Developing policies that support improvements in teaching and learning - Part 3 - continued

Oct 23, 2026

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This chapter explains why clear policy documents are essential for guiding school evaluation and development. It identifies key types of policy, outlines processes for creating and revising them alongside the school evaluation cycle, and shows how standards for teaching, learning, assessment, and teacher evaluation can be documented. It also highlights how parents should be engaged to support school policies and practices that enhance learning.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Policy documents

Mission statement and educational values

School curriculum policy

School language policy

Performance management – Teacher and leaders’ evaluation

School professional development policy

Code of conduct for students and teachers

Complaints policy

Organogram and job descriptions for senior management team

3: Developing policies that support improvements in teaching and learning This chapter explains the importance of having clear policy documents that define values, principles and practices to guide school evaluation and development. We identify key policy documents and consider processes that you can use to create and revise them. This chapter also has a brief section considering how parents should be engaged to support school policies and practices aimed at enhancing learning. 3.1 Policy documents A policy is a guide for action based on clear principles. A policy is only worthwhile if it is used and influences practice and decision-making in the school. If it just remains ina file on a shelf it serves no purpose and has no value. School policies will inform the development and revision of other documents, for example student, staff and parent handbooks. As we require a number of supporting documents for the Cambridge registration process, schools that have completed the process will already have some policy documents. These will need regular review and updating in parallel with the school evaluation cycle. In this chapter, we provide guidance on writing policies and the structure and content of effective policies. Statements that clearly define standards are also important policy documents, in particular those defining the school’s expectations for teaching and learning, assessment and teacher evaluation. We cover these in Chapters 4, 5 and 6. Key policy documents include: 1. Mission statement and educational values: The mission statement is a written declaration defining the school’s educational purpose. The school’s educational aims and values might be included in the statement or listed separately. Some schools also publish a vision statement. This gives an indication of the future direction of the school, and should be widely shared and inspire commitment. These three elements should focus the development planning process and guide the educational priorities of the school. They are therefore very important, informing on all other policy documents. 2. School curriculum policy: This policy sets out the principles upon which the school’s curriculum has been constructed. It explains how the curriculum should progress vertically (from one age level to the next) and horizontally (the requirements and choices for a particular year). The document might also exemplify the principles and approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. Or, these might be covered as separate policies that are cross-referenced with each other (see Chapter 5.2 on assessment policy). The curriculum policy will also identify the outcomes expected for learners. It will be based upon the school’s vision and mission statements, and should clearly relate the curriculum that is offered to the school’s educational values and the Cambridge learner attributes (see Chapter 4, Table 4). 3. School language policy: This requirement is included in the registration process, specifically for bilingual and multilingual schools. These schools need to make clear how they will structure the curriculum, and organise programmes and support to meet the needs of learners for whom English is a second or third language. It is also important in schools with a majority of students who are proficient in English but do not have English as their first language or mother tongue. The language policy should indicate how the school will encourage and support the maintenance of students’ first languages. 4. Performance management – Teacher and leaders’ evaluation: This will include an account of how the work of teachers and leaders is evaluated. It should include explanations of accountability for each individual’s responsibilities. Standards for teachers and leaders will be identified and evaluation practices explained based on the principles that underpin them. In Chapter 6 we give 16 Developing your school with Cambridge learner attributes A guide for sch

FAQs

Why are policy documents important for improving teaching and learning?

Policy documents provide clear values, principles, and practices that guide school evaluation and development. They must be used in practice and influence decisions, otherwise they have no value.

What policy documents are identified as key for school governance and development?

Key documents include the mission statement and educational values, school curriculum policy, school language policy, performance management for teacher and leader evaluation, professional development policy, code of conduct, and complaints policy.

How should schools structure teacher and leader evaluation policies?

The policy should explain how teachers and leaders are evaluated, define accountability for responsibilities, identify standards, and describe evaluation practices based on underlying principles. It may also connect to guidance on developing standards and implementing a teacher evaluation system.

Oct 23, 2026

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