Rathfern Primary School Presentation and Display of Learning Policy - PDF document

Rathfern Primary School Presentation and Display of Learning Policy

Introduction This policy concerns the expectations in regard to the way in which children present their learning and how it is effectively displayed in the school. High expectations and quality display ensure learning is valued and celebrated as something for which pupil and teacher alike can be proud. There must always be a balance between content and presentation. Aims To present learning in a neat and orderly fashion appropriate to the task To provide consistency of presentation of learning on paper and in exercise books throughout the school To ensure children’s learning is displayed to its best To make sure every child has their learning displayed on a regular basis

Guidelines for presentation of learning on paper or in books The following features will be consistent throughout the school: Ensure children date all learning from Year 1 onwards – this will be gradually introduced as the children become ready and may sometimes be done by the teacher or teaching assistant. For English and most subjects, the full date is required (e.g. Thursday 1 st February) but for maths a numerical date is sufficient ( e.g. 1.2.08) . The date will be underlined. Ensure a title is on all learning from the end of year 1 onwards – this will usually be the learning objective in child speak (‘I can’ statements in KS1). All titles should be underlined. One line should be left between the date and the title. The last piece of learning should be ruled off before they start their next piece to minimise paper wastage. Children should write against the margin and write question numbers inside the margin – either drawn in with a ruler, at KS2, or already pre-printed on the exercise books. All writing should be in the school handwriting style in line with yearly expectations – including any feedback from the teacher or teaching assistant. All children should use pencil in their books until they have achieved the expected standard of handwriting – then they will be presented with a pen and a pen licence. All maths learning and diagrams/ arrows on diagrams should be completed in pencil. In maths, the general rule should be one number per square. For the drafting process, children (from Y2 onwards) will write on one side of the paper only in their literacy books – leaving the opposite side blank for redrafting and feedback. Any pages not used can then be filled in with handwriting/ spelling activities. Rubbers will not be readily available in the classroom and the children must be taught to use one neat line through any errors. The teacher/ teaching assistant may use a rubber as necessary if children are preparing neat learning for display or where appropriate. Children must understand that if they bring rubbers to school in a pencil case, they will not be allowed to use them in the classroom. Materials provided by the school will be good quality and consistent – sharpeners, rulers and pencils will be stored on classroom tables so that they are easily accessible for the children when presenting learning. Paper will be kept to a minimum where possible and learning should be written directly into exercise books without the need for worksheets/ frames.

Where these are being used, the sheets will be trimmed and stuck neatly into exercise books. Guidelines for Display Displays need to be changed as regularly as possible but as a general rule, half termly for the majority of classroom boards and termly for larger shared area displays. Learning walls should be constantly updated relating to the topics being covered. Boards need to be covered with an appropriate backing paper that will be replaced when it begins to deteriorate and lessens the impact of the display. Borders need to be fixed around the inside edges of the board. Individual pieces of learning must be mounted on an attractive colour and trimmed to have an even margin. To maximise the impact of the learning, it may be double mounted. Staples must be put in the corners of the learning to be displayed. Angling the staple gun stops the staple going so far in the board and makes it easier to extract without ruining work or paper. All staples should be removed from the board before new paper is put up. The use of mapping pins to layout a display before it is stapled can be useful. All displays must have a clear title and the learning objective should be present. Key technical vocabulary regarding the topic must be displayed. Other information, such as information/ explanation and key questions should be displayed. The display should have an interactive element. Labels must be mounted and have a border. Posters are an integral part of displays but should give way to children’s learning as soon as possible.

Assessment Teachers assess handwriting and presentation as part of their normal feedback to children. They use this formative assessment to inform their future planning. At the end of the year handwriting is assessed from year 2 onwards as part of the statutory/ optional QCA writing tasks. Monitoring Monitoring of handwriting and presentation comes under the main subject of Literacy and is the responsibility of the Literacy lead and Phase group leaders. The Head and Governors will also monitor as with other subjects and in accordance with the School Development Plan. Monitoring can take the form of lesson observations, learning walks, sampling and moderation of learning, data analysis and looking at teachers’ planning. Inclusion Our school aims to have inclusion at the heart of its practice. Equality of opportunity is achieved through the attention we pay to the different groups of children within the school (see equality of opportunity policy). We achieve educational inclusion by planning learning that meets individual’s needs and by adaptin g materials and modifying expectations as appropriate. This policy will be monitored annually by the English Lead and the Phase Group Leaders. Reviewed and agreed by staff: 29.01.09