At Abbeyfield School, our ambition is that every student thrives academically and personally through high-quality, research-informed teaching. We are committed to ensuring that all students — regardless of background, starting point, or level of need — experience consistency, challenge and success in every lesson.

Our Approach to Teaching

Our teaching is guided by a shared, evidence-informed understanding of how students learn best. Every lesson follows our consistent five-phase learning model, designed to build knowledge securely and promote independence:

Sharp Start → Instruction → Guided Practice → Independent Practice → Neat Finish

This predictable structure ensures clarity, strong routines, meaningful practice, and opportunities for students to apply and deepen learning over time. 

Sharp Start – Students begin learning immediately through retrieval or review, setting a focused tone and activating prior knowledge.

Instruction – Teachers explain and model new content clearly, breaking learning into manageable steps.

Guided Practice – Students practise new knowledge with structured support, allowing teachers to check understanding and address misconceptions.

Independent Practice – Students apply learning independently to strengthen retention, fluency and confidence.

Neat Finish – Learning is reviewed and consolidated, linking to future learning and identifying next steps.

Inclusive by Design: What is essential for some is useful for all. 

Inclusion is central to everything we do. We believe that high-quality teaching benefits every learner and disproportionately supports those with additional needs. 

Our approach is shaped by educational research, including the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) guidance and '5-a-day' approach, with a focus on:

• Opportunities to retrieve and apply knowledge

• Explicit and direct instruction

• Scaffolded and guided practice

• Purposeful circulation and feedback

• Use of assistive technology

• Regular checks for understanding & mass-participation opportunities

Adaptations are targeted, thoughtful and focused on long-term success rather than short-term intervention. Additional adults in lessons are deployed to maximise independence and access to high-quality teaching.

Classroom Routines at Abbeyfield

At Abbeyfield, we prioritise consistent, evidence-informed classroom routines to create a calm, focused learning environment where every minute is used productively. Our routines are grounded in our Teaching & Learning Playbook and are designed to maximise attention, support working memory, and ensure that all students can participate and succeed.

Core Routines

• Habits of Attention (SLANT) – A shared routine that supports attentiveness, positive body language, and readiness to learn.

• Cold Call – Used to involve all students and ensure accountability for thinking and understanding.

• Turn and Talk – Structured paired discussion to rehearse thinking, develop oracy and reduce passivity.

• Mini Whiteboards – Enable rapid checks for understanding, mass participation and responsive teaching based on real-time information.

• Purposeful Circulation & Live Marking – Teachers move strategically around the room to assess understanding, provide precise feedback and address misconceptions instantly.

• Ruler Reading – Teachers read aloud fluently while tracking each line with a ruler to support focus and ensure every student follows confidently.

• Explicit Vocabulary (Display, Define, Decode) – Key academic vocabulary is displayed clearly, defined using precise and accessible language, and decoded through examples and structured practice so students can use it accurately and independently.