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Posted By Hilary Lowe,
26 April 2022
Updated: 21 April 2022
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Hilary Lowe, NACE Research & Development Director, introduces the NACE Essentials guide on this topic – now freely available for all families.
Parents and carers have a lasting impact on their children’s lives. They can have a great influence on their children’s achievement and success through providing early experiences which encourage children to enjoy and develop their learning. By exposing their children to new experiences, by engaging with them through talk and discussion, by giving them encouragement and support, parents enhance their children’s ability to think creatively and critically, and stimulate their curiosity about the world.
Parental support is one of the most important factors in a child’s success in school. Children whose parents are interested and involved in their education – for example, by supporting their learning at home and working with the school – do better academically and socially. This is true for all children, but parents sometimes find it difficult to know how to best support a child who has a special need or exceptional abilities. What they can do, however, makes a big difference, and our NACE Essentials guide on this topic aims to help parents and carers provide that support.
This guide has been recently updated, and is now freely available to all families, alongside a new mini-guide aimed at parents and carers of children in the early years foundation stage.
Being the parent or carer of a more able or exceptionally able child can be both a delight and a challenge. In some cases that challenge can last well into adolescence, when peer pressure, personal identity crises and an exceptional intellect or precocious talent can lead to tensions and conflict.
Living with an able child can raise many questions for parents and the rest of the family. A parent’s responses to a child’s exceptional needs will, to a large extent, depend on the parent’s values, their own experiences of education, and what they believe about their own abilities. But it is important that parents and carers think through their response, in order to support their child to develop and express their ability, to find balance, emotional harmony and personal fulfilment – and to live as a child.
Our NACE Essentials guide for parents and carers aims to provide answers to some of the most common questions about caring for and supporting a more able child:
- What does it mean to be “more able”?
- How do you know if you have a more able child?
- How do schools identify children with special abilities?
- What is the current approach to children with high ability?
- What should schools provide for more able children?
- What information about your child and the school’s provision can you expect to be given?
- What questions could you ask of the school?
- How do you overcome barriers and difficulties?
- What can you do to help your child at home?
In addition, the guide includes a glossary of words frequently used when discussing the education of children with high ability.
The NACE Essentials guide for parents and carers is available to download now, free for all families. Get your copy.
Tags:
collaboration
early years foundation stage
enrichment
free resources
parents and carers
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Posted By Emma Tibbitts,
25 April 2022
Updated: 21 April 2022
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Emma Tibbitts, NACE Curriculum Adviser (Early Years), shares nine ways parents and carers can support their child’s education at home.
This blog post is an excerpt from the new NACE Essentials guide for parents and carers of children in the early years – now freely available for all families. Get your free copy here.
The biggest contribution a parent can make to their child’s education is to be interested in and appreciate what they are doing, know what they are interested in, and support them in what they do.
Gentle encouragement, interested questioning, concern when you feel there is a problem, and a habit of showing curiosity about the world yourself are all very important. Talking with and listening to your child are among the most important factors in the development of language.
Specifically, you could:
1. Support your child to develop language
Read with and to your child as often as possible. Have a new word of the day or week at home. Puzzles, logic games, word games and board games all help to develop language.
2. Support your child to extend their knowledge of the world and encourage discussion
Talk through your day and theirs, and encourage family discussions. Introduce an interesting fact of the week. Give them a broad range of experiences, e.g. exhibitions, music, food.
3. Support your child to develop a range of skills and a balanced perspective
Do not always focus on their obvious skills – encourage them to sample new activities. Praise and value effort and persistence, not just achievement.
4. Support your child to experiment
Give them space and free time to play, experiment and develop hobbies and interests of their own.
5. Support your child to develop their social and emotional needs
Children need to know that you are proud of who they are and not what they achieve. They need to be allowed to fail and make mistakes, and develop strategies to cope when they get it wrong.
6. Support your child by spending regular special time together
Setting aside special quality one-on-one time with your child will show them you value and appreciate them and will increase the connection between you.
7. Support your child by showing an interest in their activities
By playing with your child you show them you are interested in their activities. This will give them the confidence to explore and make mistakes and will give you an insight into what interests them.
8. Support your child by developing a warm, loving parent-child relationship
When you respond to your child’s needs in a warm, loving and consistent manner you strengthen the attachment you have with them. This provides a foundation to allow children to grow confidently and learn to manage their own feelings and behaviours.
9. Support your child to develop good two-way communication
Role modelling good communication skills is essential. Be an active listener, let your child voice their opinion and respond to any questions they may have. Ask questions to show them you understand their viewpoint.
This blog post is an excerpt from the new NACE Essentials guide for parents and carers of children in the early years – now freely available for all families, along with our full guide for parents and carers of children at all ages. Get your free copy here.
Tags:
early years foundation stage
enrichment
language
parents and carers
wellbeing
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Posted By Idris Davies School 3-18,
14 January 2022
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Darren Lynch is the More Able & Talented Coordinator and Vulnerable Learner Lead at NACE member Idris Davies School 3-18. In this blog post he shares 10 key recommendations to establish and maintain consistent provision for more able and talented learners across a cluster, alongside an example of a cluster-wide programme for MAT learners.
The context
Idris Davies School is an English-medium, mixed, 3 to 18 school, with around 1,000 pupils. The school draws pupils from a group of villages in the northern part of the Rhymney Valley, in South Wales. In Year 7, pupils also join from five partner primary schools. Around 33% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, much higher than the national average of 17.5% for secondary schools in Wales. Around 72% of pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas in Wales.
10 recommendations to maintain consistency of provision for more able learners in a cluster
- Secure support at leadership level in all partner schools.
- Engage colleagues and encourage sharing of personal experiences. Many will have unique stories to tell. Involve colleagues in pupil nominations so they have a vested interest in the growth of their learners.
- Take the child, their family and their class teacher on the journey with you. Find the most important ‘cogs in the wheel’ for your individuals. As well as parents, we have taken grandmothers and aunties to universities for the first time as part of our work with The Brilliant Club’s Scholars Programme (see below for more details). All parties can learn from the experience, and each is important.
- Know your individual pupils and families. Link with pastoral teams and teaching colleagues to learn about individual circumstances and the bigger ‘picture’ – gaining a wealth of intelligence that will support success.
- Prioritise communication to all partners, especially hard to reach families. Some may prefer the traditional written form or telephone call, while others prefer the convenience of electronic communication.
- Raise the profile of your provision – promote and publicise around the school community and online using social media. Regular updates and photographs are popular.
- Be flexible and resilient. Our provisions have run continually throughout the two-year Covid pandemic, utilising the developments in online learning and online communications. Our high pupil expectations should not waver.
- Seek honest feedback and prepare to refine your offer. Some partners prefer an anonymous electronic survey, whilst others welcome a face-to-face conversation.
- Identify local role models, be it past pupils or local personalities, who have succeeded from your area. Being able to relate is a powerful motivator.
- Identify an individual’s worries and overcome those barriers. We have adapted our provision to increase the focus on issues such a student finance and self-esteem, which our children and families commonly raised.
Example: a cluster-wide programme for more able learners in Years 5 and 6
For the last three years, Idris Davies School 3-18 and its partner primary schools have worked with The Brilliant Club’s Scholars Programme to support more able and talented learners in Years 5 and 6. Each year 24 pupils are selected to engage with the programme, which links them with a PhD tutor to work through a challenging course pitched at a key stage above the pupil’s current stage.
For some pupils, the only doctor they may have ever met is in a medical setting, but this programme opens up the world of academic research and gives young people the opportunity to study university-level work in an accessible manner, and to visit leading universities.
We have used the programme as part of a cluster-wide strategy to tackle disadvantage, targeting students who are eligible for the Pupil Development Grant, who have no parental history of higher education and who live in deprived areas according to the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD).
Benefits of the programme include:
- Challenging courses on subjects beyond the curriculum, taught by a PhD researcher.
- Opportunity to engage with new and challenging topics and ideas – from “Mathematics: Lying with Statistics” to “Anthropology and Archaeology: Making a Museum” or “Business, Brewing and Brawls: the Role of Women in Medieval Towns”.
- Experience of university-style learning in small group tutorials.
- Two visits to competitive universities. So far our pupils, their families and class teachers have visited Oxford, Bath, Cardiff Universities. Our PhD tutors have also provided insights on Nottingham, Swansea and Bangor Universities.
- Develop key university-readiness skills, including self-efficacy, critical thinking and metacognition.
- Cited as an effective use of Pupil Premium/Pupil Development Grant by Ofsted/Estyn.
- Supports the school to meet Gatsby Benchmarks 3 and 7; embedded into wider careers programme.
- Supports KS2-3 transition.
By applying the 10 recommendations listed above, this programme has been implemented consistently across our cluster, supporting our more able and talented learners as they prepare for the transition from KS2 into KS3.
Read more:
Tags:
access
aspirations
CEIAG
collaboration
disadvantage
enrichment
higher education
KS2
partnerships
policy
transition
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Posted By Alison Tarrant,
15 January 2019
Updated: 08 April 2019
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NACE is proud to be supporting the Great School Libraries campaign, launched in September 2018 to raise awareness about the importance and impact of great school libraries and librarians for all learners. In this blog post, Alison Tarrant, CEO of the School Library Association (SLA) invites NACE members to join the campaign by sharing inspiring examples from their own schools…
As part of the Great School Libraries campaign, we’re collecting data to illustrate the real nature of modern school libraries – how many there are, what they do, the many ways in which they support teachers and learners. School libraries are formed by their school’s context, and we’re keen to showcase the diversity and nuance of the activities school libraries across the nation are involved in.
To this end, we are collecting case studies to help us share real-life examples and stories, both to inform those unfamiliar with school libraries and to inspire those who are. All schools are welcome to submit case studies showing how their school library has impacted on teaching and learning and/or contributed to the strategic goals of the school.
NACE member schools in particular are invited to contribute examples showing how school libraries and librarians are supporting provision for more able learners and raising aspirations for all.
How to submit a case study
To submit a case study for the Great School Libraries campaign, complete this form and return it via email (communications@nace.co.uk) with the subject line “Great School Libraries case study”. An example case study and additional resources are available to download from the campaign website.
You may wish to focus on:
- A club run by your school library
- Displays that widen knowledge and promote discussion of unfamiliar topics
- Information literacy – being taught, skills sessions, research projects, assemblies
- Extended Project Qualification or Higher Project Qualification – how is the librarian involved in these? What value does it add?
- Library lessons – reading at the heart of the curriculum, activities at your school, how these stretch/enhance teaching and learning
- Outings and extracurricular activities organised by your school librarian
- A lesson that has been co-developed and/or co-taught with your librarian
How case studies will be used
Submitted case studies will be reviewed with a view to identifying themes – adding rich evidence to our belief that school libraries make an important contribution to learning and outcomes. Case studies may be published on the Great School Libraries website to help spread best practice and inspiration across the education community.
Case studies can be submitted anonymously if wished.
For additional support, contact Barbara Band, Chair of the Great School Libraries Data Group (SLDG): info@barbaraband.com / 078 6663 3011
To sign up for regular updates on the campaign, click here.
Alison Tarrant is the Chief Executive of the School Library Association (SLA), and a Bookseller Rising Star 2018. She previously worked as a school librarian, and was on the Honour List for the School Librarian of the Year in 2016, as well as serving as a trustee for the SLA. The SLA is committed to supporting everyone involved with school libraries, offering training and resources to promote high-quality reading and learning opportunities for all. Launched this year, the Great School Libraries campaign is a three-year campaign dedicated to raising the profile of school libraries.
Tags:
campaigns
enrichment
libraries
literacy
reading
research
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Posted By Rebecca Ross,
28 November 2018
Updated: 07 August 2019
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This month Episkopi Primary School in Cyprus became the second school outside the UK to gain the NACE Challenge Award – following in the footsteps of Malta’s Chiswick House School. Assistant Headteacher Rebecca Ross explains how the school has worked collaboratively within a cluster to develop high-quality provision for more able learners, in the context of challenge for all.
There is a shared partnership agreement across the six UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) schools based in Cyprus. We work in collaboration to achieve joint goals and most recently have been developing provision further for the more able. All the MoD schools on the island have followed the NACE Challenge Framework, which has ensured consistency in approaches, and has had a huge impact on provision for more able learners across the curriculum.
Below are five areas of collaboration we’ve found effective:
1. Whole-cluster meetings for more able leaders
While there is quite a distance between the schools, collaboration is of high importance and regular meetings for more able leaders has been essential for developing consistency. Investing in whole-day meetings allows quality time to focus on moderation, assessment and enrichment opportunities. More able leaders each take turns in hosting the meetings at their school. This has been a great opportunity for leaders to tour each school and share best practice. Subject leaders have also collaborated in this way, using the supporting resources provided alongside the Challenge Framework to audit their subjects. These resources have been particularly useful when identifying the characteristics of more able learners in specific subjects and collaborating on strategies to support them to reach their full potential.
2. Building partnerships beyond the cluster
Being on a small island does not limit the opportunities for our learners. All our schools are outward-facing and proactive in seeking a range of partnerships to create innovative opportunities for learning and progression. Budget cuts could limit opportunities, but as a cluster we overcome this by sharing costs and working collaboratively to build quality and sustainable partnerships. Strong links have been made with universities in the UK. For example, Leicester University’s Archaeological Department has been working with our schools for a number of years, providing digs and workshops on the island. Developing links that benefit both parties has strengthened the opportunities provided.
3. Collaborating on enrichment opportunities
A range of enrichment days are regularly run across the island for learners who have a particular talent in a subject or for those who show a true interest. These allow application of skills in new and challenging ways, as well as learning new techniques and strategies with like-minded individuals. It is also good preparation for secondary school and gives our learners the chance to meet some of their future peers. As a cluster, we draw on staff expertise to run these days and pupils travel to the different schools or visit external sites. By not limiting enrichment to just core subjects, many learners with varied talents have benefited from these opportunities.
4. Sharing expertise to support CPD
We do not have easy access to UK training courses; therefore we seek to maximise opportunities for CPD through the use of shared courses, resources, facilities and existing expertise. This is far more cost-effective and encourages staff to actively keep up to date with current research and best practice in their subject. Challenge for all has been a key focus for the Cyprus Schools Consortium and this shared and focused approach has been central to CPD. Regular cross-island subject leader meetings have included both primary and secondary representatives. This has up-skilled leaders in different phases, while strengthening transition links.
5. Collaborating to provide inspiring role models
The cluster works closely to provide opportunities that inspire learners and allow them to consider their futures. Many of our learners have spent their entire lives in a military setting and are not exposed to the same experiences as others their age might be. As a whole-island team, we know that role models are a powerful way to inspire young people about their future possibilities. It is so important for learners to hear real people from their own community and beyond, sharing personal stories of why they do what they do and how they got there – their aspirations, struggles, challenges, failures and how they overcame them. We know that this type of interaction encourages learners to discover their own aptitudes and passions and follow their dreams.
About the NACE Challenge Development Programme
The NACE Challenge Development Programme offers a complete package for whole-school review and improvement in provision for more able learners, in the context of challenge for all. It supports schools, clusters, alliances and trusts already demonstrating good or outstanding provision in this field, as well as those for whom this is a key area for improvement. Schools working with the programme may choose to apply for formal accreditation through the NACE Challenge Award.
Read more or contact us to find out how the programme could support your school or cluster.
Tags:
CEIAG
Challenge Award
Challenge Framework
clusters
collaboration
CPD
enrichment
international
partnerships
transition
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Posted By Simon Colton,
22 June 2017
Updated: 08 April 2019
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Professor Simon Colton shares his experience of speaking at the NACE National Conference 2017, and invites NACE members to help develop his new app for schools.
Yesterday, I was very fortunate to attend the NACE National Conference in London and delighted to give the closing keynote address. In my talk, I introduced a few topics and projects from my research in computational creativity, where we study how to share creative responsibilities with software. I presented a few slides and videos about The Painting Fool, The What-If Machine and my latest project, Wevva.
Wevva is a "casual creator" for games, allowing anyone to make simple games in minutes rather than days, weeks or months (which is usual in game design). Wevva has taken many (difficult) months of development. But along the way, we’ve had a lot of encouragement and positive feedback from running game jams – events where people get together and make games – with students and staff at Falmouth University (where I work) and local girl guides.
We’ve also helped with an after-school club for children from the Nexus specialist STEM centre in Camborne, which was a big success. In particular, using earlier prototypes of Wevva, we enabled children to make interesting and engaging games, learning so many things about design, user interaction, art theory and physics along the way. Working with Nexus has been the one of the coolest projects I've done so far, and was a real inspiration for the next stage of the app’s development.
So, as part of my talk at the conference, I was delighted to announce the launch of Wevva for Schools, and grateful to NACE for giving me the platform to do this. Wevva for Schools is a new educational pack, an out-of-the-box game design classroom, enabling students to make videogames easily and straight away, giving them space to learn all about game design and other topics like simulated physics, colour theory and programming, and to experience what working in the creative industries is like.
We received such enthusiastic feedback from teachers at the NACE National Conference yesterday. It was great that many teachers expressed a keen interest in Wevva for Schools, and we can't wait to see Wevva for Schools being used in primary and secondary schools, to empower students to explore the joys of videogame design.
Wevva for Schools will be available for September and we are asking NACE members to help shape this educational offering. I was delighted by the positive response to this request, and around 20 people have already signed up. If you would like to help with the final development of Wevva for Schools, then please see the web pages at www.wevvagame.com or contact us at wevvaforschools@metamakersinstitute.com
The opening keynote from Lord Robert Winston was really inspiring and reminded me of my time at Imperial College. I also got to sit in on the workshop run by Jo Foster, the director of Nexus, and heard the inside track on how Nexus has been made so successful, which I’ve been able to see first-hand this year. So, all in all, it was a wonderful day at the NACE National Conference. I’d like to thank the NACE team for the invitation to talk, all the people at the conference who gave us great feedback, and the staff at etc.venues for such a great day!
A leading artificial intelligence researcher, Professor Simon Colton specialises in the field of computational creativity. He leads the Computational Creativity Group at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and holds an EC-funded ERA chair at Falmouth University, as well as an EPSRC Leadership Fellowship. He has published around 200 papers, won national and international prizes for his research, and helped create software that can make mathematical discoveries, create art, generate games and produce fictional ideas. One of his best-known projects is The Painting Fool, a computer programme designed to one day be taken seriously as a creative artist in its own right.
Tags:
apps
coding
computer science
enrichment
technology
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