Teaching & Learning

Introduction 

At Academy 360, our Teaching & Learning approach is built on quality first teaching that ensures every student secures the foundational knowledge needed for long-term success. Our curriculum is ambitious, coherently sequenced and carefully designed to remove barriers, enabling all students, including those with SEND, EAL or disadvantage, to access, engage with and excel in the same high-quality learning. 

Every lesson follows the Academy 360 Teaching & Learning Model, Do Now, Teach, Practice, Apply, Assess and Close Gaps. This model ensures that new knowledge is explicitly taught, carefully rehearsed and applied in meaningful contexts. Frequent checks for understanding, low-stakes retrieval and adaptive teaching help us identify misconceptions early and close gaps before they become entrenched. 

Literacy and reading are central to learning at Academy 360. In every subject, teachers explicitly teach key vocabulary using dual coding at the start of each lesson to secure foundational knowledge and remove barriers. Our whole-school literacy marking codes ensure consistent expectations for writing, helping students develop accuracy and clarity. Reading is strengthened through teacher modelling, reading aloud and breaking down complex questions to build comprehension. This is supported by targeted reading interventions, ensuring that students who need additional help receive structured, evidence-based support to accelerate progress. Together, these approaches enable all students to access challenging texts, understand disciplinary language and communicate with confidence across the curriculum. 

Inclusion is central to our practice. Teachers use adaptive teaching and purposeful scaffolding to ensure all pupils can master the core content while maintaining high expectations. We focus on building strong disciplinary vocabulary and deepening foundational knowledge so that students can think, write and perform like specialists in every subject. 

Our commitment to excellence is strengthened by an embedded cycle of quality assurance. Regular lesson visits, learning walks, work reviews, student voice and assessment analysis provide a clear picture of classroom practice and curriculum impact. This evidence informs our professional learning programme so that staff development is responsive, targeted and meaningful. Professional learning at Academy 360 is sustained and purposeful. Through instructional coaching, subject-specific training, Step Lab drop-ins and collaborative curriculum development, staff continuously refine their practice. Every development activity links directly to classroom priorities, ensuring that improvements translate into stronger learning for students. 

Digital tools enhance this work. Our 1:1 Apple device programme supports retrieval practice, provides adaptive learning opportunities and reduces barriers to access, ensuring that every student benefits from personalised support and equitable learning experiences. 

At Academy 360, our mission is clear: to deliver exceptional teaching, grounded in strong foundational knowledge and inclusive practice, so that every student can learn without limits and achieve their full potential.