Teaching, Learning & Assessment

At Richmond School, our teaching and learning approach is rooted in high expectations, consistency, and a commitment to excellence in every classroom. We believe that effective learning happens when students are engaged, challenged, and supported through clear routines and purposeful assessment.

Lesson Routines That Support Success

To create a focused and productive learning environment, every lesson follows a structured routine designed to maximise learning time and set a positive tone:

  • Excellent Entry: Students begin each lesson with a calm and purposeful entry, setting the standard for behaviour and focus.
  • Do Now: A short, engaging task at the start of the lesson activates prior knowledge and gets students thinking immediately.
  • 3-2-1 Countdown: A consistent signal used to bring the class together quickly and quietly, ensuring smooth transitions and readiness to learn.
  • STAR Listening: Students are expected to: Sit up, Track the teacher, Ask and answer questions, Respect everyone in the room. This routine helps build active listening, engagement, and mutual respect.
  • Excellent Exit: Lessons end with a reflective or summarising activity that reinforces key learning and prepares students for future success.

These routines help build a culture of respect, responsibility, and readiness across all subjects and year groups.

Formative Assessment That Drives Progress

We use a range of formative assessment strategies to check understanding, address misconceptions, and adapt teaching in real time. These include:

  • Warm Calling: Teachers ask questions to all the students in a class instead of asking for hands up, ensuring everyone is accountable and involved in the learning.
  • Show me Boards: Students use whiteboards to show their thinking and answers, allowing teachers to quickly assess understanding across the whole class.
  • Think, Pair, Share: A structured discussion technique that encourages deeper thinking, collaboration, and verbal reasoning.

These strategies ensure that every student is actively participating and receiving the feedback they need to make progress.

Assessment and Reporting

Our performance, reporting and tracking system is called ‘Aiming High’ whereby students and parents receive Aiming High Reports at key points throughout the academic year. In Years 7, 8 & 9 students receive three reports with the midpoint only reporting on a student’s attitude to learning. In Year 10 and 12 students will receive three reports across the year and in Year 11 and 13 the students will receive two reports.

The standard report contains three crucial pieces of information about each subject:

  • An aspirational target grade.
  • In Years 7, 8 and 9, a mastery grade which describes how well students are currently mastering the curriculum.
  • In Years 10, 11, 12 and 13, a professional prediction grade which is the most likely grade a student will achieve based on the evidence of the work produced so far.
  • An Attitude to learning grade which reflects each student’s application to their studies.

Lead Teachers and Heads of Year track and monitor students’ progress throughout the year. If progress has slowed for a particular student or groups of students, the school will look to offer support. We offer a wide range of tailored interventions, which are used depending on the needs of each individual student, including input from: Subject Teachers, Lead Teachers, Heads of Year, Learning Support team, Pastoral team, Behaviour, Careers team and Student Leaders.