At RBIS International School we are always looking for clear evidence about how to drive up individual attainment.

In the five key components of personalised learning we focus on:

Assessment for learning

Our learners need to know and understand the following before learning can take place:

1. What is the aim of the learning?
2. Why do we need to learn it?
3. Where are they, as an individual, in terms of achieving the aim?
4. How can they, as an individual, achieve the aim?

The characteristics of our effective tracking systems can be summarised as follows:

• Individual pupils’ progress is tracked, together with that of cohorts and specific groups, using a range of performance measures including a combination of periodic teacher assessments and test results.
• Strengths and weaknesses are identified so supporting planning and intervention.
• Data is collected on a regular basis, typically termly, and shared with staff and the students themselves.
• Students have regular opportunities to discuss their progress. Teachers actively involve students in setting and reviewing their progress towards their targets.
• Teaching programmes, intervention programmes and revision programmes are adjusted in the light of the progress the students are making.
• Parents and guardians receive regular updates on their son or daughter’s progress so that they can provide additional support and encouragement if necessary.
• Student progress data are managed through a school-wide system that all teachers can access.
• The process operates across the whole school to ensure consistency and is regularly evaluated by senior leaders to ensure that the needs of all students are being met.

Effective teaching and learning strategies

Our teachers use highly focused planning to support effective teaching and learning strategies:

1. Explaining the learning aims to students and checking their understanding
2. Demonstrating the standards that need to be achieved and helping students recognise when they have achieved that standard.
3. Creatinglearning opportunities where students can progress at their own pace and         undertake consolidation activities where   
4. Informingthe students of their progress, and empowering individuals to take the necessary action to improve their performance.

Our teachers give effective individual feedback and identification of how individuals can improve, challenging both the less able and more able learner, and developing learner’s self-assessment skills to support self-improvement.

5. Providingregular opportunities for teachers and learners to reflect and review learners’    progress

Curriculum entitlement and choice

It is the nature of education at RBIS International School to focus teaching and learning on the aptitudes and interests of pupils, in a system in which all children receive teaching tailored to their needs and which is based on their ‘stage not age’.

Our curriculum entitlement and choice delivers a breadth of study, personal relevance and flexible learning pathways through the education system; thereby enabling students to acquire the skills to fulfil their own potential, by ensuring they have the capability, and accept the responsibility, to take forward their own learning.

At the heart of personalised learning at RBIS is the expectation of participation, fulfilment and success, with personalised lessons stretching for everyone.

School organisation

The organisational advantages of RBIS as a smaller school allows our teachers to think creatively about how to support high quality first teaching and learning. As a result our school ethos is focused on student needs, with the whole school team taking time to find out the needs and interests of students; with students listened to and their voice used to drive whole school improvement.

Personalised learning means high quality teaching that is responsive to the different ways students achieve their potential. Making use of curriculum flexibilities our personalised learning is learner centred and knowledge centred and assessment centred.

The advantaged size of our teaching groups means that learning can be organised to cater for a wide variety of pupil strengths and weaknesses. There are numerous ways of grouping or pairing learners according to the task in hand, for example by age, ability, friendship groups or gender. Research evidence suggests that effective grouping is carefully planned and flexible and that in-class grouping is the best way of all to ensure effective learning.

The organisation of our whole school and classroom environments, and the organisation of resources within it, can have a very significant impact on the quality of children and

young people’s learning. So we ensure that our learning environments are well organised and used flexibly to support a range of different interactive teaching and learning approaches.

The Form Tutors at the heart of our RBIS pastoral care system will support students by:

• being familiar with the student’s progress across their subject areas.
• identifying and acting on any barriers to success beyond the classroom.
• playing a key role in communicating with parents/guardians to report on their child’s

progress and discussing any support they need at home and at school.

• helping young people to identify their long-term aspirations and in making the best

choice of subjects at 14 and 16.

• supporting them, including by face-to-face meetings, through the transition stages

of learning.

Strong partnerships beyond the school

Strong partnership beyond the school will drive forward progress in the classroom, removing barriers to learning and supporting student and engaging the community and local institutions.