Teaching and Learning

Teachers make an enormous difference to the lives of students- we can all remember the impact that significant teachers have had on our lives.

Without excellent teaching, excellent learning cannot happen. At Freebrough Academy our aim is to provide the very best in terms of teaching so that outstanding learning can take place. With this in mind we have embarked upon a four year teacher development programme called TEEP. The programme is delivered by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust and is designed to embrace current and recent initiatives in teaching and learning and apply them to our specific situation.

What is TEEP and how is it helping us to become the best we can be?

TEEP is the Teacher Effectiveness and Enhancement Programme and is rooted in evidence based research on effective teaching and learning. It aims to support schools to provide the best possible learning experiences for our young people.

The aims of TEEP at Freebrough Academy are to:

*Give staff a common language for planning, teaching and evaluating learning

*Encompass and build upon everything that we do that we know makes teaching and learning better

*Enable excellent progression within a lesson and across a series of lessons in order to raise achievement for all

*Raise the number of “good” and “outstanding “ lessons

*Provide staff with excellent development opportunities

Our TEEP Journey

We are now in our third year of TEEP development and have fully embraced the teaching and learning framework it provides. We have an extensive training programme ensuring all teachers and key learning support assistants are trained to at least TEEP Level 1. We have a large number of teachers who are now trained to the second level enabling them to work as teacher coaches across the Academy. Two of our teachers are now trained at the very highest level and now deliver TEEP training in other schools and academies for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Freebough Academy: A TEEP Ambassador school

In recognition of our commitment to continuous improvement of teaching and learning through TEEP, the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust invited Freebough Academy to become a TEEP ambassador school. We were delighted to receive our certificate of recognition at the TEEP regional membership conference in November.  A team of teachers and students also delivered a teaching and learning workshop at the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust national conference in November. Teaching and learning is at the very heart of everything we do at Freebrough Academy and we are proud to receive this national recognition.

The TEEP Framework

For more information on TEEP please click on the TEEP tab on the left of this page.

Overall responsibility for the quality of teaching and learning within the Academy lies with the Principal, with most practical leadership and management aspects delegated to the Deputy Principal for Teaching and Learning. An Assistant Principal has responsibility for the detailed aspects of monitoring, evaluation and review. This includes daily visits to lessons, lesson observations, scrutiny of work and teacher planning as well as outcomes.  Students are given regular opportunities to provide feedback on the quality of their lessons.  Directors of Learning provide leadership in faculties and are responsible for the efficient and effective management and monitoring of their team areas and the implementation of the Academy curriculum in these areas. The Assistant Principal works very closely with the Directors of Learning ensuring best practice is shared and outcomes of monitoring feed directly into the continual professional development programme.