NACE CEO Rob Lightfoot reflects on key NACE initiatives over the past academic year, and looks ahead to our plans for 2025-26.

I’d like to start with a thank you: to all the member schools, NACE Associates and partner organisations who have contributed to our work this year. Our strength is in our network, and this has been particularly clear over the past year, with our membership and wider community working together to share and develop approaches to ensure every young person has access to cognitively challenging learning opportunities – helping to close the achievement gaps for all.

Subject-specific resources and CPD

One of the areas in which this collaborative approach has been most apparent and impactful is in our focus on collating subject-specific resources to support schools in implementing approaches to support cognitive challenge across each subject area.

Throughout the year, we’ve been adding to our subject-specific resource collections, with input from our member schools and a range of leading subject associations who have generously shared their expertise. Alongside this, we’ve worked with partners on a series of subject-specific webinars; if you missed any of the live sessions, the recordings are available for all members to watch back.

This work goes alongside our subject-specific online workshops, which we continue to run at both primary and secondary level.

More to come in 2025-26 – please contact us to share what’s working well in your own subject/department, or to suggest additional areas for us to focus on.

Research update

The third phase of our “making space for able learners” research initiative has focused on exploring how schools can best support more able learners who encounter disadvantage in any of its many forms. Thanks to all the schools which have contributed by sharing examples of what’s working in their own context, and to York St John University which is partnering with us on this project.

Key findings from this initiative were shared at our conference in June, alongside case studies from many of the contributing schools. Watch this space for details of the forthcoming publication, plus supporting materials and CPD opportunities.

NACE Challenge Development Programme

On the NACE Challenge Development Programme side, we’ve been pleased to welcome new schools to the programme whilst celebrating those attaining Challenge Award accreditation for the first, second, third, fourth or even fifth time. We were delighted to hold our first Challenge Award School Experience event outside of the UK earlier this term, at Horizon International School in Dubai, as well as celebrating the addition of Alfreton Nursery School to our growing network of NACE Challenge Ambassador Schools. 

You can explore all currently accredited schools on our Challenge Award schools map. 

If your school is interested in working with the NACE Challenge Framework, you can schedule a free 1-2-1 call to find out more. We also offer discounts for groups of schools working collectively on the programme.

What next?

We’re busy planning our CPD programme for next academic year, with several courses already open for booking. These include two exciting new collaborations:

• The Working Classroom – a six-part course for those working at Key Stages 3 to 5, led by Matt Bromley and Andy Griffith, authors of The Working Classroom: How to make school work for working class students. 
• Thinking Moves A-Z: Metacognition Made Simple – a four-part course for teachers across all phases, led by Roger Sutcliffe, creator of the Thinking Moves A-Z and a world leader in the field of Philosophy for Children.

We’re also running our popular “Leading on more able” one-day course again on 9th October. Plus, bookings are open for our autumn term member meetup, which will be held at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) in London on 3rd October.

Check your school post-box ahead of the new term for your 2025-26 member mailing, including more updates on our plans for the year and ideas to get full value from your membership.

As always, please do get in touch with any feedback, questions or suggestions. From all of us here at NACE: have a great summer break! 

NACE CEO Rob Lightfoot shares an update on opportunities for NACE members this year – including new on-demand CPD, R&D Hubs, website updates, and reduced Challenge Development Programme costs.

Welcome to the new academic year! I am sure we are all looking forward to leaving school closures behind us, following the Covid pandemic, and being able to focus on the needs of our young people. Here’s an overview of what we have planned to support you and your school this year…

New on-demand CPD modules

Our set of new on-demand modules build on NACE’s research into cognitively challenging learning environments, exploring key aspects of cognitively challenging teaching and learning. Grounded in research, each module is brought to life with examples of cognitive challenge in practice – at the whole-school/leadership level, and within the individual classroom.

In a similar vein, we will soon be launching a set of on-demand modules for teaching assistants to understand the cognitive science behing challenge in the classroom. Again, this set of modules can be used to provide training across the academic year for all of the teaching assistants in your school.

R&D Hubs programme launch

Our Research and Development Hubs programme, free for our member schools, offers opportunities for NACE members to exchange effective practice, develop in-school research skills and collaborate on enquiry-based projects. This year, the Hubs are exploring three key themes: (1) oracy for high achievement; (2) rethinking assessment; (3) cognitive challenge within the new Curriculum for Wales. To learn more, please sign up for the online Hubs programme launch, which takes place on Tuesday 27 September at 3:30pm. 

Website updates

We are making changes to our website, in response to member feedback, to make it easier for you to sign up for events (such as this term’s member meetup) and find the resources you are seeking. These amendments will continue throughout the academic year, but we hope you will see an immediate improvement this term – starting with our new-look members’ area. Please do not hesitate to get in touch with additional feedback and suggestions.

Keeping costs low to support member schools

We are all facing increased costs but, to support our members, we are freezing our membership subscriptions at the same rates as for the 21/22 academic year. We are also extending the discounts available for MATs, alliances and clusters; see here for all fees and group discounts.

In addition, to mark NACE’s 40th anniversary, we are reducing the prices of NACE Challenge Development Programme packages for the whole of the 22/23 academic year. The NACE Challenge Development Programme is designed to support school leaders who are uncompromising in their ambition to ensure more able learners achieve their potential, in the context of challenge for all. 

Alongside this, we are reducing costs for schools working through the Challenge Development Programme who wish to apply for Challenge Award school accreditation – providing external validation of high-quality provision for more able learners. Again, these reductions will be in place for the whole of the 22/23 academic year.

NACE Challenge Ambassador programme launch

This month we are launching our NACE Challenge Ambassador Schools programme, which will be open to all schools that have achieved the NACE Challenge Award on two or more occasions. This initiative aims to create a strong network of schools, providing outstanding collaboration opportunities for similar-minded school leaders, and supporting continued improvements in provision for more able learners. The programme will also provide a collective voice to respond to government white papers and other high-priority issues at the national level.

Celebrating NACE’s 40th anniversary

As mentioned above, 2023 will be NACE’s 40th year working with schools, education leaders, practitioners and policy makers to improve provision for more able learners. Please keep an eye out for special events and initiatives later in the year to celebrate our 40th anniversary.

As always, please do get in touch if we can be of any help and I wish you all well for the new academic year.

Dr Ann McCarthy, NACE Research & Development Director

At NACE, research and development lies at the heart of our work. Using research findings from within and outside education, whether contemporary or historic, we have an evidence base on which to develop our understanding of cognitively challenging learning. Our publication “Making space for able learners: cognitive challenge - principles into practice” provided colleagues with practical guidance based on case studies from NACE member schools. The findings from this research, alongside the NACE Challenge Development Programme and associated resources, provide support for schools wishing to become outstanding providers. Our more recent activities have included work with schools in Wales on the new curriculum for Wales, as well as focusing on the development of early years provision, oracy, rethinking assessment and an increased understanding of metacognition and perfectionism. 

What are the NACE R&D Hubs?

An important facet of our evidence-based practice is the NACE Research and Development (R&D) Hubs programme. The R&D Hub approach to research and development is based on teacher enquiry. This is a core tool used by teachers to make informed choices and systematic decisions supported by evidence. It enables teachers to measure the impact of their actions and as a result make purposeful changes to curriculum and pedagogy. 

Each NACE R&D Hub brings together a community of like-minded practitioners who want to develop their own classroom practice and share this with others. Each Hub develops academic thinking relating to a specific theme and asks a “Big Question” about existing practice. 

This academic year our three Hubs explored the following themes: (1) the influence of pedagogy on curriculum, (2) perfectionism and (3) cognitively challenging learning within the new Curriculum for Wales. Hub leaders provided participants with guidance on some existing research and reading resources. Participants were then encouraged to examine their own classrooms and present examples of practice which might be refined, improved or changed. They were able to articulate outcomes they wanted to achieve and potential changes which they might make to cause this to happen. Working from a classroom-based hypothesis they then developed a question in the form “If I… will pupils…?”

Through teacher enquiry we have been able to help teachers to understand the complexity surrounding the development of cognitively challenging learning environments. They have examined practice which improves cognition and cognitive skills. They have increased learners’ understanding of themselves and what is needed to learn well. Through their actions to refine provision for highly able learners they have had a positive impact on all learners. Through the Hubs, participants have developed their academic voices, which has enabled them to share their ideas more widely within their schools, in the NACE community, and with their networks of schools.

Theme 1: Pedagogy and the curriculum

In this Hub, led by Copthorne Primary School (Bradford), participants examined ways in which a focus on aspects of pedagogy impacts on a cognitively challenging curriculum. This reflects NACE’s belief that by creating cognitively challenging learning environments and refining provision for more able pupils, pedagogy will improve, and all pupils will benefit. 

Aspects of pedagogy which teachers determined could be central to their enquiry interests included:

• Higher-order questioning
• Curriculum organisation 
• Designing rich and extended talk opportunities
• Developing pupils’ enquiry skills
• Developing collaboration and language skills
• Use of manipulatives and practical resources
• Live modelling
• Developing independence

Teachers took time to reflect on their current practice and discussed features of their work which they would like to develop. They posed questions in line with the enquiry model and then refined the questions to provide a precise focus on an area for refinement and analysis. All teachers found it useful to have the time and space to think more deeply about strategies to challenge the more able. They were able to share some great examples of analysis of the impact of their interventions.

Pupil engagement increased in most cases and teachers showed that they were more confident and better equipped to challenge the more able across the curriculum. Through engagement with this hub teachers built up a wider range of teaching strategies. They have evidence to show that these strategies work to deepen understanding. Examples of impact included the use of manipulatives in maths, retrieval practice for GCSE revision, live modelling, extended talk and opportunities to develop reasoning skills. 

Theme 2: Perfectionism

This Hub’s focus on perfectionism built on the work NACE has undertaken with York St John University in this field over the past few years. The original research examined the impact of raising awareness of perfectionism and helping young people to understand more about the associated traits. While that initial research focused on key stage 4 pupils, teachers in the Hub were able to use the information and resources developed to work with a wider age range. The question here was “Can a single classroom-based lesson improve student-reported knowledge about perfectionism and a willingness to seek support if needed?” The materials used to support the teachers’ enquiry projects are available for all schools here. 

Teachers engaged in the enquiry found that some pupils already understood what was meant by perfectionism but did not necessarily appreciate the different “flavours” of perfectionism. Pupils’ response to this information was strongly positive. Some reported that it helped them to reduce stress and worry as they prepared for examinations. Others recognised some aspects of perfectionism in themselves. They learnt about the difference between being a perfectionist (which could lead to negative outcomes) and wanting to do well (as a positive trait). 

Not all aspects of the enquiries were positive, as one target group was taken out of class, which caused them to worry about missing other activities. It was widely felt that raising awareness as a part of developing health and wellbeing for all is an important step forward in schools. One Hub participant commented that it would be useful to continue to explore the impact of the perceived expectations of others (e.g. parents, teachers, peers), and ways of creating a culture which emphasises doing one’s best rather than attaining a certain outcome.  

Schools need to consider the effects of pressures on pupils from their peers, their teachers and their parents and carers. How can an improved understanding of perfectionism become more widely shared within schools? How can school culture adapt to reflect this knowledge about perfectionism?

Theme 3: Cognitive challenge within the new Curriculum for Wales

Led by Bishopston Comprehensive School and Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr (Swansea), this Hub sought to develop cognitively challenging learning experiences within the new Welsh Curriculum. To do this each participant focused on a key aspect of self-regulation or metacognition within their teaching. They then examined the impact on the resilience and ambition of their pupils within their learning. This group selected a wide range of starting points in response to this question. 

One school was acutely aware of how highly context-bound resilience and metacognitive skills can be. They found that working with pupils on specific workload issues was more useful than additional revision. They also found peer support and advice could increase the effectiveness of working practices. Another participant also used peer collaboration to support some GCSE German students. This led to a greater understanding of explicit learning strategies and an improved linguistic range. Another school with older pupils tackled the issue of cognitive overload through the introduction of planning templates. The belief was that students have a negative attitude towards essay questions due to high content and cognitive overload. This affects their ability to achieve the highest marks, since they miss out key content when answering questions. During the enquiry period students’ marks improved, as did their attitudes to essay writing. They found that having “chunks” of information rather than one overwhelming larger piece of writing was easier to manage.

The use of explicit teaching and modelling by both the teacher and other pupils can impact on learning, as was evidenced above in GCSE classes. Another example of this was to introduce younger pupils to higher-order question types. When pupils understand what is possible, they can adapt their learning. In this school the intervention led to pupils setting themselves challenging questions which they sought to answer. They could reflect on the learning of others and guide them to improve responses. They took greater responsibility for their own learning and were more resilient. The quality of written responses have become more sophisticated, exhibiting a greater depth of knowledge. 

In total contrast to the teacher explaining and modelling learning, another participating school trialled the “silent way method” with Year 8 pupils. For this method to work, the teacher does not explain each step but remains silent to enable pupils to discuss and discover the learning processes themselves. This took place in a mathematics class where pupils were skilled in routine and algorithmic responses but were less resilient in solving problems. When pupils were asked to investigate and discover the steps needed to solve problems, they became more active in their learning and showed greater resilience when faced with new problems.

NACE R&D Hub participating schools 2021-22

Despite the pressures experienced by schools over the last year, we were delighted to have a diverse range of schools participating in R&D Hubs programme this year. These included: 

• Bishopston Comprehensive School 
• Brooklands Farm Primary School 
• Chelmsford County High School
• Christleton High School
• Copthorne Primary School
• Dylan Thomas School 
• Furness Academy 
• Hartland International School
• Howell's School, Llandaff 
• Hydesville Tower School
• Kentmere Academy
• Pentrehafod School
• Laugharne Primary School
• Llwynypia Primary School 
• Lutterworth High School
• Malvern St. James
• Samuel Ryder Academy
• St. Albans RC High School 
• St. Cedd’s School
• St. Thomas More Secondary School 
• Storrs High School
• The College, Merthyr Tydfill
• The Cotswold School 
• The Mulberry House School
• Ysgol Caer Elen 
• Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr
• Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bryn Tawe
• Ysgol Llanhari

Congratulations to all of those who persevered and completed their projects. We look forward to working with many of you, alongside new participants, next year.

NACE R&D Hubs 2022-23: join us next year...

What aspect of your own practice would you like to examine? Would you like an engaged community of peers to discuss this with? If you have not yet joined a NACE R&D Hub, now is the time to consider this. We believe the experience of engaging in a teacher enquiry project is one of the most effective ways to examine and develop your own practice, while engaging with current research and sharing insights with others.

Whether or not you have engaged in teacher-enquiry projects or belonged to a Hub before we would be delighted to welcome you next year. The Hubs are open to all NACE members, and those with more experience in teacher enquiry will make all new participants welcome and support them as they use this approach to developing expertise. 

Theme 1: Oracy for high achievement. If you or a colleague are interested in developing oracy in the classroom or across the school, you will want to join NACE Associate Dr Jonathan Doherty and the team at Copthorne Primary School in Bradford to examine the use of language for high achievement. Jonathan is currently researching oracy for NACE and is well-positioned to support the team at this leading NACE school to inquire into this subject at classroom level.

Theme 2: Rethinking assessment. If you have been thinking about the ways you currently use assessment, its position within teaching and learning, its effectiveness and value, you may want to join the Hub looking at rethinking assessment. This Hub is supported by NACE’s central team and led by Dr Ann McCarthy, who is examining the ways in which we can make better use of assessment to develop cognition, cognitive skills and learners’ metacognition. In this Hub participants will have an opportunity to examine assessment as learning and its place in cognitively challenging learning environments. 

Theme 3: Cognitive challenge within the new Curriculum for Wales. The third Hub will be led by Alison Sykes and her team at Bishopston Comprehensive School. This provides an opportunity for those working in the Hub this year to continue their enquiries in this field, while also welcoming other schools wishing to examine cognitive challenge within the new Curriculum for Wales.

All three Hubs will open with an online launch event at 3.30-4.45pm on Tuesday 27 September 2022.

If you or a colleague would like to join a Hub or learn more about the programme, please visit the NACE R&D Hubs webpage for more information, and register here for the online launch event.  

Challenge Award successes: celebrating challenge for all

Understanding and sharing what works: opportunities to get involved 

Creating cognitively challenging classrooms: new modular courses

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• NACE research

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