How the ideas connect

• Rosenshine’s Principles: teach in small steps, model expertly, check understanding, provide guided practice before independence, and review learning over time. These routines are grounded in cognitive science and observations of the most effective teachers.
• Willingham’s model of memory: working memory is limited; pupils remember what they think hard about (“memory is the residue of thought”), so we design tasks that focus thinking on the right ideas.
• Ofsted 2025 toolkit: inspectors evaluate curriculum and teaching by looking at typical practice, inclusion as a “golden thread”, and achievement over time—gathered through professional dialogue and first‑hand evidence, not paperwork.

Inclusion is non‑negotiable

Adapting and scaffolding content (e.g., sentence stems, worked examples, manipulatives, chunked texts) lowers unnecessary cognitive load while keeping ambition high; scaffold supports are then faded so independence grows. This is exactly how Rosenshine’s model is intended to work for novice learners, including those with SEND and those facing disadvantage.

Why consistency across adults matters

The biggest impact comes when every teacher uses the same high‑impact habits—what research calls collective teacher efficacy. Fielding's leaders and teachers build this through shared training, routines, lesson visits and supportive coaching.

How leaders assure quality

Senior and middle leaders conduct learning walks and professional conversations to see the typical work of classrooms, focusing on access for all pupils and impact over time—aligned with Ofsted 2025 expectations.

Learning and attendance

Read more about the crucial link between attendance at school and successful learning:

• Why attendance at primary school matters

Peter Dunmall