Teaching and Learning
Excellence Through Environment
“The school’s vision, innovation of organisation and curriculum are outstanding.”
- OFSTED March 2012
At Montgomery we are focused on providing high quality learning for all our pupils. Our teaching and learning experiences are focused on introducing, developing and embedding new learning systematically across all subjects.We use our knowledge about how brains learn to systematically link experiences together to support great learning. From when children start our school at 3 years old, we work with our pupils on being able to articulate their learning and understand how they can develop it even further. We have created learning environments that suit our children as learners.
Children move between class room environments during the day, each one of which suits the learning they are doing.The school is organised in 4 teams each made up of two age groups of children. Across each team there are parallel classes, and different learning spaces. Each team has areas to enable direct teaching, group work, exploration and creativity.
Throughout the course of each day opportunities are provided for all children to work in a variety of ways in these different rooms. We also have shared spaces outside of the class rooms, a fantastic studio and a wonderful hall. Not to mention the outside spaces we have. These learning environments underpin the quality teaching and learning that happens in the school, placing learners at the centre of the curriculum.
The School is divided into 4 Teams…
EYFS - Nursery and Reception
Years 1 and 2
Years 3 and 4
Years 5 and 6
Within the EYFS, the children are taught in a fabulous foundation stage unit.For all the other teams, there are 4 learning environments in each team. They are as follows…
Narrative Room – Purple
The narrative room is designed for the delivery of English skills. Many of the literacy resources are found in this room, such as spelling supports, phonics resources, sentence level resources.Children have specific skills taught. Teachers make sure that these English based skills can be used in other contexts in other environments.Often teachers will teach tutorials (small groups) at thespecific level of the children in that group.
The school supports all children to learn skills extremely quickly, and supports extensively those children who need that support with a wide range of intervention groups for spelling, grammar, reading and writing.Children enjoy the quiet, calm and studious environment in the narrative room. The room also has the range of vocabulary and other writing supports available to children, helping them to write and achieve during English sessions.
Group Room – Green
The group room in each team of four classes is for the delivery of specific skills in Maths. All of the various maths supports and resources are kept in this room.Children learn Maths best when using the following types of resources, often in conjunction with each other:
1) Concrete Apparatus – Beads, Blocks, cubes, numicon, shapes etc.
2) Images – Pictures of objects, numbers as pictures, diagrams, charts
3) Language – spoken maths language – ”equals” “sum of” ”total” “share” “group”
4) Symbols – Actual written numbers and signs e.g. -, +, x,= 1/2 etc. The group room is set up to support this.
Children work in groups together and discuss, problem solve, investigate and answer questions. The maths is explorative, but focused on the basics of the number system.Children learn maths skills very quickly at Montgomery and apply these skills in other environments and areas of the curriculum.Maths Group Tutorial
We have 4 specialist Maths teachers and two specialist Teaching Assistants. All of them are involved in reviewing and constantly improving the maths teaching and learning in our school.
Maths is made fun by the creative, real life nature of the teaching.
Creative Room – Yellow
The creative room is where children are taught a range of creative subjects and skills. As a school we strongly believe children should be given the opportunity to learn creative skills and apply them in a range of contexts.
Children have the opportunity to create using a wide range of supports and materials. 
These activities often spill into the shared areas and always apply the the overall topic the children are studying at the time.
This environment inspires greater engagement and involvement in the creative process, and we have found sparked greater engagement in the writing children are doing on the basis of the creative work they have undertaken.
Explore Room – Orange
“Exciting developments are taking place in the curriculum, not least due to the application of new technologies”
OFSTED – March 2012
The Explore room is the place to use the skills learnt in the narrative, group and creative rooms. It is also a place for topic learning, exploring around a theme, developing ideas, journaling children’s learning, creating, making, finding, researching – the list is long…
Children use the explore room in a range of different ways. We have found they are far more engaged in their writing, reading and maths if children feel that it is based on an idea they can relate to – a real life context.
The explore room has large imac coputers, ipads and range of other resources to support learning.
The school has invested in a wide range of teaching and learning resources, in order to have a high level of impact. We have called these resources ‘hook boxes’ as these resources are designed to hook the children into their learning, stimulate discussion and engagement. 
The explore room has flexible furniture that can be moved to take part in drama, role play, games or any other activities. There will often be costumes for the children to wear and artefacts for them to handle.
Children practise and apply the skills they have learnt in this environment, consolidating what they have learnt and applying it in a new context.
Studio
Each team has the use of the Studio for a whole day each week. This space is used for dance, drama, music and art. It is a fantastic additional environment for children to learn and express what they have learnt.
Hall
Each team has the use of The Hall one whole day each week. It is a very large space, where children take part in Physical Education, dance and music. Children also eat their fantastic school dinners in the hall and enjoy assemblies, performances and productions.
“Rapid improvements, especially to pupil’s achievement and the quality of teaching, have taken place over the last two years.”
- OFSTED March 2012
The staff are committed to providing effective learning facilitated by excellent teaching, which translate the values and aims of our school and the curriculum into relevant and challenging learning experiences for all pupils. The staff are united in this and work to establish an ethos of continuous improvement.
At Montgomery there is:
- effective planning that takes account of the learning needs of all pupils;
- effective teaching that motivates and inspires all pupils to achieve their best work;
- a wide range of challenging and stimulating learning experiences;
- commitment to working in partnership with our families;
- a combination of the best features of educational practice, implementation of the National Curriculum and ongoing evaluation, modifications and improvements to our teaching and learning strategies.