data: Using this data on your seating plan to clearly highlight the data

Emirati/Non Emirati students: ensure they are clearly labelled

Ability Groups: children's ability should be stated.

Reading Ages: If AR has been completed, to add to Seating Plan

Phonics Level: EYFS/Y1/Y2