Our LIGHT Lesson Structure

Our LIGHT Lesson Structure

At Ainsdale St John’s, we want every child to develop the knowledge, confidence and independence they need to Aspire to Shine.

Working with Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust and drawing on the LDST Teaching and Learning Toolkit, we developed our LIGHT lesson structure.

It gives pupils and staff a consistent language for learning while reflecting our own school vision and values.

LIGHT is informed by educational research around retrieval practice, explicit teaching, modelling, guided practice and independent learning.

L – Look Back
Children revisit important previous learning so that key knowledge is strengthened and connected to new ideas.

I – Introduce New Vocabulary
Teachers explicitly teach the words and language pupils need to understand new concepts and communicate their thinking clearly.

G – Guided Teaching
New learning is broken into manageable steps. Teachers model, explain, question and guide pupils as they build understanding.

H – Have a Go
Children apply their learning with increasing independence. Teachers check understanding and provide further modelling or support where needed.

T – Tie It Together
Children review what they have learned, make links with previous knowledge and reflect on the strategies that helped them to succeed.

LIGHT is not a rigid lesson script. Teachers adapt the structure according to the subject, learning and needs of the children. At times, pupils may move back from independent practice to further guided teaching before trying again.

Through LIGHT, we aim to make learning clear, purposeful and memorable, while helping every child become an increasingly confident and independent learner.