Teaching & Learning Philosophy
At The Tiffin Girls’ School we strive for our students to love their learning, and our Teaching and Learning ethos ensures that this is happening in every classroom.
This is underpinned by the following key principles:
Inspirational teachers
Teachers create learning environments that are challenging and enriching, promoting critical and creative thinking.
Inquisitive learners
Students are able to take ownership of their learning, are resilient, enthusiastic, self-motivated and self-aware.
Subject knowledge
Teachers are passionate about their subject and are given the opportunity to develop their knowledge further.
Inclusive
Effective training and resources to support teachers in creating inclusive learning environments in which all students can make progress.
Research
Teachers engage with research to support the students to achieve the best possible outcomes.
Cultural capital
Providing wider learning opportunities inside and outside of the classroom.
Love of Learning
To develop our students to take further ownership of their learning, we elect Love of Learning representatives in all tutor groups. These students engage with educational research to inform them of the best ways to learn. Students use this knowledge and feedback to their peers through form time discussions, assemblies, and the Love of Learning Digest.
Our school has been recognised for its outstanding commitment to a Culture of Reflection and Engaging with Research within the SSAT Exceptional Education Framework. These achievements reflect our dedication to fostering an environment that embraces reflection as a vital component of educational growth and development, and a culture of inquiry and innovation. We are immensely proud of the strides we have made in these areas.
Continued Professional Development
We are committed to improving our practice continually. The school does not prescribe particular styles of pedagogy, recognising that the well-informed teacher is best placed to choose the approach(es) that will drive students’ learning.
Our aim is to enable students to take increasing ownership of their learning, to increase their capacities of metacognition and self-efficacy, and to ensure that they are able to engage with and benefit from the cognitive challenges of our curriculum. In order to achieve this the school is committed to providing staff with continuing professional development to help each teacher develop their practice and approaches to teaching.
Our whole-school CPD combines the whole school foci and with an opportunity for individual teachers to explore their own areas of interest. The school has a particular focus on educational research and how this can be applied in the classroom. Our CPD provision includes research-based explorations, which all teaching staff engage in as one of their appraisal targets, and an elective Teaching and Learning group, which meets each half term to consider aspects of research in more detail. Throughout the year staff are also invited to a range of other professional development opportunities for example, data and SEND training.
