Dr Keith Watson, NACE Associate

I recently provided guidance to a NACE member school about provision for a very able child in the early years. This conversation confirmed in my thinking the importance of an individual education plan (IEP) for more able learners, just as we would create for SEN children.

At my previous school for many years the teachers wrote half-termly plans for all more able pupils, but this became too time-consuming and didn’t fit well with workload. However, we decided it did make sense to retain the plans for exceptionally able learners. So why was this, and what should be considered when using IEPs for exceptionally able learners? Here are some points to consider:

Look beyond labels: focus on the individual

If we think of exceptionally able students as those attaining significantly above their peers and being perhaps in the top 3-5% nationally then it provides a starting point. We need to be mindful of early labelling, of course, and indeed any form of labelling. We are dealing with an individual here. The point is we recognise extra provision, enrichment or approaches are needed. 

Establish key aims and priorities

Having what I call the “game plan” is crucial. A plan could not list all the activities and nor should it, but it needs to establish the aims of the next half term or so in a broad sense. Is it to develop paired work? Is it to develop resilience? Or is there a specific curriculum focus such as cross-curricular writing? It may be all of these things but what is the priority? Knowing the priority helps take a little pressure off the teacher who may feel they have to achieve “everything” with this “amazing” pupil. It also helps when talking to parents and carers about what is being worked on.

Consider social, emotional and learning mindset needs

In creating a plan, the social and emotional aspects must be considered. There is a danger of isolation in both learning and socialising for the exceptionally able pupil. How well do they work in a group? How do they relate to others? This could be a priority. 

Growth mindset can also be a consideration in writing an IEP. If the student is always succeeding, what happens when they fail? Do they go into their comfort zone and only attempt what is easily achievable? This led to a school with very high attainment giving their sixth form students problems that were unsolvable – not to trick them but to explore failure and the response to it. These wider learning elements and dispositions should be considered in IEPs for exceptionally able students.

Allow time and space for exploration

The IEP will also need to consider particular curriculum strengths. Where a learner’s knowledge is already significantly above their peers, thought needs to be given to how much the learning goes upwards or sideways. It is vital to ensure the student applies their learning. They need to create: books, blogs, vlogs, models and maps, and even a museum for the budding historians. This will need time and the IEP must reflect this. When do they get to take their passion and interest further? By the way, early years can teach everyone about that!

Takeaways…

So, what are my takeaways? Thinking through the game plan for the half-term helps everyone – including the student and parents/carers who should be involved – know where they are going. It gives purpose, intent and direction. The More Able Lead may also be involved as a mentor to help ensure the plan does not get lost in the busy life of a school. Most importantly, the IEP is a map of possibility and a source of celebration when progress is made. Who wouldn’t want that for their exceptionally able students? 

Member view

“I found Dr Watson to be extremely helpful around my concerns about an exceptionally able pupil who has just entered our Reception class. First and foremost, he allayed our concerns that we were providing a suitable curriculum for him by reminding us that more than anything it was important for the child to be happy, healthy and enjoying his learning. He encouraged us to consider following the child's individual interests and to create a flow of broad experiences to challenge and deepen learning. We also valued his suggestions to provide lots of creative experiences such as making books, maps and models. In terms of numeracy, the pupil is already confident is using numbers to 1,000 and Dr Watson suggested resources such as NRICH or Rising Stars Maths for More Able to provide sufficient challenge. The child has a reading age of 11 years and we were concerned about taking him on too quickly through reading schemes. Dr Watson helpfully suggested to consider using poetry or resources such as 'First News' to provide broader reading experiences.” - Paula Vaughan, Headteacher, Pendoylan Church in Wales Primary

Additional support

• Log in to the NACE members’ site and visit our leading on more able page for guidance on the use of individual education plans (IEPs) and an example IEP template to adapt for use in your school.
• For additional guidance on support for exceptionally able learners, and growth mindset, log in and visit the NACE Essentials page, where you can download our guides on these topics.
• For 1-2-1 support on a specific area of policy or practice for more able learners, book a free support call as part of our next “Ask NACE” day.