Is there really such a thing as a ‘greater depth’ pupil?

Is it educationally sound to create a 'greater depth’ group’ or is it a pragmatic way of responding to an assessment need?

I am going to argue the case that high potential pupils – and indeed all pupils – benefit most from an enriched English curriculum. Therefore, the terminology above – so widely used – may be misleading or even a barrier to the raising of standards.

The forming of a discrete ‘greater depth’ cohort raises a number of issues:

• when does a goal-orientated approach lapse into unhelpful labelling? 
  
• have these pupils actually received enhanced provision which would make some sense of the rationale for selecting them?
• is there a lowering of aspiration for those not identified as advanced learners?
• how and when were they identified?

The answers to the above will vary from one context to another but as a big principle there are some huge pitfalls in identifying a fixed group:

• a plethora of bolt on extension tasks tend to emerge for them, some of which are never attempted as time runs out and some of which seem like extra work rather than deeper thinking. 
• fixed views of pupils can take root long term.
• The route to ‘greater depth’ can become assessment driven but not involving quality reading, rich discussion or creativity. This can have an impact in key stage three where prior immersion in literary texts is likely to support access to high level challenge.
• Teachers also report high potential learners who become risk averse having established their position in a ‘greater depth’ group but not necessarily received ambitious texts or delved into connections across concepts. 

For those secondary English teachers finding barriers to a love of literature – with some pupils struggling, for example, to comprehend narrative poetry like ‘The Ancient Mariner’ - the solution partly lies in the need for immersion in complex texts in the primary phase. A narrow focus on an advanced learning group may not produce the enrichment needed for effective and dynamic curriculum transition; and it certainly doesn’t support the aspirations of those outside a select group. 

The recent DfE Reading Framework makes many comments about the need for challenging texts for all.

The text for a reading lesson can be more challenging than a pupil might be able to understand independently because the teacher is there to support comprehension, explaining the meaning of words and phrases or elaborating on key ideas. Teachers and English leads should also consider the relationship between the texts selected across the whole of the key stage and beyond to check that they are sequenced carefully and equip pupils with the ability to understand increasingly complex texts they may meet in later key stages. 

So, to build a truly enriched curriculum, with equity and excellence at its heart, here are some suggestions of ways in which our UK network of schools have applied theory to practice and made ambitious English a reality, though always a work in progress:

1. Explore a vision for enrichment across the staff. At its heart will be principles and strategies for pitching high but scaffolding and accessing for all. There has to be an agreed rationale for equity and excellence. It has to matter as a vision and a passion. The schools who apply this well have a deep belief in inclusion and social justice.
2. Build a curriculum sequenced in difficulty with texts and objectives getting harder and linking to key stage 3. Avoid chasing assessment domains as a substitute for genuine curriculum progression and deeper knowledge and learning.
3. Link in whole text reading to a core concept focus. So, if your poem or extract teaches ‘building suspense’ then plan for a range of readability to deepen the learning from picturebooks, through contemporary children’s literature to the classics. That way, all pupils read more quality texts as appropriate.
4. Teach the concept in stages with visual literacy offering a gateway to rich language and the understanding of inference. Use a fascinating sentence, then a sliver of text, then a longer section. Complexity is the friend of both teacher and pupil – there is more to discover and so many questions to ask!
5. Use taster drafts freely. Reading for writing makes a huge impact with time or word limited tasters introduced early in the process. The chance to imitate, invent, experiment and gain from feedback has been very popular for all pupils.
6. Plan from the top and beyond the top. Think of where your most advanced learner might reach to in standard and use texts of such virtuosity and complexity that learning is a healthy struggle. 
7. Access strategies-like the tasters, the knowledge chunking, ranges of questions and the concept approach – provide ways in which all pupils share the curriculum entitlement and are being taught via deep learning dialogues inspired by great writing.
8. Poetry can be at the centre of the English curriculum as the scope for being immersed in stylistic variation is at its greatest.
   Teaching is adapted to need, not pre-programmed. High potential learners will be grown and nurtured cognitively, gaining in resilience, not blunted with fixed expectations. They will also have opportunities to learn how to get unstuck because they will need to reflect on conundrums and writing challenges as a daily habit.

You can find out much more by browsing through the ‘Opening Doors’ series by Bob Cox et al. There are books for key stages 1,2 and 3. The latest book is Opening Doors to Ambitious Primary English by Bob Cox with co-authors Leah Crawford, Julie Sargent and Angela Jenkins.

www.searchingforexcellence.co.uk

Contact Bob Cox on bobcox@searchingforexcellence.co.uk to find out more or ask for a visit to an ‘opening doors’ school.