Romiley Primary School

The Quality First Teacher is a programme of CPD designed by Romiley Primary School to invest in three areas that will nurture, protect and refine teachers and their practice. By looking at the person, their philosphy and the pedagogy, our staff are able to better operate, even thrive in our education system. The QFT document can be found below: 

In our teaching and learning policy, you will find an overview of what we teach and how we deliver it. You will see examples of our approach to presentation, handwriting, pedagogy and continuous professional development. 

Every child deserves a teacher who will nurture their curiosity, nurture trust and speak truth about them, about how unique they are, how special they are, how the world is a better place with them in it. Every child deserves to believe they could be anything they want and they have the potential to change the world around them. Every child needs a quality first teacher, not merely an efficient pedagogical approach. Quality first teaching has become a term synonymous with ‘effective teaching strategies’, essentially what we mean when we say quality first teaching, is pedagogy. However – if we mean quality first teaching as simply the pedagogy – we miss some fundamental aspects – can you have quality first teaching without a quality first teacher? What makes a quality first teacher?

The role of the teacher is significant and unique. As neither friend, nor relative, the teacher is uniquely placed and privileged as an impartial professional to be able to provide unconditional support and encouragement, empowering even the most challenging children to realise their incredible potential, to realise how special, talented and unique they are. Teaching is an incredible profession. In order to fulfil this rewarding role, the quality first teacher needs to nurture three main areas: the person, their philosophy and their pedagogy. Of course, people do not fit neatly into boxes: there are always complexities and grey areas and differing degrees. But it is helpful to look at each of these aspects in order to reflect on the strengths and areas of development of each. Some teachers might be strong in their philosophy and have excellent knowledge and skill in terms of pedagogy, but struggle to build relationships with children. Others might be strong in building relationships with excellent pedagogy, but have lost sight of their philosophy of education. The ultimate goal is to become as strong as possible in all of these areas by continuing to self-reflect and identify areas that need a little more attention. A self-aware, reflective practitioner will continue to improve their practice and better protect themselves from the many external pressures and strains in the world of education. At Romiley Primary school, we aim to put the perosn first, nurture a healthy philosophy of education, and invest in research evidenced strategies to continuously refine our pedagogy.