Procedures for Most Able students

Rationale

  • At TBS we aim to help all our students to develop their individual skills, talents and abilities, intellectually, creatively and emotionally.
  • We endeavour to provide teaching that makes learning challenging, engaging and which enables students to reach their potential.

 

Aims

  • TBS’s aims to meet the needs of the most academically able and talented children in each year group through a broad and relevant curriculum. It will develop the potential and ability of these students and raise their aspirations and achievement by developing their:
    • Ability to learn
    • Range of knowledge
    • Core skills such as problem solving creativity
    • Intellectual curiosity
  • Students prior knowledge will be taken into account, particularly between the key stages alongside individual aptitudes shown in lessons.
  • Links will be established /extended with other organisations including Oxford University.

 

Identification

  • The school will identify a cohort of students in each year. The students will consist of the most able.
  • Identification will be based on results of standardised tests such as SATs, CAPs, and GCSE predictors, such as FFT scores.

 

Curriculum Strategies

  • A variety of teaching and learning styles are used with the emphasis on risk taking, open-endedness and schemes of work reflect the needs of the more able student. Strategies employed include: setting in most subjects in Years 7-9, and as appropriate at KS4. Further setting takes place in options groups as numbers allow. Reporting and recording will follow school policies

 

Provision within the classroom

Important strategies include:

  • varied and flexible grouping within a class;
  • mentoring and additional provision for students of exceptional ability;
  • the provision of enrichment/extension activities and tasks;
  • providing stretch and challenge within subject areas;
  • setting clear and challenging targets;
  • asking higher-order questions which encourage investigation and enquiry;
  • teaching thinking skills in a subject context, g. problem-solving, decision-making;
  • facilitation of independent learning by allowing students to organise their own work in their own  way, to carry  out  tasks unaided using their own strategies, to evaluate their work and become self-critical.

 

The Most Able Coordinator will be responsible for:

  • monitoring the implementation of the agreed policy;
  • compiling and maintaining an up-to-date register of the most able students;
  • coordinating provision for children on the register;
  • sharing expertise with HODS and directing them to appropriate INSET.

 

The Curriculum Leader / Head of Department will be responsible for:

  • assisting colleagues with providing stretch and challenge planning;
  • monitoring provision for the most able in their subject.

 

The Class teacher will be responsible for:

  • ensuring appropriate provision through providing stretch and challenge planning;
  • using appropriate resources to challenge the most able;
  • monitoring the performance of the most able.