Outstanding behaviour for learning is a key part our students being ready to learn. We are very proud of the focus, engagement and positivity seen from students across all classrooms and this is often an area that visitors to the school comment positively on. We work on the principle that, as teachers, we set the weather in our classrooms and deploy a range of strategies to ensure that students are ready to learn at all times. We ask teachers always to model the behaviour that they want – calm, measured, warm, firm and fair and we expect the very highest standards from all students. Classroom routines are simple, and as follows:

• Making clear to students that bell work will always be on their desks ready for them, as such, entry into the classroom needs to be in silent and bell work started straight away
• Reading silently at the start of each lesson for KS3 classes
• Equipment and planner always on their desks
• Title and date must be underlined each lesson
• Register taken in silence
• No-hands up questioning
• Individual work clearly sign-posted and completed in silence
• Praise and rewards for excellent work and behaviour
• Use of the school behaviour system, when necessary, to deal with unwanted behaviour

As staff, we are conscious that learning happens when students have to ‘think hard’ and we are careful to monitor potential poor proxies for learning including:

• Students are busy: lots of work is done (especially written work)
• Students are engaged, interested, motivated
• Students are getting attention: feedback, explanations
• Classroom is ordered, calm, under control
• Curriculum has been ‘covered’ (i.e. presented to students in some form)
• ‘I have taught’ is assumed to become ‘they have learned’
• (At least some) students have supplied correct answers (whether or not they really understood them or could reproduce them independently)