In my recent live webinar for those leading on more able, I outlined the importance of developing a whole-school approach – sharing examples of what it might look in practice and guidance on how to develop, coordinate and embed such an approach.

 

There is often a misconception that supporting more able learners is solely the responsibility of the more able lead/coordinator. This is not the case. Whilst the more able lead will advocate for the more able, oversee policy and monitor and evaluate provision, this doesn’t happen in isolation. Everyone in school has a role to play in championing more able learners and in developing a clear vision for them. Fundamentally all should have an agreed understanding of the “who and why”, which in turn leads to professional dialogue and planning around the “what and how”. Delivering that vision is therefore everyone’s responsibility. This is why it is so important for the more able coordinator to have a clear understanding of his/her role and clarity around where others will support. A good starting point for this is NACE’s “leading on more able” resource collection.

 

With this in mind, what would a truly whole-school approach entail for each staff member?

• Headteacher/SLT: more able leadership must come from the top; key curriculum and pedagogy principles for more able learners should be embedded in school policies, planning, monitoring and evaluation cycles; appropriate support, resourcing and CPD should be in place.
• More able lead: the more able lead coordinates the approach across the school, working alongside colleagues at all levels to ensure the needs of more able learners are understood and met. This may include mentoring other staff members, forging relationships with external partners, sharing relevant research, best practice and CPD opportunities, and coordinating school-wide audit and evaluation of more able provision.
• Subject leaders: subject leaders should ensure there is a clear and shared understanding of high ability and high-quality challenge in their subject, including guidance on identification and tracking of more able learners (including underachieving/potentially more able) in the subject, and ensuring appropriate provision is in place.
• Teaching and support staff: all teaching and support staff should be aware of the school’s policy for more able learners, understand the importance of high-quality provision for the more able and its wider impact, and be equipped and supported to deliver high-quality provision for the more able within a school culture of challenge for all. Teachers should also be clear about the need and mechanisms for assessing the achievement of more able learners and how to feed such assessment information back into teaching.

During the webinar I also shared my own experience of seeing how a focus on improving provision for the more able has a much wider impact. At Copthorne Primary School, of which I am currently Executive Headteacher (formerly Headteacher), the school has had outcomes well above the national average, despite being in an area of high deprivation and with a vast majority of learners speaking English as an additional language. I believe this is because of our continuing commitment to and focus on improving provision the more able.

 

When you focus on the more able and you teach to the top, it raises standards and aspirations for all. It makes both students and staff look at things completely differently. This approach has the power to transform the whole school culture: energising, empowering, and embedding a commitment to research-informed, quality-first teaching for all. I have seen this transformation first-hand.

 

This whole-school approach permeates all of NACE’s resources and support for schools, including the NACE Challenge Framework©, NACE Curriculum Audit© and the newly developed NACE Assessment Audit©. All offer a lens through which to ensure the needs of the more able are understood and addressed at whole-school and departmental levels, while raising standards across the board.

 

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• Resource collection: Leading on more able – explore our full collection of resources for those leading on more able – including updated guidance and resources to support review and development of school policy in this area.
• Recorded webinar: Leading more able policy and provision in your school – the full recording of Christabel Shepherd’s recent webinar is available to purchase for just £100, exploring the themes covered in this blog post in greater detail.
• On-demand modular courses – flexible recorded CPD modules to support those leading on more able, and for use in wider training across the school; including a focus on the role of the more able lead, identification, curriculum audit, planning for challenge and more.