Golden Principles
Boston Grammar School's Golden Principles of great teaching and learning are our way of crystalising what it is to be a great teacher and an engaged learner. The Golden Principles are:
- Challenge
- Assessment, Marking and Feedback
- Relationships and Wellbeing
- Routines
- Continuous Professional Development (staff only)
Underpinning each of these Golden Principles are no more than 10 statements that sum up what it is to be successful in the area. These 'I' statements illustrate what each of our teaching staff and students would say about their role in delivering great teaching or approach to learning.
The Golden Principles are embedded across all aspects of school life; for example, student interactions with peers, a teacher's dedication to developing subject knowledge, a teacher's planning of high level questioning or a student accessing opportunities for learning beyond the classroom. There is also a Golden Principles Student Card that all students carry with them in order that staff can reward or remind about conduct at any time.
As a school community, we believe that these Golden Principles are at the heart of our academic and social success.
Student Golden Principles
Challenge
- I strive for 'outstanding' in all of my work and engage with challenges in lessons.
- I use high level academic vocabulary, deal with misconceptions and have a love of reading.
- I answer higher order questions and enjoy challenging materials that make me think deeply.
- I am independent, resilient and use '3B4Me' to help in lessons.
- I try to maintain a positive mindset that helps me reflect on my successes and learn from my mistakes.
Assessment, Marking and Feedback
- I reflect on, engage with and respond to feedback, both verbal and written (in a green pen).
- I effectively use my books and edit work with subject specific words to make progress both inside and outside of lessons.
- I positively engage with retrieval practice and formal assessments to make progress and be proud of my achievements.
- I revise previous work and assessments to discover trends, find areas for improvement and support future learning.
Relationships and Well-being
- I treat everyone equally with dignity, kindness and respect.
- I take time to speak positively to my fellow students and teachers.
- I am mindful of my own well-being and that of my peers. I know where to access support if required.
- I try to be mindful of thinking before reacting, whilst being positive about what could happen in the future.
- I engage positively with my parents to help with my learning at home.
Routines
- I am always on time, prepared and in good routines both in school and at home.
- I engage with support that is offered to me in and out of lessons.
- I reflect on my progress and try to understand what success looks like; engage with the scaffolding, modelling and 'chunking' my teachers provide.
- I engage with independent tasks to support my learning beyond the classroom.
- I make sure that I conduct myself safely, uphold the school's standards and follow school policies/procedures.
Staff Golden Principles
Challenge
- I model what 'exceptional' looks like across the ambitious curriculum.
- I use high level academic vocabulary, promote a love of debating and encourage both fiction and non-fiction reading.
- I plan for and ask higher order questions with challenging materials to ensure students think deeply.
- I encourage student independence and resilience (e.g. by using '3B4Me').
- I share the learning challenge which contextualises how students will make progress in the curriculum.
- I use responsive teaching to maintain high challenge and shape immediate and future outcomes.
- I articulate a positive mindset which encourages all students to believe that they can make progress.
- I consider and plan for misconceptions to secure learning and maintain pace.
- I routinely plan learning and revision to secure knowledge and understanding in long term memory.
- I reflect on the success of challenge in prior lessons to help shape and adapt curriculum and teaching accordingly.
Assessment, Marking and Feedback
- I ensure curriculum assessment is challenging, focused and follows the domain specific AMF guidance.
- I check student work for progress both inside and outside of lessons, including NEA and project work.
- I formatively mark specific pieces of work in accordance with the scheme of work. Approximately every 8 lessons.
- I plan and deliver verbal or written feedback to move learning forward.
- I mark for literacy focusing on subject specific words, common errors and using codes where appropriate.
- I mark in pink; my students mark and respond in green.
- I provide opportunity for students to reflect on and respond to my challenging feedback.
- I am in a routine, which reduces workload, with marking, feedback, low stakes testing and retrieval practice.
- I maintain a teacher mark book whilst meeting Department and School deadlines for data input.
- I review data and secure achievement by discovering trends, investigating patterns and taking action to inform planning.
Relationships and Well-being
- I treat everyone equally with dignity, kindness and respect.
- I take time to know my students, including my SEND, Disadvantaged, HPA and EAL students.
- I am mindful of my own well-being and that of my colleagues and students. I know where to access support if required.
- I am consistent and fair in my approach with students. Always being mindful of 'connect before correct'.
- I am relentlessly optimistic about what can happen in the future and promote positive self-belief.
- I engage positively with the parents of my students as a matter of course and when issues arise.
- I always provide opportunities for students to make positive choices, rewarding good work and behaviour.
- I consistently provide a warm welcome, fresh start and positive behaviour management.
Routines
- I plan for, assess and prioritise my SEND, Disadvantaged, HPA and EAL students.
- I am always on time and prepared.
- I routinely use high quality questioning techniques (AfL) to ensure knowledge is secure before moving learning on.
- I make sure that students are in good habits and routines.
- I think carefully about and plan for good behaviour e.g. using seating plans to support student learning.
- I am clear about what success looks like in the curriculum and scaffold, model and 'chunk', to help students get there.
- I ensure students uphold the school's standards at all times.
- I set and acknowledge relevant and engaging tasks to support students in learning beyond the classroom.
- I monitor and reflect on ensuring the safety of students.
- I understand and follow school policies, asking for advice where unsure, to ensure consistency with my colleagues.
Continuous Professional Development
- I positively engage with colleagues to improve our teaching ('teachers teaching teachers') e.g. through CADT and coaching.
- I continually develop my subject knowledge and use it to improve the whole curriculum.
- I look for opportunities beyond school to improve my teaching practice and curriculum knowledge.
- I focus my CPD on making sure that students belong, achieve and thrive in my lessons.
- I am proactive and take responsibility for my own CPD whilst working with my Line Manager to agree areas of focus e.g. conducting active research.
- I engage with and complete all necessary safeguarding and health and safety online training.
