Our Approach to Learning

UNCRC Article 28 – Every child has the right to an education

At Somerdale Educate Together Primary School, our approach to learning is evidence-informed, inclusive, and child-centred. We believe that children learn best when they feel safe, valued, motivated, and intellectually challenged. 

Our teaching is guided by a shared, research-informed approach that ensures consistency, high expectations, and inclusion across the school. Educational research underpins how we design our curriculum, plan learning, teach lessons, and establish a positive culture for learning. This shared understanding ensures coherence across classrooms and supports all pupils to achieve their full potential. 
 
What Do We Mean by Learning? 

We define learning as a lasting change in a pupil’s capability or understanding (DfE, 2020). Learning is not simply what a pupil can demonstrate at the end of a lesson, but what they can remember, understand, and apply over time. 

To support this, we view learning through the lens of memory, drawing particularly on Daniel Willingham’s Simple Model of Memory. 
 
The Simple Model of Memory 

The Simple Model of Memory helps us understand how learning happens:

• Working Memory                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The space where thinking happens. Working memory has a limited capacity.
• Long-Term Memory                                                                                                                                                                                                             The space where knowledge is stored. Its capacity is potentially unlimited. Knowledge stored here is organised into schemas (mental models) which support future learning.

Learning occurs when information from the environment is: 

• Attended to
• Processed in working memory
• Stored in long-term memory as knowledge                                                                 

How Learning Happens

For learning to be successful, three key steps must take place:

1. Attention 
   Pupils must attend to information. Learning experiences are therefore structured to focus attention on what matters most. 
2. Processing in Working Memory 
   Pupils actively think about new information and connect it to what they already know. 
3. Storage in Long-Term Memory 
   Information that is thought about deeply becomes encoded into long-term memory as secure knowledge or schemas. 

Teachers carefully structure lessons to reduce unnecessary cognitive load so that pupils can focus their thinking on learning. 

Ensuring Learning “Sticks” 

To support long-term learning, we carefully consider two important principles: 

Cognitive Load 

Working memory is limited. If too much new information is introduced at once, cognitive overload occurs and learning breaks down. Teachers therefore use strategies such as: 

• Clear modelling
• chunking learning into manageable steps
• scaffolding and worked examples
  
  

Retrieval 

Learning is strengthened when pupils are given regular opportunities to retrieve knowledge from long-term memory. Retrieval improves retention and helps pupils build strong, flexible schemas.

Learning and Performance 

We are mindful of the difference between learning and performance. Learning is often invisible, while performance is what teachers can observe immediately after teaching. 

A pupil may appear successful in a lesson without having securely learned the material. Our curriculum is therefore deliberately designed to revisit and build on prior learning, ensuring knowledge becomes durable over time. 
 
Four Pillars of Our Approach 

To align with the science of learning, our approach is built around four interconnected areas: 

• Curriculum Design
• Planning
• Instruction
• Behaviour for Learning
  
  

Together, these pillars underpin Somerdale’s learning culture and ensure a consistent, high-quality experience for all pupils. 
 
Curriculum Design 

Our curriculum follows the National Curriculum and is enriched by our Ethical Education (Learn Together) programme. When designing learning, we carefully consider: 

• Decorative Knowledge (facts and concepts)
• Procedural knowledge (skills and concepts) 
  
  

Knowledge and skills are purposefully sequenced across the school so that learning builds cumulatively and supports long-term retention. 
 
Planning for Learning 

Effective planning begins with prior knowledge. Teachers assess what pupils already know using a range of formative assessment strategies, including questioning, observation, low-stakes quizzes, marking and feedback, and more formal assessments. 

Teachers continually review pupils’ understanding and adapt teaching in response, ensuring that learning remains appropriately challenging and supportive for all. 

Instruction at Somerdale 

Our core instructional approach is the I–We–You Modelling Model, which mirrors the relationship between memory and learning. 

• I – Teacher Modelling 
  Teachers break learning into manageable steps, explicitly modelling and narrating their thinking so pupils understand what success looks like and how to achieve it. 
• We – Guided Practice 
  Pupils practise with teacher support through joint construction, allowing misconceptions to be addressed early. 
• You – Independent Practice 
  Pupils practise independently, supported by scaffolds where needed to consolidate learning. 

Grouping is flexible and responsive, based on pupils’ current understanding rather than assumptions about ability. 

Behaviour for Learning 

At Somerdale, we recognise that effective teaching and learning can only take place within a positive, safe, and predictable environment. Behaviour, culture, and learning are inseparable.

Our approach to behaviour for learning is grounded in educational research and children’s rights and is set out in our Respectful Relationships and Behaviour Policy. 
 
Behaviour, Culture and Learning 

Learning requires pupils to focus attention and think actively. Calm, orderly classrooms reduce cognitive load and enable pupils to allocate their working memory to learning. 

A positive behaviour culture therefore creates the conditions in which learning can thrive, rather than being viewed as separate from teaching. 

A Rights-Respecting and Inclusive Culture 

As a UNICEF Gold Rights Respecting School, our behaviour culture is rooted in dignity, equity, and inclusion. All members of our community are expected to be: 

• Respectful
• Safe
• Ready to Learn

These principles underpin routines and expectations across the school and are explicitly taught, modelled, and reinforced so that pupils experience consistency and security. 

Clear Expectations and Predictable Routines 

Clear expectations and consistent routines help pupils feel safe and confident. Predictable environments reduce cognitive load and support pupils to focus on learning, particularly those with additional needs. 

Classrooms are structured to be inclusive, predictable, and accessible for all learners. 
 
Teaching Behaviour and Self-Regulation

Positive behaviour is taught. Pupils are supported to recognise emotions, regulate behaviour, and develop independence over time. Approaches such as the Zones of Regulation support wellbeing and self-management, helping pupils access learning more effectively. 
 
High Expectations, Motivation and Success 

A strong behaviour culture is one of high expectations matched with high support. Teachers help pupils experience success by breaking learning down, modelling clearly, and celebrating effort and resilience.

When pupils feel successful and understand how success is achieved, motivation and engagement increase. 

Relationships, Safety and Wellbeing 

Strong, respectful relationships underpin positive behaviour. Safeguarding and anti-bullying work are central to our culture, ensuring pupils feel safe, valued, and ready to learn. 

In Summary 

At Somerdale:

• Learning is understood through the science of memory
• Teaching is guided by a shared, research-informed approach
• Behaviour, wellbeing, and learning are deeply connected 
• A positive culture for learning is deliberately cultivated

By aligning curriculum, teaching, and behaviour, we create the conditions in which all pupils can attend, engage, and succeed. 

Further Reading 

If you would like to explore our approach in more detail, the following documents are available on our website: 

Respectful Relationships and Behaviour Policy 
Outlines our whole-school approach to behaviour, relationships, wellbeing, and safeguarding Click Here

SEND and Inclusion – Core Offer 
Explains how we support pupils with additional needs through inclusive, accessible, and responsive teaching Click Here