Based on an NPQSL project write-up

Over a three-year period, our school undertook a focused improvement project aimed at raising the achievement of More Able, Gifted and Talented (MAGT) pupils, particularly at Key Stage 4. While overall outcomes were strong, internal data identified variation in pupil progress, with a small group of high prior attainers not achieving expected progress scores. This project sought to address that inconsistency through a combination of targeted intervention, staff development and whole-school strategies.

As part of our wider commitment to improving provision for more able learners, the school joined NACE in 2014 and has since successfully achieved the NACE Challenge Award in 2015, 2018 and 2023. We are currently working towards Ambassador status. Using the NACE Challenge Framework, I have led the evaluation of our whole-school provision for more able learners, ensuring that high standards of challenge are embedded consistently across all departments. This framework has been instrumental in identifying strengths as well as areas for development, allowing us to maintain a culture of high expectations while continuously refining our practice. One key area identified through this process was the need to more effectively target underachieving more able pupils, which became a central focus of this project.

The project was rooted in a clear understanding of the problem. Analysis of attainment and progress data revealed that, despite high starting points, some MAGT pupils were underperforming relative to expectations. Research highlights that high prior attainment does not automatically translate into high outcomes, with factors such as motivation, teaching challenge and socio-economic background playing a significant role (DfE, 2014; Strand, 2014). Additionally, Ofsted (2015) reported that many schools fail to sufficiently challenge their most able pupils, leading to underachievement.

In response, a multi-layered strategy was implemented. First, a structured intervention and mentoring programme was introduced for underachieving Year 11 pupils. These students were identified through regular data tracking and paired with trained peer mentors or received direct staff mentoring. This approach was informed by research emphasising the importance of personalised support and strong relationships in improving student outcomes (EEF, 2018).

Second, subject-specific intervention was introduced in identified areas of weakness. Departments were engaged through collaborative planning, ensuring that interventions were responsive to both data and teacher insight. This aligns with evidence that effective school improvement requires cross-departmental collaboration and shared ownership (Fullan, 2007).

A key aspect of the project was improving classroom practice. Eight whole-school strategies were introduced to enhance challenge for MAGT pupils, including high expectations, targeted questioning, and promoting independence. These strategies were embedded through staff training, lesson observations and ongoing feedback. The approach reflected research suggesting that high-quality teaching has the greatest impact on pupil outcomes (Coe et al., 2014).

Professional development played a significant role in the project’s success. Staff were supported to reflect on their practice and adapt their teaching to better meet the needs of high-attaining pupils. The use of collaborative training sessions and learning walks helped to build a shared understanding of effective practice across the school.

The impact of the project was significant. Over the three-year period, attainment and progress measures for MAGT pupils improved, with a notable reduction in the number of students achieving negative progress scores. Targeted subject interventions also led to improved outcomes in previously underperforming areas. Importantly, there was a shift in whole-school culture, with greater emphasis placed on challenge and high expectations for all learners.

In conclusion, this project demonstrates that improving outcomes for more able pupils requires a strategic, whole-school approach. By combining data-driven intervention, effective teaching strategies and strong leadership, it is possible to reduce variation in pupil outcomes and ensure that all students fulfil their potential.

References

• Coe, R. et al. (2014). What Makes Great Teaching? Sutton Trust.
• DfE (2014). The attainment gap at age 16.
• EEF (2018). Teaching and Learning Toolkit.
• Fullan, M. (2007). The New Meaning of Educational Change.
• Ofsted (2015). The most able students: An update on progress since June 2013.
• Strand, S. (2014). Ethnicity, deprivation and educational achievement.

“I think it is important to challenge every child because otherwise they're not fulfilling their potential. If you think about it as well, we are always talking about competing on a global scale. Aren't we? Like how do our schools compete with others? And if we want to have people who are world class scientists and the top people in their fields, I'm not sure holding them back just to make teaching a little bit easier now is the right answer long term.” Emily

I recently conducted a study into how primary school teachers experience teaching those pupils working at ‘greater depth’ standards (West, 2025 in Education 3-13, Taylor & Francis). The overall aim of my research was to establish a theoretical basis directly from teachers’ perspectives, to support future teaching enhancement and school development. Where primary schools operate under similar parameters and face similar challenges to one another, the approach I used for this study aligns with the structure and regulation of primary education and supports the potential for theory to come out of local studies.

This area of education appears to be periodically raised in empirical academic research but is not pursued or given sufficient focus to make meaningful change for improvement. My study seeks to initiate a basis for exploration, focusing attention on an area of primary education that is overlooked. The resulting broad framework can be taken up by leadership teams, education developers, and those seeking to enhance learning for those with high potential.

The scope of my study extends to exploring teachers’ experiences in planning, preparing, executing, and evaluating their teaching practice for the most able children. It intends to capture a window of experience from the teachers’ reality in the classroom.

“They like the attention and the fact, ‘oh, we are outside in this group because we might be a bit clever’. And they like that. And I think there is nothing wrong with that.” Sara

The resulting strategic suggestion for school, teaching, and learning enhancement is a model of strong leadership and creativity.

 Through exploration and analysis of the research interviews, the bases of ‘leadership’, ‘creativity’, and ‘confidence’ were established. It was clearly apparent through the participants’ experiences that leadership teams are looked to for establishing awareness and positive attitudes in continuously developing and stimulating the clever pupils and showcasing their successes. Leadership teams are also in the best position to ensure this is applicable across all subjects and is supportive of children’s high potential in different areas rather than confining existence of ‘greater depth’, and GDS assessment and measures to only the core areas of English and mathematics. 

“I think it is equally important to push all children, but really it depends on the head, the school, the school’s priorities.” Emily

“Schools vary and leadership will be trying to get children to expected levels. If children get better than that, great, but that's not what they worry about.” Grace

The data showed that teachers seek permission from their leaders to trial creative initiatives and to be brave in their ideas. 

 Where leaders recognise individuals’ innovation and can support difference or change from the usual systems, it can have a positive impact for both staff and children.

With the advances of modern technology, there is scope to utilise artificial intelligence tools for the benefit of idea generation and time saving. Schools trialling such work can share experiences and pilots for the benefit of wider application and impact. There are many creative solutions to achieving the greatest potential from the most able children. 

“AI is absolutely changing the face of planning, but especially for differentiation adaptation.” Emily

The most effective teachers of greater depth standard children use a variety of strategies and approaches, alongside praise and encouragement.

Resources contribute to ongoing efficiencies and staff wellbeing. 

 “If the pupils are going above and beyond what you expected and then some, how can I push them next? I think that the main challenge is having a solution 'in the moment'.” Francesca

Having resources in place that provide solutions for both preparing teaching and immediate classroom application also bolsters confidence. Resources contribute to organisation and management of the classroom that breeds ongoing efficiencies and staff wellbeing.

One clear difference found in the practice spoken about by the participants was use of the concept of ‘scaffolding to excellence’. Shifting the basis of lesson planning and expectations of ability can immediately cater for the greater depth standards across all subjects. 

“How we teach and plan our lessons is that we are always aiming at the top. Then your aspiration is to get the whole class up to that. Most people sort of plan from the middle and then they plan work up and work down for ability groups. Our theory is, actually let’s aim for the top. And then we plan how we scaffold up to that for everyone.” Elizabeth

This concept was brought to the research interviews by participants who were NACE members and/or holders of the NACE Challenge Award. This concept was immediately recognised by me in co-construction of the resulting framework, as it is the usual approach in higher education teaching, learning and assessment.  

The experiences of teachers demonstrate that they want to support the best stimulation and challenge for their high potential pupils. Contemporary priorities and pressures on schools create barriers to this. 

Overall, an enhanced approach and drive from school leadership values and perspectives, that appreciates and respects the most able pupils’ intelligence and feeds their hunger for more learning, will create positive experience for the children, wider class learning, and the teaching teams.

The full study on which this blog post is based is available here: How do primary school teachers experience teaching for those pupils who are working ‘at greater depth’?
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Professor Stephanie West completed her MA Education, Teaching, and Learning at the University of Sheffield in May 2025. She has an established career in higher education academic leadership and professional practice, and is currently Head of School in the Faculty of Business and Innovation at Arden University, a widening participation university with an ethos for accessibility and lifelong learning. Professor West is interested in all forms of educational development but especially in laying the foundations at primary level, a critical stage in every child’s education. She is committed to the support and enrichment of the most able pupils from the earliest possible opportunity and supporting every child to reach their full potential.

 

More able provision isn’t built in classrooms; it’s built in cultures. Schools that consistently stretch high-potential learners don’t rely on isolated strategies or pockets of great practice; they create an aligned system where leadership behaviours, governance oversight and classroom routines all work in the same direction. 

In this blog post I will explore three leadership levers that drive high-quality challenge:

1. Culture: how predictable norms, routines and expectations create the conditions for deep thinking.
2. Curriculum & pedagogy: how leaders model and embed challenge as a non-negotiable, not an add-on.
3. Governance: how governing bodies can ask the right questions and monitor the right signals to sustain more able provision over time.

… aiming to give school leaders, governors and trust executives a clear, practical framework for embedding sustained challenge, positioning more able learners at the heart of whole-school improvement.

When we talk about improving outcomes for more able learners, the conversation often jumps straight to the classroom: targeted tasks, adapted resources, stretch questions, challenge strategies. All this matters, but none of it lands consistently without something deeper and more powerful behind it.

Challenge isn’t a technique. It’s a culture. And culture is a leadership responsibility.

Schools that offer sustained stretch for more able pupils do not rely on enthusiastic individuals, new initiatives or curriculum tweaks. They build a shared operating system where high expectation, deep thinking and intellectual curiosity are part of the school’s DNA. That system is designed, safeguarded and modelled by leaders and held accountable through governance.

In an era of widening attainment gaps, acute teacher recruitment challenges and increased complexity of need, the leadership lens on more able education has never been more important.

1. Culture: the invisible architecture behind challenge

The most consistent differentiator between schools that stretch their more able learners and those that struggle is the predictability of culture. In high-performing environments, routines are stable, expectations are transparent and behavioural norms are shared. Pupils know what learning feels like. Teachers know what challenge looks like. Leaders know what they will see when they walk into a classroom.

More able learners thrive when the school climate:

• Sets “challenge for all” as a cultural non-negotiable
  High expectations aren’t reserved for identified pupils; they’re embedded as a default. This avoids the common pitfall of designing exclusive provision for a small cohort and instead creates an ecosystem where stretch is a daily entitlement.
• Reduces cognitive noise for teachers and pupils
  When routines, transitions and behaviour expectations are consistent, teachers have more bandwidth to plan for depth and thinking rather than survival. More able pupils benefit first from this stability.
• Rewards curiosity and intellectual risk
  In the most successful cultures, leaders normalise productive struggle. Pupils are encouraged to attempt difficult work, articulate their thinking and persevere when they reach cognitive friction. This psychological safety is foundational to high challenge.

Culture is intangible, but its impact is unmistakable. Leaders shape it intentionally – through modelling, messaging and relentless clarity.

2. Curriculum & pedagogy: from patchwork to coherence

While individual teachers can deliver pockets of excellence, sustained more able provision requires a coherent, sequenced and evidence-informed approach to curriculum and pedagogy. This coherence is impossible without leadership.

Effective leaders do three things exceptionally well:

• Define what challenge means in their school
  Challenge cannot be left to interpretation. Some see it as harder worksheets. Others as independent projects. Others as open-ended discussion. When definitions vary, provision becomes inconsistent. Leaders who crystalise what “challenge” looks like, sounds like and feels like create alignment across classrooms.
• Build teaching systems rather than initiatives
  Too many schools rely on intermittent CPD sessions to improve challenge. What works is an operating system: modelling, coaching, feedback loops, shared planning practices, and curriculum routines that make challenge the default, not the exception.
• Use curriculum design to secure depth, not pace
  High ability learners don’t need to race ahead; they need to go deeper. Leaders who prioritise conceptual understanding, metacognitive routines and deliberate practice create the conditions for genuine mastery.

Curriculum and pedagogy are leadership levers. When leaders make challenge coherent, teachers deliver it with confidence – and more able learners experience it daily.

3. Governance: the oversight that sustains challenge over time

 In many schools, the more able agenda fluctuates with staffing changes, inspection cycles or competing priorities. Governance is the stabiliser. Governors provide continuity, strategic accountability and a lens that transcends immediate pressures.

Effective governance for more able provision typically includes:

a) Strategic questioning

 Governors ask:

• How do we know our more able pupils are experiencing consistent stretch?
• What evidence, beyond attainment data, demonstrates deep learning?
• How are we monitoring the quality of challenge in mixed-ability settings?

These questions elevate the conversation from compliance to culture.

b) Monitoring meaningful signals

Rather than relying solely on exam outcomes, governors track leading indicators:

• Lesson walk quality
• Pupil voice on challenge
• Engagement of more able pupils in wider opportunities
• Staff confidence and training in high-challenge pedagogy

This balance of qualitative and quantitative monitoring protects depth over superficial acceleration.

c) Resourcing leadership capacity

Governors ensure leaders have the time, structure and professional learning needed to maintain high-challenge systems – especially during periods of reduced budgets or staffing turbulence.

When governance is aligned with leadership intent, challenge becomes embedded, not episodic.

High-challenge cultures benefit all learners

One of the most powerful insights from the NACE Challenge Development Programme is that provision for more able pupils isn’t about exclusivity, it’s a catalyst for whole-school improvement. When leaders design systems for depth, curiosity and independence, the gains cascade downwards

High-challenge cultures improve:

• Teacher clarity – expectations and routines tighten.
• Curriculum coherence – sequencing strengthens.
• Behaviour climate – classrooms become more purposeful.
• Pupil thinking – metacognition develops across cohorts.
• Equity – disadvantaged more able learners are less likely to be overlooked.

In short, when leaders raise the ceiling, the floor rises with it.

A call to leadership: challenge as a strategic priority

More able provision cannot be an add-on, nor can it sit solely with individual teachers or one enthusiastic lead. It must be woven through leadership, curriculum and governance. That requires courage, clarity and a relentless focus on simplicity, reducing the noise so teachers can deliver what works.

As schools navigate unprecedented complexity, from staffing shortages to SEND pressures, the temptation can be to narrow the curriculum and play it safe. But the opposite is needed. More able pupils require more than safety; they require intellectual ambition. And ambitious cultures are built by leaders.

Challenge doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by design.

To learn more about what this high-challenge culture looks like at Walton Priory Middle School, register now for:
• Member Spotlight with Walton Priory Middle School: 13th January 2026 (free online event, exclusively for NACE members)
• Challenge Award Experience event at Walton Priory Middle School: 29th January 2026 (in-person event; open to all; member discount)

Cwmclydach Primary School is in the village of Clydach Vale near Tonypandy in Rhondda Cynon Taff local education authority. There are currently 210 pupils on role, aged between 3 and 11, and the school also houses one of the local authority’s Foundation Phase nurture classes. Nearly all pupils are of white British origin and English is the first language for nearly all pupils. FSM stands at 42%, which is currently much higher than the local and national averages. 

The school has recently achieved NACE Challenge Award accreditation for the third time – the third school in Wales to achieve this and the 25th overall – recognising sustained commitment to and excellence in meeting the needs of MAT learners, within a whole-school context of challenge for all.

Below are three key factors that have helped us to achieve and sustain this, and that remain central to our ongoing development as we prepare for the new Curriculum for Wales.

1. Engaging the whole school community 

Good communication and working in partnership with our whole school community are essential to our success at Cwmclydach. 

Governors have been involved in planning for the new Curriculum for Wales, and in deciding the range of experiences our children should have throughout their years in school, alongside the visions shared by our Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLE) leads. 

Parents are regularly informed about provision for more able and talented (MAT) pupils within our setting and are given guidance on how to support MAT pupils at home. Regular use of questionnaires for staff, pupils and parents, has ensured that each child in our care is challenged to fulfil their potential in all aspects of life. Results of the questionnaires are analysed and planning for children is adjusted accordingly.

Pupil voice is central to our development. Learners are encouraged to believe in themselves and are given a variety of opportunities where they can become good role models and develop a sense of ownership. Pupil groups have been set up that reflect the new curriculum, and pupil voice plays an extremely active role in engaging our parents and other stakeholders; we find that parental engagement is far higher when children are leading their learning.

We provide opportunities for children to lead the learning through enquiry and research. For example, children are given four “missions” per fortnight; they choose which to complete, how, and what tools they need. These are completed independently whilst the teacher works with a focused group. We use focus questioning to home in deeper on a particular topic so we can draw the information out, either individually or in groups depending on the topic. This has helped us to direct children and further develop their critical thinking and leadership skills.

2. Identifying – and providing for – a broad range of abilities

Each member of staff is responsible for developing the child as a whole – not only in academic subjects, but also nurturing talent in the fields of music, art, ICT, Welsh and other curriculum areas.

We have found it particularly useful to send out a yearly questionnaire seeking the views of parents and carers to help us identify MAT pupils, particularly in areas beyond traditional academic subjects. In previous years, some of our quieter children were not so forthcoming about their talents, so we have found this an effective way to discover otherwise “hidden” abilities.

The key point is to ensure that – once identified – we then provide opportunities in school to enhance and develop these abilities, providing a wide range of activities to ensure all talents and abilities can be catered for, alongside enrichment days and visitors to the school. We have also held twilight sessions with teachers and support staff to ensure everyone is aware of early identification criteria and how they can develop the children’s skills.

3. Regularly revisiting our audit of provision

We have used the standards in the NACE Curriculum Audit to discuss the various ways children can be taught at Cwmclydach, within the context of the new Curriculum for Wales. We focus on both independent and collaborative learning, with the needs of each child taken into consideration. 

As a whole staff at Cwmclydach, we have found the NACE Curriculum Audit an extremely effective way to plan for the new Curriculum for Wales, and to engage all stakeholders in our school community. During recent Covid times, meeting in person has been extremely difficult, but we have overcome this by sharing ideas through frequent virtual meetings and regularly looking at our self-evaluation – using the NACE Curriculum Audit – to see how we are able to move our children forward. By examining the audit together, we make sure this is a whole staff responsibility. 

We are continually updating our audit and we believe the key to using this successfully is through a whole school approach with all stakeholders’ opinions valued. We will continue to use the audit when planning for the new curriculum, as we feel it is highly beneficial to meet the needs of not just our MAT pupils, but every pupil in our care. It is a framework that we have found most beneficial as a working document to meet the needs of all our learners.

About the NACE Curriculum Audit©

Available free for NACE members (£250 +VAT for non-members), the NACE Curriculum Audit provides a comprehensive tool to support curriculum review at whole-school, subject or departmental level, with a focus on ensuring high-quality provision for more able learners and challenge for all. It is designed for use across all phases and contexts, with two versions available: one for schools in England/overseas (aligned to key aspects of curriculum considered by Ofsted), and one for schools in Wales (aligned to the new Curriculum for Wales and available in both English- and Welsh-medium). Learn more.

There is strong evidence that an educational equity gap exists across all phases of the English educational system and that the effects of disadvantage are cumulative, so that the gap tends to increase as children grow older, especially during secondary schooling. 

Concerns about disadvantaged pupils have never been as acute as they are currently, nor felt as keenly following the coronavirus pandemic and related lockdowns. According to studies collated by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) in its online collection Best evidence on impact of Covid-19 on pupil attainment, primary pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds have experienced 0.5 months more learning loss in reading and 0.7 months more in mathematics compared to their non-disadvantaged peers. Secondary pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds experienced two months more learning loss in reading than their non-disadvantaged peers. 

Information from the Education Policy Institute’s Annual Report (2020) points to the fact that the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers has stopped closing for the first time in a decade. Disadvantaged pupils in England are 18.1 months of learning behind their peers by the time they finish their GCSEs – the same gap as five years ago. The gap at primary school increased for the first time since 2007 – which may signal that the gap is set to widen in the future.

The stalling of the gap occurred even before the Covid-19 pandemic had impacted the education system – as shown in reports commissioned for the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission (2014), briefings published by the DfE for school leaders (2015), and research from the Sutton Trust (2015 and 2018). 

Despite this worrying picture over many years, the plight of disadvantaged more able pupils continues to have been largely overlooked by schools. This may be based on an assumption that disadvantaged more able pupils will “be fine” and the misconception that, compared to less academically able learners, their needs are not as important or urgent. 

However, evidence shows that academically able pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are most at risk of under-performing (Sutton Trust, 2018). 

The DfE’s most recent guidance for school leaders on the use of the pupil premium (November 2021) demonstrates increased expectations in terms of the identification of the specific challenges facing disadvantaged learners, and the planning of focused, evidence-based approaches to address those challenges effectively. Although reference to more able disadvantaged learners has been made in previous iterations of the pupil premium guidance for schools, it is now far more explicit: these pupils should receive just as much focus as less academically able pupils.

This is a welcome change, which should help to narrow the widening gap between these learners and their non-disadvantaged peers, and address the “levelling up” agenda. Like any group of pupils, more able disadvantaged leaners have a right to have their needs met and it is our moral responsibility as educators to ensure that this is happening so that these young people have the same life chances as their peers.  

This month NACE has published a new NACE Essentials guide on the topic “Pupil premium and the more able”. Based on an in-depth review of education research evidence and literature, the guide provides support for school leaders to ensure that their school’s pupil premium funding can be used to maximise the opportunities for, and the achievement of, disadvantaged more able pupils. The key factors in developing a culture which will support the development and implementation of an effective pupil premium strategy are explored, and a range of specific evidence-based approaches aimed at meeting the needs of more able disadvantaged learners are exemplified. 

The guide is available free for all NACE member schools, along with the full NACE Essentials collection. Read now (login required).

Not yet a member? Join our mailing list to access our free sample resources.

1. Maximising staff performance and development

2. Investing in developing all staff members

3. Regular reports at governor meetings

4. Committing to inclusive, flexible provision for all

5. Pupil premium strategy shared with all staff members

6. Regularly updated pupil premium records

7. Planning for maximum progress in an inclusive environment

8. Appropriate use of intervention groups

9. Mental health first aid

10. Increasing participation in enrichment activities

Read more:

• Narrowing the gap: improving the use of the pupil premium for more able disadvantaged learners
• NACE Essentials guide: more able and the pupil premium (member login required)

Read more:

• Lessons learned from the teacher assessed grades process of summer 2021
• Cause for celebration, not criticism: reflections on the GCSE class of 2021

Read more:

• Reinventing assessment in the post-pandemic world
• Cause for celebration, not criticism: reflections on the GCSE class of 2021

A year like no other… yet much the same

Opportunities to thrive – not just survive 

“Just waiting to get out there and take our place in the world”

• NACE Challenge Award: lessons and celebrations from the past year
• Find out more about the NACE Challenge Development Programme

Roles and responsibilities

The wider impact of a focus on more able

Appointing a more able link governor: what, why and how to get started

Guidance for more able link governors: how to be effective in the role

Seek out opportunities for continuing professional development

Develop your knowledge and understanding of school data

Establish strong and positive relationships with school staff

Undertake regular monitoring through visits and discussions

Recognise and celebrate good practice

Report back to support whole-school review and improvement

Ask NACE... Could you benefit from additional guidance in establishing or developing your school’s more able link governor? Whether you are newly creating this role, or keen to develop its impact, our “Ask NACE” service offers 1-2-1 support bespoke to your individual needs and school context. Find out more. 

Definitions are important. If schools are going to ensure consistency of approach and provision, their definitions around more able learners must be clear, flexible, shared, and understood by all staff and stakeholders.

Definition is inextricably linked – in fact, essential – to the accurate identification of more and exceptionally able learners and their individual learning behaviours and needs. Accurate identification, in turn, is vital to ensuring that teachers effectively plan and provide for these learners in the classroom. 

Clear definitions will also support parents of more and exceptionally able pupils, helping them to understand and distinguish between different descriptors and degrees of ability (such as ‘more’ and ‘exceptionally’ able) and the provision they might expect to be in place for these different groups. 

Providing unambiguous definitions helps to prevent misconceptions. Agreed definitions will also help to avoid excessive labelling or perceived elitist descriptions.

Recommendations for schools

• To ensure that all staff take responsibility and are accountable for the identification of and provision for more and exceptionally able learners, develop or adopt your definitions together, ensuring a shared understanding of all the terminology used. 
• Limit the number of definitions you use with regards to your more able learners. A suggestion is to use three as a maximum, clearly separating the different groups to which you are referring. For example, more able, exceptionally able and higher attaining. Using too many terms to describe groups of learners is likely to involve overlap within definitions and lead to confusion.
• Encompass within each definition the elements suggested below, so that there is no chance of any more or exceptionally able learners being missed.
• Beware of purely outcome-driven definitions. Those that are purely about the data omit consideration of performance in terms of many learning behaviours, skills and aptitudes which must be afforded equal importance. Such definitions also overlook underachievers or those who are potentially highly able.
• Rigidity in definition (especially in terms of numbers or percentages of pupils) should not be mistaken for clarity and can lead to issues by creating a glass ceiling, potentially missing those children who are more able but are not captured within the definition.
• Avoid imprecise language such as “significantly above their peers”. If this is used, define what that means in your context.
• Ensure that the definitions you use are clearly shown in your policy for the more able, and that all stakeholders, including parents and carers, understand them.

Developing clear and useful definitions

More able / most able / highly able

Due to their inherently similar meanings, it is easiest if the terms more able, most able and highly able are defined in the same way or encompassed within one “more able” definition which includes the following elements:

• Learners who have the potential or capacity for high attainment;
• Learners who demonstrate high levels of performance in an academic area;
• Learners who are more able relative to their peers in their own year group, class and school/college;
• Ability in all areas of the curriculum or in a specific subject/curriculum area, including the arts and physical activities.

Each of these elements is vital if the definition of “more able” is to be clear and encompass the breadth and flexibility needed to ensure outstanding provision. 

Higher attaining

Whilst it is sensible to accept the terms more able, highly able and most able as having a shared definition, the term “higher attaining” has a distinct meaning and requires a separate definition. 

This is an outcome-driven term and any definition adopted or developed for it must reflect this. If using this term, schools should ensure that it is simply a way of identifying learners based purely on their performance. Its use does allow schools to differentiate clearly between the more able, as defined above, and those who attain the highest standards. There is overlap between the two groups but, importantly, they can also be distinct. 

So while this term can be useful, it should not be used interchangeably with or instead of “more able”; it means something entirely different. 

Gifted

The important element of any definition of giftedness must include the term “exceptional”. According to an article on gifted children by Ireland’s Special Education Support Service, the definition of “gifted” which is accepted worldwide in educational and psychological circles is: “a child who shows exceptional ability in one or more areas such as mathematical, verbal, spatial awareness, musical, or artistic ability.”

As this term is often considered elitist and is certainly very emotive, its use has been largely abandoned by schools and replaced by the term “exceptionally able”.

Exceptionally able 

The abilities and needs of the exceptionally able exceed those of the more able.

Within any definition of the exceptionally able it is important to:

• Distinguish between these and other more able learners in two ways: (1) By the use of the qualifying adjective “extremely”; (2) By the comparison with peers in all schools/across the entire population, as opposed to those within each particular school.
• Include reference to learners who have as yet unrealised potential for exceptional ability.
• Describe the needs of these pupils as going beyond those of students already deemed to require opportunities for enrichment and extension in the normal curriculum.
• Explain that exceptional ability may comprise both quantitative and qualitative aspects, but will certainly include high abstract reasoning ability and complexity of thinking.

In many schools the terms “gifted” and “exceptionally able” are used interchangeably as they share meaning and can be defined similarly. However, “exceptionally able” may be an easier term to understand, helping to define what is meant more clearly. It is also a much less controversial and emotive descriptor.  

Talented

In the early years of the “more able” agenda, “talented” learners were defined by the DfES as those with particular abilities in sport, music, design or creative and performing arts. This group included those who were “vocationally gifted”, “those with an innate ability, who present a natural, outstanding aptitude or competence for exceptional performance.”

This definition was adopted by the majority of schools. In a nutshell, it was a way of labelling learners who were highly able in what were considered the non-academic subjects or spheres of learning.  

In most schools today, there is little or no distinction made between the terms “more able” and “talented”. They share the same meaning. 

Underachieving more able learners

In attempting to arrive at a useful definition for underachieving more able learners, schools should consider including the following criteria: 

• Learners whose prior attainment demonstrates high levels of ability, but whose current performance fails to demonstrate this. Underachievement may be the result of barriers to pupils’ learning, including socio-economic factors, SEMH needs, language and communication issues, etc.
• Learners whose contributions, responses and learning behaviours suggest that they are more able, although this is not reflected in their written work or assessments. This may include those learners with “dual” or “multiple exceptionality”. 
• Those who haven’t yet been identified due to too narrow a curriculum or limited learning opportunities. These are potentially more able learners.

Dual and multiple exceptionality

These terms describe learners who are more or exceptionally able and who also have additional learning needs e.g. dyslexia, autistic spectrum disorders, developmental coordination disorder, developmental language disorder, emotional and behavioural difficulties, physical and sensory differences. These additional learning needs or a disability can make it difficult to identify their high intellectual ability. 

It is important to include this definition in more able policies as these pupils may otherwise be overlooked. 

Achievement and attainment

When developing definitions and shared approaches for more able learners, it is also useful to have a clear understanding of these two key terms. In the NACE Essentials guide Breaking down barriers, Professor Carrie Winstanley defines them as follows:

• Attainment refers to the level or standard of a learner’s work as demonstrated by some kind of test, examination or in relation to a predetermined expected level. In UK schools, the common measures for attainment are Standard Attainment Tests (SATs) and public examinations such as GCSEs. The emphasis here is on how learners perform when tested. 
• Achievement also refers to the success of a learner, but also takes into account the progress made and improvements demonstrated across time. The notion of added value over a term, year or key stage is part of the equation here, not merely the summative test scores. 

Potential pitfalls to avoid

Beware of: 

• Adopting too wide a range of “more able” terminology. This will mean more chance of definitions overlapping, resulting in confusion for staff and parents.
• Using definitions which include the use of vague or imprecise language. This could lead to definitions being interpreted differently by individual staff members or groups of stakeholders.
• Using purely outcome-driven definitions. This can lead schools to become over-reliant on data to support the identification of more able learners, carrying the risk of overlooking the many highly able young people who may, for a range of reasons, be underachieving.
• Including percentages within definitions. As well as potentially causing confusion, this is ultimately likely to limit the identification of many more able learners – particularly those who are potentially more able or underachieving more able.
• Using the term “gifted”. This can be very emotive and tends to be associated with individuals who have produced great works, or who demonstrate abilities far beyond those expected for their age, for example, a child who achieves a place to study at Oxford University at the age of 12. This term is often considered elitist. 

Continuing to strive for clarity and a shared understanding of “more able” definitions should be an expectation of our practice and will help to shape improved provision for all more able learners. 

References

• Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Identifying gifted and talented learners – getting started (May 2008)
• Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), Gifted and Talented Education Guidance on Preventing Underachievement: A Focus on Exceptionally Able Pupils (2008)
• GiftedKids.ie, The "Gifted" Label - Help or Hindrance? (accessed February 2021)
• School Governing Blogspot.com, Understanding Attainment, Achievement and Statistics Commonly used (April 2011; accessed February 2021)
• Sutton Trust, Potential for success: Fulfilling the promise of highly able students in secondary schools (July 2018) 
  

The need for reform of the assessment is system is now being well argued at the national level. It is important to remember that the current assessment framework and exam results are an important part of the accountability framework by which schools are judged. The issue I wish to address here is: how does any new assessment framework that is developed impact on the accountability of schools? Importantly, what issues and problems of the current approach could be addressed by a novel approach?

If I ask you about the ethos of your school, I would probably have no difficulty in achieving consensus that “every child should be able to reach their full potential” would be a core value of teachers and educational leaders near universally. However, if I suggest that 80% of children should achieve their full potential in education by 2025, how would you react?

My experience is that few are comfortable with the target, even though you can’t reach 100% unless you go through 80% at some point. It would be easy to be cynical that teachers may aspire to the vision but react against trying to achieve it. There are numerous reasons why professionals are uncomfortable with this problem. First, how do you measure potential? Importantly, does the assessment framework reflect both achievement and potential?

There is an economic model, Goodhart’s Law, which has a long history of precedent in different fields and is now more widely understood as a general problem. The usual formulation of the law is: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”

Consider the following example: 80% of children should reach Level X by Year Y.

Apart from agreeing how that is measured, there is another big problem to be addressed. Once a measure becomes a target it can be “gamed”.

Consider two schools with similar catchment areas and performance facing this as a target. 

In the first, the leadership team focuses resources on all children and their development and reaches 78% on the timescale set.

In the second, 10% of children are given minimum support and the resources are focused on the remaining 90%. The school achieves 82%.

Which is the better school? Which would you want to work in? Which would you want your children to go to?

In short, targets can distort ethos and with it the morale and self-worth of professionals. It happens with accounting in the private sector, in reward mechanisms and many other walks of life. My experience is that once you understand Goodhart’s Law you start to see it everywhere.

One of my favourite quotes of Sir Claus Moser sums it up well: “If you can measure the same thing in two different ways, you'll get two different answers.” 

The different components of education are heavily interdependent. Teacher development is heavily dependent on curriculum design, which in turn is heavily dependent on assessment. Attempting to reform one without understanding the impact on the other parts is fraught with difficulties.

So, I welcome a focus on reforming assessment in schools. For me, it is long overdue. However, in the context of our 21st century economy and society we need to be more explicit about the ethos of our education system and its individual institutions. I believe in accountability systems, but they must be driven by ethos, not targets. The assessment measures that are developed need to reflect our societal and economic goals for education itself.

If our ethos is to optimise pupil achievement, the wise words of Plato come to mind: “Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”

• Read more from our “rethinking assessment” series
• Share your experiences of remote feedback and assessment: NACE member survey

• Find out where the need is first: will this work for your school, now? It’s no good introducing an initiative if it doesn’t solve a problem that you have (and that you can prove that you have!). NACE offers a series of useful self-evaluation frameworks if you are looking for a way to identify the needs of your pupils and staff (including the NACE Challenge Framework and Curriculum Audit Tool); these will support you in checking your assumptions and working on improving a real problem.
  
  
• Use a framework for implementation which will support the adaptations that are taking place. The EEF’s School’s Guide to Implementation is a great tool to support any level of school improvement and supports planning for long-term, sustainable change.

• Be ambitious for all learners and use the models highlighted in this report to support the implementation of positive change in your school. But use the models critically: there’s a necessity to adapt some of these to suit your purpose and school context.
  
  
• Find strength in the struggle! Whilst it may now feel like a time to pause developmental work in school, this is the time where this work and thinking will be most valuable. Educational sands are shifting rapidly as a result of Covid-19 and our educational landscape could look very different this time next year. Be proactive about what you’d like to see in your classrooms (face-to-face or online!) as we edge into very new and unfamiliar teaching territory.

• How to “foresee” cognitive challenge in the classroom
• Three key ingredients for cognitive challenge

1. The need for curriculum catch-up varies enormously within and between schools, and between individual students.

2. The social purpose of schooling has been underlined as never before.

3. The challenge lies not in getting back to where we were, but to deciding where we want (and need) to go.

Read more:

1. Many young people find the way our exam system works increasingly stressful and not a true reflection of what they are good at.
2. Many employers complain that exams do not provide them with good enough clues as to who they are employing.
3. Many headteachers feel that high-stakes exams distort priorities and stop them from providing a well-rounded education for their pupils.
4. Many who are passionate about social mobility believe that any system that dooms a third to fail is a system with little sense of social justice.

We want to add our members’ voice and our research to this debate. There are immediate questions to be answered and longer-term opportunities to recalibrate the assessment system so that all learners have their full range of strengths recognised. As a membership organisation we can share and build on the decisions school leaders are taking now and over time provide perspectives that will inform longer-term changes.

Assessment is of course an integral part of learning and teaching. It facilitates daily ongoing review of individual progress and impacts on planning and target-setting. It supports personal learning targets. But we must not let the tail wag the dog. Not everything needs to be assessed, or indeed can be assessed, or needs to be independently assessed. We must consider too the timing of assessment – even more pressing as schools focus on tier 2 rota planning. 

Whilst a decision over summer exams has been made in principle, “fall-back” detail remains unclear and learners are picking up on this, increasingly questioning the reasoning behind assignments, and the part they will play in assessment. All of this detracts from the richness of a subject.  

The Early Career Framework and Teachers’ Standards have done much to support the teaching profession’s development in recent years. We must trust teachers with assessment, but teachers must be clear on what they are assessing and why.

What can we therefore now do in our schools to readdress this balance? One response lies in thinking about what we assess on a day-to-day basis in classrooms, how we build on low-stakes testing, and how we position effective challenge. How effectively do your teachers use retrieval practice for example? Deliberately recalling information forces us to pull knowledge “out” and examine what we know. The “struggle” or challenge to recall information improves memory and learning – by trying to recall information, we exercise or strengthen our memory, and we can also identify gaps in our learning. 

NACE has recently undertaken a literature review of retrieval practice – looking at the theoretical framework and considering emergent related classroom practices and practical amendments and applications for more able learners. To access this review, click here. 

Beyond the here and now of assessment, we need to return to the longer-term focus of the Rethinking Assessment coalition. Against the current backdrop, what could we do to improve the assessment system more broadly? How would we do it differently, allowing us to show non-traditional talents – making assessment more effective for employers, individuals and supporting the practising teacher? Fundamentally, how can we assess the child in front of us?

Contribute to the debate:

• What approach is your school taking? What would you like to see happen, this term/year and in the longer term? Contact NACE CEO Sue Riley to share your views. 
• The Chartered College of Teaching is hosting a webinar discussion with Rethinking Assessment at 6-7pm on 5 November. Find out more and book a free ticket.

Read more:

• Information sheet: recall and retrieval practice
• Making the grade...time for change? 
• The future of education and data: 3 key questions 
• Lockdown learning: the good, the bad, and the shape of things to come? 
• Beyond the “recovery curriculum”: rebuild, reconnect, reignite 

How can you engage colleagues across your school to develop a whole-school approach for more able learners? This is a common question, and a critical issue to address: for provision to be effective, it needs to be embedded as part of whole-school policy and culture. 

1. Make time, even during challenging times

There is no doubt we are living in unprecedented times, and time is in especially short supply for colleagues in schools. In normal circumstances, you would spend time finding your advocates and working with them to display the benefits of enhancing provision for your more able students. There is no doubt that when your provision is strong for more able students, then the achievement of all students improves too. In the end this is not creating additional work for staff; it will just mean doing things differently. Though it may be hard to make time to review what could be improved for the more able, ultimately this will be worthwhile and have a positive impact for a much wider group – as set out in the NACE core principles. 

2. Involve your school leadership team

Lead teachers for more able students must understand they cannot make the necessary changes on their own. The SLT has to be a central part of the process. Some lead teachers will already be part of the SLT, others will not. It is critical that the provision for more able students is discussed at a senior level so necessary procedures can be put in place across all departments or year groups. Consistency is the key if you are to create the biggest impact for students in your school.

3. Start work behind the scenes

Every school is in a different place. If you have been given the role of lead teacher for more able students but the staff around you cannot consider any changes at present, then there is plenty you can do behind the scenes, starting with an audit of your school’s current provision. If you do have advocates in your school already, then you can give them the same access to the NACE resources that are available to you (read more here). As I said previously, an advocate within the SLT is crucial.

4. Share the benefits of your NACE membership

Finally, consider how you can share the benefits of NACE membership with colleagues. Engagement in the NACE R&D Hubs would be a great opportunity for other teachers in the school with a passion for providing the best possible outcomes for your more able learners. The webinars are also a great source for whole-school CPD. Please be aware that all these resources and opportunities are available for every member of staff in your school, not just the lead teacher or the SLT.

For additional guidance and ideas, take a look at our “getting started” guide.

Useful links:

• Why focus on more able learners?
• Common myths and misconceptions about more able learners
• Getting started with your NACE membership

Over a shockingly short timescale we have become all too familiar with a vocabulary that was most certainly not part of our daily conversation only a few months ago. “Lockdown”, “social isolation” and “social distancing” have become common parlance regardless of age, occupation or the part of the world in which we live. The coronavirus has undeniably changed the world as we know it. As we learn to live with the consequences of COVID-19 and the “new normal”, and as we start to contemplate a return to school, we will be teaching children to use and apply these new concepts to ensure the continuing safety of all. Like no other period in history, we will be sharply focusing our work to ensure the health and wellbeing of children and young people is secure. Not an easy task when children are naturally gregarious and demonstrative, and when their basic instinct is to be tactile with their peers, particularly the youngest of our charges.

Backed by support and resources from schools, commendable efforts have been made to home educate children. Anecdotally we know there has been considerable variance in the provision made, and there has been a very definite re-affirmation that there are few substitutes for a classroom staffed by qualified professionals. As children return to school, they will be at very different stages in their readiness to learn.

Backed by support and resources from schools, commendable efforts have been made to home educate children. We know there has been considerable variance in the provision made, and there has been a very definite re-affirmation that there are few substitutes for a classroom staffed by qualified professionals. The DfE last week published school case studies presenting a range of emerging practice. As children return to school, they will be at very different stages in their readiness to learn.

Layers of trauma and “the unseen monster”

Without doubt, young people will relish the social interaction of being with peers again. However, there will also be challenges after an unprecedented prolonged period spent out of school. For months many children have been kept at home, told that this is a safe sanctuary and the world beyond is not. Children are incredibly perceptive. Some will have absorbed the stress and fear of their parents and carers, adding to their own insecurities. Some could be painfully aware of the financial impact the virus has had on family income, adding yet another layer of trauma.

When children are integrated back into society and school, many will be taking tentative steps filled with trepidation, re-entering a world which was for so long seen as a place of danger. As they leave their families for the first time, some will fear for their parents or carers, many of whom are employed on the frontline as key workers.

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, renowned for his work on child development, simply but very profoundly stated: “children think differently to adults”. With this in mind, we should be aware of how children might perceive COVID-19 and what role we can play in school to mitigate any negative impact on their emotional wellbeing. More able learners may well be able to grasp and understand at an abstract level what the virus actually is. Meanwhile for learners still operating at a concrete level, particularly the very young, the virus is a mysterious thing that they can’t see, smell, taste or feel. It remains something that in their imagination can be conjured up in so many manifestations. Film directors of the horror genre are very aware that the unseen monster is far more terrifying than anything that is visible.

Preparing for a safe return to school

This week the DfE released plans for a phased reopening of schools in England from 1 June at the earliest. Meanwhile Welsh Government has launched the Stay Safe Stay Learning initiative, with Education Minister Kirsty Williams setting out five principles to guide thinking about a safe return to education. The first principle, quite rightly, is the health, safety and emotional wellbeing of children, young people and staff.

COVID-19 has dominated life all day every day for the past few months and we should be under no delusions about its long-term impact; as such we need to be prepared to plan long-term. Safeguarding the health, safety and emotional wellbeing of all in our school communities will be both an immediate and long-term priority; school doors will not open again without planning and preparation for what will be a carefully considered and measured transition back to school life.

Children’s experience of school life is going to be vastly different to what they were used to before school doors were forced to close so abruptly. When schools recommence, we will have to teach them a whole new set of sophisticated behaviours and values relating to social distancing and peer interaction. As stated by the Welsh Minister, physical, mental and emotional health is more important than anything at the moment – an area which had already been brought to the fore in the new Curriculum for Wales.

Bringing health and wellbeing education to the fore

Previous to the pandemic, schools in Wales had been charged with reimagining the educational offer for children and young people through development of the new curriculum. One of the six Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs) that will constitute the new orders is Health and Wellbeing, an area that will take centre stage when schools return. Welsh Government sees this AoLE as an area that “will help to foster a whole-school approach that enables health and well-being to permeate all aspects of school life”. The component parts of this AoLE – development of physical health, mental health, and emotional and social wellbeing – must be core to the education of all children on their return to school. Initial provision will need to focus on transition activities that support social and emotional literacy; we cannot even begin to teach the academic subjects until emotional wellbeing is secure.

Currently, alongside the task of teaching, education professionals in Wales are planning for the new curriculum and testing new ways of working for the future. It would seem prudent, considering the current health crisis, to bring their vision for the new curriculum into sharp focus now and to prioritise and even accelerate the development of the Health and Wellbeing AoLE. There is an urgent need to plan for a series of activities and experiences that rebuild children’s confidence and resilience in light of what has now become a part of their daily lives. We must teach them how to live with the pandemic and the part they must play to keep themselves and others safe. Now is the time to be innovative and to reimagine this element of the curriculum because now is the time that it is most needed.

Moving forward: a stronger, wiser generation

It is said that stopping the pandemic is “the most urgent shared endeavour of our times”, and one thing is for sure: when children return to school their health, safety and wellbeing is being placed in the capable of hands of a workforce that will help them learn to interact and exist in a changed world. Schools who made the investment of training staff in emotional literacy initiatives such as Thrive and ELSA will reap the benefits of being able to provide support for the most fragile of those returning to a world that can now seem especially frightening and uncertain. We can take heart in knowing that most learners are innately resilient and will adapt with few problems as schools evolve. We have the tools with the Wellbeing AoLE to be able plan and offer the best provision for keeping all in school safe. The principles and rationale behind the AoLE are sound and the present is the time we would benefit most from the best practice it advocates. As we help children to adapt to a different way of life, who knows, we may even nurture a generation of learners who will be inspired to go onto careers of caring for others or even to be the innovators that prevent such a crisis happening again.

The shadow cast by COVID-19 has forced children to grow up very quickly. It has already stolen a significant portion of their schooling, and we must not allow it to rob them of their precious childhood. As educationalists we are in the privileged position of guiding children as positively as we can through this unprecedented period of history, so they emerge stronger, wiser, safer and more conscious of health and wellbeing than any generation that has gone before.

What can the NACE Curriculum Audit Tool be used for?   

How can the tool help to improve more provision in my school?

How can the tool help schools focusing on curriculum development?

How can the tool help schools in Wales focusing on curriculum reform?

How will the tool complement other self-evaluation methods used by schools in Wales?

Who would use the Audit Tool to carry out self-evaluation?

What benefits will teachers and support staff gain from using the Audit Tool?

Can learners participate in the curriculum audit process?

There’s certainly a very different feel to the new Ofsted reports. Whilst they are clearly written with parents in mind – reflected in the use of accessible terminology and avoidance of too much detail in the published reports – there is no doubt that schools’ curriculum design and delivery is under forensic scrutiny. And although there is little explicit reference to more able learners, the importance of high-quality provision for this group is implicit in the strong focus on curriculum planning, subject-level provision, and breadth and depth of learning.

Style and structure of the new reports

The reports are written in a surprisingly simple style which Ofsted has said is intended to be parent-friendly, getting right to the point and largely steering clear of education jargon – for example, “The school is not a results factory.”

Both section 8 and section 5 reports look very similar, each opening with a short paragraph addressing the question “What is it like to attend this school?” – summing up the school ethos, behaviour, attendance and day-to-day opportunities. In most cases, the report’s opening statements are positive, but any issue linked with behaviour or low standards will be simply – even bluntly – highlighted; for example, “Pupils enjoy school, but they should be doing much better.”

The reports then move on to the main section: “What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?” – bundling together judgements for the quality of education, personal development, and leadership and management. This can make it quite hard to tease out the reasons for any difference in section 5 judgements of any of these strands.

Finally, there is a paragraph on safeguarding, followed by improvement points.

What key themes are emerging?

·         Focus on curriculum design and subject plans

The reports may have a simple style, but it’s clear that curriculum plans and schemes of work have really been unpicked to check how well “subject leaders plan the curriculum so that pupils build on their knowledge so that they know and remember more”. If your curriculum is not coherent and well thought-through, there is no hiding place. Not surprisingly, a very frequent weakness is that subject planning is not “precisely planned and sequenced.” In primary schools this is often in foundation subjects. There is also real drilling down into phonics, the reading curriculum, mathematics and the quality of SEND provision.

If standards are referred to, which is not the case in all reports, it is usually a simple broad comment – for example, “pupils achieve well” – and linked back to how well subjects are planned and taught. This doesn’t mean results are not deemed important, and schools which have dropped a grade will usually have a critical comment about standards, but the emphasis is on the impact of curriculum and the way it is planned and taught in bringing about those outcomes.

·         Warnings against curriculum narrowing

In secondary schools, there is the same focus on sequential planning, but also criticism of any perceived curriculum narrowing or lack of entitlement, especially for SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Also under scrutiny are the two-year KS3, low EBacc uptake and sixth-formers who are not accessing work experience. This may be unsettling for many secondary schools who might feel they will now need a curriculum rethink to avoid Ofsted disapproval.

In primary schools, if pupils miss lessons for intervention sessions, a judgement may be made as to whether they are missing out too much on the full curriculum.

What about more able learners?

Nid yw mynd i’r afael â materion sy’n effeithio ar blant a phobl ifanc, fel bwlio, gordewdra a thlodi, yn hawdd i athrawon. Yn yr ysgol, profiadau bob dydd disgyblion sy’n cael yr effaith fwyaf – p’un a ydynt yn gadarnhaol neu’n negyddol – ar eu hiechyd a’u llesiant. Mewn adroddiad newydd, mae Estyn yn amlygu pwysigrwydd rhoi negeseuon cadarnhaol yn gyson ar draws pob agwedd ar fywyd ysgol.

Mae llesiant disgyblion bob amser wedi bod yn faes sy’n ganolog i’n harolygiadau. Ac, wrth i ysgolion ddatblygu’u meysydd dysgu a phrofiad yn barod ar gyfer y cwricwlwm newydd, bydd y ffocws ar lesiant yn gryfach fyth. Mae’r cwricwlwm newydd yn cydnabod bod iechyd a llesiant corfforol, meddyliol ac emosiynol da yn sylfaen i ddysgu llwyddiannus.

Mae ein hadroddiad yn dwyn ynghyd wybodaeth o amrywiaeth o ffynonellau gwahanol, gan olygu bod ambell ran enbyd ynghylch profiadau disgyblion eu hunain, gan gynnwys ysmygu, yfed ac iechyd rhyw.

Darganfuom fod negeseuon am iechyd a llesiant mewn gwersi, gwasanaethau ac mewn polisïau yn yr ysgolion gorau yn gyson â phrofiad bob dydd disgyblion.

Lle i gymdeithasu, diwylliant anogol, cyfleoedd pleserus i fod yn weithgar yn gorfforol, gofal bugeiliol amserol a gwaith cadarnhaol gyda rhieni, dyma rai o’r dulliau sydd, o’u cyfuno, yn cynorthwyo disgyblion i fod yn unigolion iach a hyderus, yn barod i fyw bywyd boddhaus.

Mae diwylliant anogol, lle y mae perthnasoedd cadarnhaol yn galluogi disgyblion i ffynnu, yn hanfodol i gryfhau iechyd a llesiant pobl ifanc. Ni ddylid tanamcangyfrif y pethau bach y mae athrawon da yn eu gwneud, fel gwenu a chyfarch disgyblion yn ôl enw ar ddechrau’r diwrnod neu wers unigol. Maent yn helpu disgyblion i deimlo’u bod yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi ac yn annog meddylfryd cadarnhaol.

Ystyriwch p’un a yw dull eich ysgol yn gyson ar draws bob agwedd ar ei gwaith. A oes gan yr ysgol:

• Bolisïau ac arferion sy’n sicrhau bod disgyblion yn gwneud cynnydd da yn eu dysgu?
• Arweinwyr sy’n ‘gwneud y dweud’ ynghylch cefnogi iechyd a llesiant disgyblion?
• Diwylliant anogol, lle y mae perthnasoedd cadarnhaol yn galluogi disgyblion i ffynnu?
• Cymuned ac ethos cynhwysol?
• Gwybodaeth fanwl am iechyd a llesiant disgyblion sy’n dylanwadu ar bolisïau a chamau gweithredu?
• Amgylchedd a chyfleusterau sy’n hybu iechyd a llesiant da, fel lle i chwarae, cymdeithasu ac ymlacio amser egwyl?
• Cwricwlwm eang a chytbwys, sy’n cynnwys profiadau dysgu unigol, yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth, sy’n hybu iechyd a llesiant?
• Gofal bugeiliol cefnogol ac ymyriadau targedig i ddisgyblion sydd angen cymorth ychwanegol?
• Cysylltiadau effeithiol ag asiantaethau allanol?
• Partneriaethau agos â rhieni a gofalwyr?
• Dysgu proffesiynol parhaus i’r holl staff, sy’n eu galluogi i gefnogi iechyd a llesiant disgyblion?

Mae arfer dda’n cael ei hamlygu drwy astudiaethau achos yn yr adroddiad. Mewn ysgolion uwchradd, yn benodol, nid yw profiad bob dydd disgyblion o iechyd a llesiant bob amser yn cyfateb i nodau sy’n cael eu datgan gan arweinwyr ysgol. Ond, fe wnaeth Ysgol Uwchradd y Dwyrain yng Nghaerdydd wella arweinyddiaeth yr ysgol yn llwyddiannus a chafodd hyn effaith gadarnhaol amlwg ar y diwylliant a’r gefnogaeth ar gyfer llesiant disgyblion. Mae ei diwylliant yn cydnabod bod pobl ifanc o hyd yn datblygu’n gorfforol, yn feddyliol ac yn emosiynol a bod gan athrawon gyfrifoldeb i fynd i’r afael ag anghenion datblygiadol y plentyn cyfan. Hefyd, mae’r ysgol yn nodi mai o ddealltwriaeth athro o’r ffordd y mae pobl ifanc yn dysgu y mae arbenigedd yr athro yn deillio, yn hytrach na dim ond ei wybodaeth bynciol.

Yn Ysgol Gynradd Gilwern, Sir Fynwy, mae ei hymagwedd at gefnogi disgyblion agored i niwed wedi helpu staff i ddeall yn well y rhesymau sydd wrth wraidd diffyg hunan-barch neu ymddygiad annymunol.

Mae iechyd a lles yn nodwedd bwysig o gyflawni pedwar diben y cwricwlwm newydd mewn ysgolion. Mae gan ysgolion gyfle nawr, yn fwy nag erioed, i gynnig buddion gydol oes i blant a phobl ifanc yng Nghymru.

Mae’r adroddiad llawn ar gael ar estyn.llyw.cymru ac mae’n argymell ffyrdd y gall ysgolion, awdurdodau lleol, consortia rhanbarthol, darparwyr addysg gychwynnol athrawon a’r llywodraeth wella iechyd a llesiant disgyblion. Gall athrawon ac arweinwyr ddefnyddio astudiaethau achos yr adroddiad i ysbrydoli newidiadau yn eu hysgolion eu hunain.

Estyn’s Mark Campion HMI shares key findings from the inspectorate’s recent report “Healthy and happy – school impact on pupils’ health and wellbeing”.

Tackling issues that affect children and young people, such as bullying, obesity and poverty isn’t easy for teachers. In school, it is the everyday experiences of pupils that have the greatest impact – positive or negative – on their health and wellbeing. In a new report, Estyn highlights the importance of giving consistently positive messages across all aspects of school life. Here, the inspectorate explores what it takes to help pupils be healthy and happy.

Pupils’ wellbeing has always been an area at the heart of our inspections. And as schools develop their areas of learning experience in readiness for the new curriculum, the focus on wellbeing will be even stronger. The new curriculum recognises that good physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing underpins successful learning.

Our report brings together insights from a range of different sources, making for stark reading in parts about pupils’ own experiences including smoking, drinking and sexual health.

We found that in the best schools, messages about health and wellbeing in lessons, assemblies and in policies are consistent with pupils’ everyday experience.

Space to socialise, a nurturing culture, enjoyable opportunities to be physically active, timely pastoral care and positive work with parents are just some of the approaches that collectively support pupils to be healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives.

A nurturing culture, where positive relationships enable pupils to thrive is essential to strengthen young people’s health and wellbeing. The little things that good teachers do like smiling and greeting pupils by name at the start of the day or an individual lesson should not be underestimated. They help pupils feel valued and encourage a positive mindset.

Consider whether the approach of your school is consistent across all aspects of its work. Does the school have:

• Policies and practices that ensure pupils make good progress in their learning?
• Leaders who ‘walk the talk’ about supporting pupils’ health and wellbeing?
• A nurturing culture, where positive relationships allow pupils to thrive?
• An inclusive community and ethos?
• Detailed knowledge about pupils’ health and wellbeing that influence policies and actions?
• An environment and facilities that promote good health and wellbeing, such as space to play, socialise and relax at break times?
• A broad and balanced curriculum that includes discrete, evidence-based learning experiences that promote health and wellbeing?
• Supportive pastoral care and targeted interventions for pupils that need additional support?
• Effective links with external agencies?
• Close partnerships with parents and carers?
• Continuing professional learning for all staff that enables them to support pupils’ health and wellbeing?

Inspiring good practice is highlighted through case studies in the report. In secondary schools, in particular, pupils’ day-to-day experience of health and wellbeing does not always match school leaders’ stated aims. But Eastern High School in Cardiff successfully improved the leadership of the school which had a notably positive effect on the culture and support for pupils’ wellbeing. Their culture recognises that young people are still developing physically, mentally and emotionally and that teachers have a responsibility to address the developmental needs of the whole child. The school also identifies that a teacher’s expertise lies in their understanding of how young people learn rather than simply their subject knowledge.

At Gilwern Primary School, Monmouthshire (a longstanding NACE member), the school’s approach to supporting vulnerable pupils has helped staff to better understand the reasons behind poor self-esteem or undesirable behaviour.

Health and wellbeing is an important feature in achieving the four purposes of the new curriculum in schools. Schools have the opportunity now more than ever to provide lifelong benefits to the children and young people in Wales.

The full report is available at estyn.gov.wales and recommends ways that schools, local authorities, regional consortia, initial teacher education providers and government can improve pupils’ health and wellbeing. Teachers and leaders can use the report’s case studies to inspire changes in their own schools.

In our recent presentation at the NACE National Conference, we spoke about our use of learning journeys to support our focus on the three 3Cs used by the PiXL Club in school development – Currency, Character and Culture – as well as supporting our work with the NACE Challenge Framework to improve provision for more able learners and provide challenge for all.

For examples, you can view our school’s overall learning journey here and our learning journeys by subject here.

Looking beyond “currency” to focus on character, culture and challenge

The DfE’s 2017 report “Developing character skills in schools” found although 97% of surveyed schools claimed to promote desirable character traits, only 17% had a formalised plan or policy for this, less than half dedicated any time to staff training for character education, and fewer than a quarter had a dedicated lead for character development.

Currency (all data about the individual learner) will always be important. However, we also want our students to be better people. A newspaper article alerted me to statistics in the latest OECD report on health behaviour in school-aged children, which shared data on the percentage of 15-year-olds who agree that classmates are kind and helpful. The figure was 84% in the Netherlands, 82% in Iceland, 81% in Portugal 81%... and just 59% in England.

What success is it to have very academically successful students who do not know how to be kind or helpful to each other or those in the community around them? We wanted to plan a learning journey for our students that would give them opportunities to be challenged as they developed their character and culture. We asked ourselves:

• How do we ensure every young person has a chance to develop their character in this school?
• How will we celebrate young people developing their character?
• What work do we need to do with parents and other stakeholders?
• What will be included in a challenging character development programme at our school?
• What do we want more able learners to be like when they leave our school and move on?

The fourth C: adding “challenge” to the mix

Our involvement with NACE and use of the NACE Challenge Framework provided clarity on how character and culture could support currency; in some cases, it matched existing thinking and in others it inspired refreshing thinking. We used CPD time to look at key characteristics of more able learners across each subject. When completing the Challenge Framework audit, we looked at how we were enabling more able learners to show and develop their talents. We agreed that students who have developed key skills of leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication (LORIC) do have better currency – both in terms of exam data and personal development data.

We discussed how we could use a learning journey to review our current character and culture programme, ask whether it leads to our “desirable end state” for students, identify gaps and introduce new strategies to bridge these gaps. Within this, we created learning journey opportunities that would match key aspects of the Challenge Framework and key characteristics that we were trying to develop for our more able learners. The learning journey model has also proved effective in keeping parents of more able learners involved in their performance both inside and outside the classroom – aligning with the focus on partnership, communication and rounded education emphasised by the Challenge Framework.

Developing a learning journey for your school

The learning journey model is designed to create a plan based on the 3Cs, spanning a learner’s whole school career. It should be understood by everyone in the school community, deliberately and explicitly shared and taught using a common language. It should create sequential activities and challenges which are open to everyone, of all abilities. Students are recognised and rewarded along their journey through schemes such as Duke of Edinburgh, Sports Leaders awards, and so on.

Here are five steps to develop a learning journey for your school:

1. Lead a session on character education for all staff, exploring its importance within subjects and across the whole school.
2.  Plot your current character and culture programme. As a group of staff or SLT, identify the gaps. What’s missing? Where does the new careers strategy need to be included (for example)? Does your learning journey lead to your school vision? Does it lead to the “desirable end state” for students?
3. On a blank learning journey template, plot out your school’s learning journey across all year groups ensuring all students are catered for.
4. Repeat this process for each year group, adding more detail.
5. Share your learning journeys with students, parents and staff so all stakeholders can see where learners are heading – in our case, from the start of Year 7 to the end of sixth form.

In line with the new education inspection framework, a learning journey gives you and your school a clear map of where your personal development work is going and how and why it is sequenced in such a way. When new demands come along or as cohorts change, you can review year by year to ensure you don’t lose direction. We have now used the same structure within specific departments, mapping out the 3Cs journey at departmental level and using this to support thinking around the “intent” aspect of the new framework.

1. Clear structure for school review and improvement

2. Improve the quality of challenge for all learners

3. Challenge for staff, as well as students

4. Develop in-school action research

5. Professional networking and peer support

Find out more…

1. Will the new curriculum help schools identify and challenge MAT learners?

2. How will the new curriculum impact on primary/secondary collaboration?

3. Will the new curriculum offer opportunities for MAT learners?

4. Will teachers need to work differently with MAT learners?

While observing an inspiring Year 5 lesson as part of an assessment for the NACE Challenge Award, my eye was drawn to a statement above the whiteboard: “Who says the sky’s the limit when there are footsteps on the moon?” Push beyond our thin and fragile atmosphere, escape the boundaries created by gravity and a whole new exciting world of exploration, discovery and possibility emerges. Those words have remained with me and have become a guiding principle in my work with more able and talented (MAT) children.  

The national curriculum defines parameters within which to operate, bringing both benefits and limitations. Key phases create their own “gravity” which can hold teachers and learners within fixed boundaries. Over-prescribed curriculum content stifles creativity, exploration and discovery, particularly for those with an independent spirit and capability. Boundaries create barriers to learning.

However, with the new Curriculum for Wales, we are being provided with the wonderful opportunity to change the way we teach our young people. We are on the verge of the introduction of a totally different approach, which promises the removal of boundaries, resulting in the creation of exciting educational discoveries that will challenge the way we think, the way we teach and the way we prepare our young people for the future. The significant change needed for curriculum reform will challenge us as professionals and by the same token will allow us the freedom to transform the way we challenge our more able learners.

The story so far…

30 April 2019 saw the publication of the draft Curriculum for Wales 2022. Within the Federation of Llanfoist Fawr and Llanvihangel Primary Schools, preparation for curriculum reform started long before the publication of the draft orders. Professor Graham Donald’s Successful Futures report, the catalyst which led to curriculum reform, provided the starting point for our own journey of curriculum transformation. We followed its progression through to the white paper, Our National Mission: A Transformational Curriculum, which gave us sight of the legislative proposals for Curriculum Wales 2022. 

Although the details of the new Curriculum for Wales have only recently become available to all schools in draft form, carefully considered strategic planning has provided us with a head start in our preparations for implementation. Fundamental to the new curriculum are the Four Purposes which guide educational priorities and underpin teaching and learning to ensure learners become:

• Ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives;
• Enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work;
• Ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world;
• Healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

Already the Four Purposes are a regular and natural part of the everyday new curriculum vocabulary used by pupils and staff. The purposes chime so well with the aspirations we have always held for our more able learners. We have created a vision and aims that are aligned to the purposes of the new curriculum, and although early days, we are already striving to ensure our vision ultimately comes to fruition through the introduction of new pedagogical approaches. We have moved away from the traditional subject coordinator role and allocated staff to the six Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLE) – expressive arts; health and wellbeing; humanities; literacy, languages and communication; mathematics and numeracy; science and technology – creating curriculum teams which bring together colleagues’ existing skills, knowledge and expertise.

Preparing for change: the role of the PLL

Although not a Pioneer School involved in the initial shaping of the curriculum, we have worked closely with our Pioneer colleagues to keep abreast of innovation and change. Pivotal to our work with Pioneer Schools has been the internal appointment of a Professional Learning Lead (PLL) – an initiative introduced by the South East Wales Consortium (EAS). Due to the significant changes in pedagogical approach needed to deliver the new Curriculum for Wales, it is essential to appoint a PLL with extensive skills, knowledge and experience in child development to ensure the curriculum is designed to meet the needs of every individual pupil, regardless of ability.

In addition to success as a subject leader across a number of areas, our own PLL has extensive experience as an Additional Learning Needs Coordinator and is also our More Able and Talented Coordinator. A key role for the PLL is to oversee the development of the 12 Pedagogical Principles across the six AoLEs, which are at the heart of curriculum reform. Currently our PLL is developing staff knowledge and understanding of the “what matters” concepts in each AoLE – headline statements that outline and organise learning. The “what matters” statements make connections to the Four Purposes to ensure learners acquire the appropriate knowledge, skills and experiences in each AoLE.

An operational starting point for staff has been involvement in the redesign of our planning templates to address the elements of the new curriculum framework. We are now making our first attempts to pilot planning and curriculum design for delivery of the new AoLEs.

Ensuring consistency and coherence

Successful implementation of the new national curriculum will be dependent on the quality of professional development provided for staff, upskilling them in the pedagogical approaches needed for effective delivery. Our PLL attends curriculum reform professional development opportunities facilitated by Pioneer colleagues, the EAS and other providers. She acts as a conduit bringing back into school new developments and good practice to be shared in senior leadership, staff and governors’ meetings and through facilitating school professional development days.

As a school we are already finding that professional development gained through participation in the NACE Challenge Development Programme is complementing and enhancing our curriculum reform work. We are looking at change holistically, and as a result we are carefully aligning curriculum reform with other work streams, including our transition to the six elements of the revised NACE Challenge Framework and amendment of our self-evaluation processes to address Estyn’s five inspection areas. This strategic alignment of the different systems and processes we use in school is ensuring that they work together as a coherent whole.

The freedom to let learners fly

Within the draft orders for the new curriculum are details of the principles for progression. These guide the progression of learning within each of the six AoLEs; the outlined progression steps contain achievement outcomes which can be used to identify progression of what a pupil can do as they progress in their learning. Unlike the current curriculum, which almost ties learning into key phases demarked by outcomes and levels, the progression steps are a true continuum and allow children to progress more in line with their ability – without the boundaries which can suppress progress. For more able learners there are no false ceilings; they can fly. 

Teachers will need to teach differently, developing new pedagogy, assessment processes and the confidence to “let go of the reins”. Young people will have a greater say in what and how they learn. Enrichment and experiences which are an integral part of the new curriculum will allow learners to have a greater voice in how they design, guide, investigate and lead their own learning: a tantalising thought for more able learners, who will be provided with even greater opportunities to spread their wings. Through the freedom intended in the new curriculum, Welsh Government is handing us the scissors with which to cut the apron strings.

Grounds for optimism

The new Curriculum for Wales will provide a continuum of learning; the restrictive key phases present in the current curriculum will no longer exist. Transition will become smoother but at the same time will require even greater partnership and tighter transition plans to ensure a successful and seamless move for pupils from primary to secondary schools. With a learning continuum, it follows that work, which has traditionally been seen as the domain of the secondary sector, will permeate its way more readily into primary practice, an exciting prospect for more able learners who will access increasingly challenging concepts earlier in their primary career.

There is a great deal of optimism in Wales surrounding the introduction of a new curriculum. Naturally, there are concerns about resourcing and the pace and extent of change. Overall, educational professionals realise that we are on the verge of a new educational system that is non-prescriptive, boundary-free and which offers the freedom to develop learning opportunities that are genuinely bespoke to meet the needs of all learners, preparing them for work and life. We all have a lot to gain from current educational reform, and none more so than more able and talented learners.

Adapting to a fast-changing world

An aspirational but realistic approach to AI

What existing challenges can AI be used to address?

Practical and ethical implications

Create a “learning together” ethos

A road map for school transformation

For schools:

• All pupils should receive a guaranteed level of careers advice from professional impartial advisers. For those facing disadvantage – or who are at risk of failing to reach their potential – there should be further support available, including being supported to undertake and reflect upon academic enrichment activities for the personal statement. The ‘Careers Leaders’ in schools, established by the government’s Careers Strategy, should ensure that key messages are consistent across staff and based on up to date guidelines.

• Advice should happen earlier, and include guidance on subject options at A level. Many young people are not getting the right advice when it comes to A level options. Students need more support at an earlier age, that can help them to make an informed choice on their A-level choices. This should include advice on ‘facilitating subjects’, favoured by Russell Group universities.
  

For universities:

• Universities should make greater use of contextual data in their admissions process, to open-up access to students from less privileged backgrounds. 
• There should be greater transparency from universities when communicating how contextual data is used, including the use of automated ‘contextual data checkers’.
• A geographic element should be included in future university access agreements, including a focus on peripheral areas. 
• Universities should work to reassure students and families who may be reluctant to move substantial distances to university. 

What more can schools do?

NACE endorses the report recommendations – many of which it already supports in practical ways through its professional development programmes and publications, such as the newly published NACE Essentials guide on careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) for more able learners (log in to our members’ site for access to the full Essentials range).

However, much needs to be in place – in and outside school – at the earliest stages of schooling to give all learners the best chances of reaching the destinations of which they are capable. Our recommendations for schools include:

• Make full use of the body of evidence on what works to improve learner outcomes, including what works for the most able learners. Join the NACE community for regularly updated updates, guidance, publications, professional development programmes and the latest relevant research from the only UK organisation with a specialist focus on more able learners.
• Ensure that subject choices and option and qualifications pathways allow optimal choices for learners. The new Ofsted framework will support schools in evaluating the “curriculum of opportunity” and this will be a focus for NACE in the coming months and at our national conference in June.
• Focus on aspiration raising and the development of social capital and wider learning experiences. NACE courses, resources and Challenge Award-accredited schools provide many examples of how this is being achieved and can be successfully achieved in all schools.
• Continue efforts to increase teacher supply/access in academic subjects where there are currently shortages and in the areas of the country most at risk.

For additional guidance and inspiration, log in to our members’ site for your free copy of the NACE Essentials guide to CEIAG for more able learners.

Six steps to implement in your school

1. Put in place an action plan in response to self-evaluation and research evidence, which includes performance measures.
2. Set whole-school end of key stage targets, using national benchmarks, which can be measured.
3. Use the same or higher targets for interim school years.
4. Set quantitative performance data targets, with attention to closing gaps in achievement between different year groups and subjects.
5. Include targets for defined groups of learners including: gender; ethnicity; EAL; SEND and disadvantage.
6. Identify other schools where performance is better in target areas and seek to work in collaboration or acquire support, dependent on needs.

Reviewing outcomes for more able learners

• Are historic attainment outcomes in line with or better than average for similar schools or family of schools? 
• What actions will lead to higher attainment and what quality assurance milestones can be put in place?
• Do more able learners make the same or better progress than other learners, relative to their starting points, and is this true regardless of learner groups?
• Have targets been put in place for all year groups and for all subjects?
• Are there any subjects or year groups where progress and attainment measures lie below whole-school targets and what specific action is in place to monitor and measure improvement?
• Have the targets been communicated effectively to middle leaders and have they acted to make changes which will lead to further improvements?
• When reflecting on the school’s position in relation to more able learners, there is a balance between where the school has been historically and what might be achieved if all barriers were removed.

Increase in Oxbridge applications from Wales

Many extension classes, visits from HE outreach officials, and trips to universities later, I was both pleased and relieved that the first independent evaluation, in 2017, was positive, in particular that “Seren makes a positive contribution to raising aspirations, boosting confidence and encouraging students to think more ambitiously about their university choices.”

The numbers are still being crunched, but it was encouraging that UCAS reported a 6% increase in “October 15th” applications from Wales – and this from a smaller pool of 17-year-olds, and with only the three pilot hubs functioning. Cambridge in particular has reported an upturn in the number of applications from Wales and, more importantly, the number of offers made. Applications to Oxford have also increased, though we have still to crack the challenging entrance tests that applicants face.

We quickly began to see that Seren was not just about Oxbridge, but about high-tariff university courses in general, whether in Wales, the wider UK or beyond. In my own hub, which serves some of Wales’ most deprived regions, I have been delighted to see Seren students taking up places at the most competitive universities, with Bristol, Imperial, Manchester and Warwick proving very popular. One student from our first cycle also gained a place at Yale, and others are now determined to follow her.

Plans to extend Seren’s work to KS3 and 4 

Of the evaluation’s recommendations, perhaps the most significant was the idea that Seren extend its work into Key Stages 3 and 4. This was something Seren hub coordinators and heads of sixth-form were already trying to do: we had very early on realised that remedial work post-16, focusing just on the sixth form, is simply too late. Ambitions often crystallise in Key Stage 3 and GCSE options, so critical for future pathways, are increasingly made in Year 8.

As with the hubs geared to sixth formers, work here will probably start with pilots, though existing hub coordinators are well placed to broker partnerships between schools, universities and organisations such as NACE and The Brilliant Club.

Local universities are also a supremely valuable resource, and Rhondda Cynon Taf has for several years organised an intensive day for its most academic Year 9 pupils at the University of South Wales. Subjects on offer have included philosophy, Mandarin, solving unusual maths problems, and Latin. Many of those attending had previously been unaware of the university’s existence, and were surprised to find they were able to cope with intellectual exercises of demanding nature. For some, it was the first time they had realised that they were “clever.”

Another crucial asset is local students at top-flight universities who are willing to talk to school pupils. Rhondda Cynon Taf has run an Oxbridge day for Year 10 pupils, featuring stimulating Q&A sessions with current undergraduates. We have now extended this to parents, and have been lucky to be able to call upon access and outreach fellows from both universities to talk to parents on a “cluster” basis. This has been particularly important in busting those Oxbridge myths which can do so much to deter able learners who are not from privileged backgrounds.

Our challenge now will be how we avoid diluting Seren’s offer without excluding those who might benefit – keeping in mind NACE’s core principles that ability is fluid, can be developed, and is closely linked to mindset.

After reading modern history at Oxford, Stephen Parry-Jones taught for 38 years. Apart from a five-year stint in a London direct grant grammar school, his career was spent in comprehensive schools in South Wales. He retired as a deputy head in 2015, and is now Seren hub coordinator for Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil education authorities. 

• Choose a selection of departments/curriculum areas as “early adopters” of the review tool. These teams then present their findings to other departments, who go on to undertake their own reviews. Joint planning of next steps could take place at relevant meetings of department/curriculum leaders.
• The Challenge Framework lead works with a few/all departments to support review and development.
• A head of department/curriculum area asks a colleague to take responsibility for the review; the completed review is then used to inform planning, in the light of whole-school priorities.
• Departments/curriculum areas undertake peer reviews or triad reviews of provision for more able learners.
• All departments/areas focus on reviewing provision and practice in a specific strand of the Challenge Framework identified by senior leaders.
• The Framework is integrated within existing school self-evaluation and development systems and cycles.

Establishing the foundations for success

The NACE Challenge Framework provides a structure to develop strategy and provision for more able learners, whilst at the same time allowing scope for individual and creative approaches. At Llanfoist Fawr, we have used the framework to holistically develop whole-school policy and provision, as well as specifically focusing on character development.

Academic learning only takes place if the conditions are right and children can cope with the pressures and challenges of school and life beyond. Until young people know themselves, they do not really appreciate what they are capable of and how they can use and maximise their skills and talents. Learning qualities and values such as tenacity, resilience and courage impact positively on so many areas of development – promoting exciting, engaging and enriching experiences for all.

Undertaking the NACE journey has provided wonderful opportunities to develop character and to take pupils’ learning to exciting new heights. We have used the framework to identify individuals who show exceptional leadership skills, and develop strategies to enable them to realise their potential. Developing character traits for effective leadership has yielded some of the greatest impact in our provision. Who could fail to be impressed when watching Year 5 pupils leading and instructing the Duke of Cambridge in a challenging teamwork and thinking skills task during his visit last year to launch the SkillForce Prince William Award? 

Evaluating impact and learner outcomes

To measure the impact of the NACE Challenge Framework we monitored and evaluated a wealth of performance indicators such as attendance, frequency of behaviour incidents, national test results and teacher assessment. All performance indicators reflected impressive measurable improvements. At the same time, as with many of the most effective influencers in education, the best and most important cannot have a number or a score attached to them. 

Attainment in the core subjects at expected Level +1 (Outcome 6+ in Foundation Phase and Level 5+ in KS2) remains consistently high and shows our high aspirations for learners materialising into reality. Following a focus on developing the resilience and tenacity of our more able mathematicians, the performance measures for mathematical attainment have demonstrated a continuing journey of improved standards.

Our success in enhancing outcomes for more able learners can be directly attributed to our application of the NACE Challenge Framework. Staff have been trained, pupil ability nurtured, behaviours developed and provision shaped through our adoption of NACE’s holistic whole-school approach to challenge.

Most impressive has been the impact on more able learners’ perception of themselves, the happiness they gain through challenging learning, the self-belief and confidence that positively radiates from children who are challenged to give of their best and who are comfortable within their own skins.
The Challenge Framework has provided a pathway to reinforce and consolidate our high expectations across all areas of operation. We have high expectations of all our learners, and they in turn take great pleasure in emulating our expectations!

Find out how the NACE Challenge Development Programme could support your school.

School cultures and practices: supporting the attainment of disadvantaged pupils

Department for Education, May 2018

This qualitative research study compares cultures and practices in schools that perform well and less well for disadvantaged pupils, in and outside of London. It provides insights into practices that could be encouraged to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils.

Five key cross-cutting findings are identified:

1. School cultures and practices vary more by a school’s performance than by location.
2. Lower-performing primary schools outside London are most different from other schools.
3. High-performing schools, regardless of location, adopt a wide range of approaches to supporting disadvantaged pupils.
4. High-performing schools, regardless of location, are positive and solutions-focused.
5. There is a subtle but discernible “London culture”.

The main characteristics of high-performing schools for disadvantaged pupils are identified as:

• Shared sense of purpose
• Use of data
• Engaging parents
• High-quality teaching
• Strong and visionary leadership

The report gives specific examples in these five areas and makes recommendations for further research.

In the coming academic year, NACE’s own research will include a focus on effective practice in Challenge Award-accredited schools which perform well for disadvantaged more able learners.

Use and perceptions of curriculum support resources in schools

Department for Education, July 2018

This report examines:

• The curriculum support resources being used most often by schools and teachers
• How teachers judge the quality of curriculum support resources
• Gaps and priorities for the development of future curriculum support resources

Some common trends are identified from interviews with schools:

• The development of formal whole-school curriculum plans/schemes of work is more common in secondary schools. In primary schools planning relates more to broad themes to be followed according to year group/key stage.
• Individual lesson planning is undertaken by teachers at both primary and secondary level to structure day-to-day delivery and tailor content to the needs of particular classes.
• The importance of collaborative working and shared resources is emphasised by teachers and senior leaders in both primary and secondary schools.
• Social media is growing in popularity as a means of accessing resources and gathering peer feedback. This is particularly the case among early-career teachers who often use social media to share practice, ask for advice and provide tips on finding and developing resources.
• Resources need to be adaptable to meet the needs of a range of learners and abilities, across a range of areas, including challenge for high-ability learners and those with English as an additional language. It is important to be able to adapt resources to reflect individual teaching styles and learner needs, but also important that resources engage learners and motivate them to think independently.
• Apps and online software are mentioned as useful tools in maintaining learner engagement through a range of visual, audio and textual aids. Teachers are often able to adapt these resources to match the progress and targets of individual learners.
• Textbooks and hard-copy resources remain important for providing content, but digital resources are easy to access and often an engaging way for learners to develop skills and understanding. Textbooks are often used as a framework for lesson planning and as a reference tool for learners when conducting independent enquiry. Additional activities are used to supplement textbook content and add differentiation.
• Overall, it is generally accepted that a range of resources, formats and approaches should be used (rather than teachers depending on one type/format) to ensure curriculum delivery is high quality and works well for both staff and students. Although teachers can access existing resources easily, these are generally viewed as a starting point; they still need to be adapted to meet the needs of learners and to align with individual teaching styles.

Potential for success: fulfilling the promise of highly able students in secondary schools

Sutton Trust, August 2018

This report analyses how high-attaining students fare in secondary schools in England. It also explores approaches to maximising the potential of high-attaining young people through analysis of literature and case studies of good practice in schools that do particularly well for these students.

Important points highlighted include:

• Students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to be in the top 10% for attainment in English and maths at the end of primary school. Disadvantaged students are three times less likely to be in this high-attainment group than their more advantaged peers: only 4% of disadvantaged students have high attainment at KS2, compared to 13% of non-disadvantaged pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils who perform well in primary school are much more likely to fall behind at secondary school, compared to other high-attaining students, across a range of measures. While high attainers overall make about an average level of progress between KS2 and KS4, those from disadvantaged backgrounds fall substantially behind.
• They are also less likely to achieve the top grades: while 72% of non-disadvantaged high attainers achieve 5 A*-A grades or more at GCSE, only 52% of disadvantaged high attainers do. If high-attaining disadvantaged students performed as well as high-attaining students overall, an additional 1,000 disadvantaged students would achieve at least 5A*-A at GCSE each year.<
• High attainers from disadvantaged backgrounds who are white have the lowest level of attainment at GCSE compared to their peers in any other ethnic group. Only 45% of disadvantaged white students with high prior attainment gain 5A*-A at GCSE, compared to 63% of black students and 67% of Asian students from similar backgrounds.
• Students with high attainment do better at GCSE in schools with lower proportions of students on free school meals, schools in London, in converter academies, and in schools with higher numbers of other previously high-attaining students.
• Disadvantaged students make up a much smaller proportion in grammar schools, compared to comprehensives, with disadvantaged high attainers only half as likely as high attainers overall to enter a grammar. In grammar schools, only 1 in 17 of all high attainers are from disadvantaged backgrounds, compared to 1 in 8 high attainers in comprehensive schools.

Plus…

The government recently announced the creation of a national Centre of Excellence for modern languages, to be supported by leading schools in the field which will become language hubs. Of the nine schools named as language hubs so far, two have attained the NACE Challenge Award – The Broxbourne School in Hertfordshire and Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Buckinghamshire.

In July, the government also announced new online resources designed to help schools reduce teacher workload, freeing up time from “unnecessary and time-consuming tasks” so more time can be dedicated to teaching. The workload reduction toolkit is available here.

For more research and reports of relevance to schools working to improve provision for more able learners, click here.

Do…

Work collaboratively

The Challenge Framework is designed to be used by all staff in your school and is most effective when all staff are empowered to contribute. Identify key staff members to work with you – including senior leaders, department/subject leads and influential members of the teaching team – and encourage them to share the “challenge” message school-wide.

Communicate what, who and why

In some cases, you may be leading on challenge in a setting where some staff believe there are no “more able” learners. It is important to share clear definitions of what you mean by more able, as well as what you mean by “challenge”.

It is also important to consistently share the message that high-quality challenge is the responsibility of every stakeholder in the school and the right of every child. Back up your views with research and evidence, including case studies from schools holding the Challenge Award.

Be systematic

Use the Challenge Framework to identify priorities for your school. Produce clear action plans, supported by clear success criteria and identify key staff to lead on each. Follow up with regular monitoring and evaluation.

As well as the supporting guidance provided by NACE, you may find it useful to use the Education Endowment Foundation’s Putting Evidence to Work – A School’s Guide to Implementation.

Be prepared for the “implementation dip”

This is normal. Keep yourself and your colleagues motivated by staying focused on the “why”, celebrating good practice, and sharing relevant research and examples.

Be resilient

Especially when you first start working with the Challenge Framework, it’s likely that you’ll have some persuading to do. Not all staff members in your school or department will immediately be on board – as is the case with any new approach or tool. Be prepared for this and keep going even when things seem tough – it will be worth it!

Don’t…

Focus just on the award

Achieving the NACE Challenge Award is wonderful, but the real value of the Challenge Framework is in the journey. Consider how you can use it as a catalyst and tool for change, leading to improved outcomes for learners, and setting in place a lasting model to support continuing whole-school improvement.

Rush

The Framework cannot bring about real, substantive change if used as a superficial checklist. Maintain a steady, systematic thoroughness and remember the minutiae matter, especially in terms of classroom practice. Keep drilling down to ensure that there is real depth to change in the setting and that it is sustainable in the long term.

Forget about the learners

Keep returning to consider the impact of any actions taken on learners. Champion learner voice and make them part of the process. Celebrate and discuss changes with learners, so that the change and its effects are clear and tangible to them.

Stop

The Challenge Framework is an ongoing journey – one that doesn’t end with the Challenge Award. Ensure that plans are in place to build on successes year on year in terms of provision for more able learners and high-quality challenge for all.

Find out more about the NACE Challenge Development Programme. 

1. Focus on the individual.

All activities related to data collection should focus on the individual. Often we have a particular perception about what counts as “data”, but in fact all information collected in relation to any individual can be classified as data – whether this is qualitative or quantitative. Data collection should focus on supporting the creation of a learning environment in which individuals are able to demonstrate their learning, share what they know and can do, and have opportunities to take their learning forward. Teachers need to know what information and support learners require to achieve this. More able learners will then grow in skills and experience, take risks, extend their learning and take control.

2. Empower learners through data-sharing.

Teachers should share relevant data and information with learners, including the planned success criteria and measures – empowering learners to take control of their own learning. Collaboratively, teachers and learners should assess progress, taking steps to accelerate learning or overcome barriers to help learners understand and develop the knowledge and skills they need to be successful and move forward as expert learners.

3. Draw on data to enhance classroom practice.

Teachers need information to be effective. They need to know what learners already know and can do, and the body of knowledge needed by learners to flourish in the future. This is supported by a strategic understanding of the curriculum and age-related expectations, as well as the ability to plan for the development of subject-specific knowledge and critical enquiry. Classroom practice is enhanced when teachers and leaders work together with the available data to develop consistently high-quality classroom provision, which remains focused on learners as individuals.

4. Share data to support professional development.

A challenge for teachers is to interpret subject-specific criteria and provide the best possible learning opportunities which will extend more able learners. Through the use of challenging and explicit learning objectives, teachers are better equipped to measure the impact of their work and refine their practice. Teachers should be given opportunities to develop their own subject knowledge so they have the confidence to deliver an aspirational curriculum. Through the use of high-quality shared and transparent data everyone can work together, provide collaborative support and raise expectations of what can be achieved. Through a shared ambition and supportive culture, data can be used effectively and constructively to improve professional practice.

5. Track data to promote raised expectations.

The performance of both individuals and groups of learners should be analysed and understood in order to ensure effective provision and support for continued challenge and growth. Data can be used to track the progress of individuals, groups and classes so that early action is taken to support teachers and learners. Excellent teaching should also be promoted and acknowledged. Through a focus on the routine use of data to inform the impact of teaching on each individual learner, expectations will rise and overall school outcomes will improve year on year. Through raised expectations there is clarity about what the school does well and must still achieve, precision in the activities that follow and rigour in the way this is undertaken.

Dr Ann McCarthy has been a NACE associate since 2017, with a focus on developing the charity’s more able school review work, guidance on the use of data to support more able provision, and action research programme. She is currently Improvement Director for a multi-academy trust, and has extensive experience in coaching, training and consultancy, as well as teaching and leadership roles in both primary and secondary schools.

Find out more…

The NACE Essentials guide to using data to improve provision for more able learners is now available via the members’ area of our website. Log in to access your free copy, or join NACE to access all member benefits and resources.

1. Strong leadership at all levels is at the core of effective MAT provision.

2. Support for MAT learners should consider overall wellbeing, as well as academic factors.

3. Strong subject knowledge underpins high-quality teaching and learning for MAT learners.

4. Effective provision is grounded in high expectations and broad and varied learning opportunities.

5. Stimulating and challenging learning experiences should be planned with the specific needs and abilities of MAT learners in mind.

6. Robust analysis of performance, monitoring and target-setting approaches informs effective MAT provision.

7. Staff professional development must support effective provision for MAT learners.

Whole-school leadership

Within the classroom

Beyond the classroom

The Gold Programme was established for Year 9 students in 2012, aiming to:

• Give students every opportunity to broaden their intellectual experience well in advance of applying for university;
• Expose them to discussions and thinking beyond GCSE;
• Introduce them to universities, courses, and university alumni;
• Model a passion for learning and intellectual rigour.

In 2013, following our reaccreditation with the NACE Challenge Award, the NACE report recommended that Maiden Erlegh School should “create opportunities for younger [more able] students to work together as a group in the way that older students do through the Gold Programme”. In 2014, the school launched the KS3 Gold Programme, which has now evolved into the Silver Programme. This programme aims to:

• Provide students with the opportunity be stretched and challenged beyond the classroom;
• Help them become independent, higher-order learners;
• Celebrate their academic ability.
  

Students and parents are invited to a launch event at the beginning of Year 7 (Silver Programme) and Year 9 (Gold Programme). They are invited to join the programme if they are interested in the events that will be run throughout the year. Participation is not compulsory; the emphasis is on the student to engage with the opportunities provided. Each student is given a badge to wear on their blazer if they are a member of the Silver or Gold Programme.

The Gold and Silver Programmes offer a selection of sessions run voluntarily by staff after school, including:

• Studying… grade 9 skills which are subject-specific and include debating, critical essay writing, questioning
• Introducing… Latin, Greek, Italian, Chinese
• Exploring… psychology, criminology, philosophy, scene of crime officer (SOCO)
• Informing… medicine, Oxbridge, careers, developing resilience and using failure
• Thinking… “Gender neutrality: the way forward or PC gone mad?”; “Will we get a white Christmas?”; “The Lightning Process”; “The Palestinian Israeli conflict”; “Siege of Kenilworth Castle 1215”; “The Economics of Brexit”
• Reflecting… “If only I’d known then…”
• Visiting… Reading University, Thales, Tech Deck, STEM challenge days, Cambridge University

What has been the impact?

Learning walks and lesson observations indicate that there has been a noticeable shift in the pedagogy being used. Staff ensure students have enough time to think, question and explore ideas. At every data collection point, the more able data is analysed separately and included in the self-evaluation form for governors, senior leadership and teaching staff to evaluate. From this data it is clear that over 90% of the more able Year 7 students are making at least good or expected progress, or are now above national or well above national levels. KS4 and KS5 results analysis has also shown that students involved with the Gold Programme have performed well.

How is your school developing provision and support for more able learners? Contact us to share your story.

• Narrow the gap in literacy and numeracy at primary school;
  
• Narrow the gap in GCSE attainment at secondary school;
  
• Ensure young people develop key strengths, including character, wellbeing and mental health, to support high aspirations;
  
• Narrow the gap in the proportion of young people taking part in further education or employment-based training after finishing their GCSEs;
  
• Narrow the gap in university graduation, including from the 25% most selective universities.
  

Accelerated progress needed to close the gap

The year’s report finds that since last year there has been marginal progress made towards closing the gap between disadvantaged young people and their wealthier counterparts. For example, the gap in literacy and numeracy at primary level has narrowed from 8.4 months to 8.2 months, while the GCSE achievement gap has decreased from 13.1 months to 12.8 months.

However, the gap in permanent and fixed period exclusions remains stubbornly wide, and the gap in university entry has increased for the first time since 2010. On the current trajectory, we will not achieve the five Fair Education Impact Goals by 2022.

Inequality in education is still deeply entrenched in our country and our Report Card is a stark reminder of the scale of the challenge. As the UK seeks to reposition itself in the world, it becomes more crucial than ever that our young people are able to fulfil their potential irrespective of their parental background.

Five priorities for schools and government

We know that educational inequality is a complex issue to tackle – too complex for one institution or organisation to solve alone. But we believe that by combining the passion, talent and ideas of educationalists, charities and businesses, we can offer a strong collective voice that creates a lasting impact on young people’s lives.

In response to the findings, the members of the FEA have worked together to identify five key priorities:

• School funding: A commitment from the government that national spending should not decrease in real terms on a per pupil basis.
  
• Destinations and careers: Every primary and secondary school in England should have a designated and trained senior leader responsible for developing and delivering a whole-school approach to destinations.
  
• Avoiding an expansion in selective education: The government should continue to resist calls to expand selective education in the future.
  
• Measurement of social and emotional competencies: A framework of measures should be available to all schools in the UK to support their knowledge of the social and emotional competencies of their students.
  
• Early years: The government should commit to ensuring that every group setting serving the 30% most deprived areas in England is led by an early years teacher or equivalent by 2020.
  

We’re extremely proud that the Fair Education Alliance has provided the platform for such a diverse range of organisations to come together and collaborate on this joint report and the recommendations that stem from it. You can read the full report here.

Lewis Iwu is the director of the Fair Education Alliance, leading the coalition of 86 organisations. He was previously a campaigns adviser at corporate advisory firm Brunswick, where he specialised in education and social policy.

Combining external and in-school research

We use a simple software, MINTclass, to identify and track disadvantaged students. When underperformance is identified, we intervene rapidly, giving priority to these students in classroom interactions. We also ask teachers to mark these students’ work first, to ensure they receive timely feedback, and to keep them at the fore of teachers’ minds.

The data we track is not only shared with staff, but also with learners. Visual displays in each classroom show performance against targets, focusing on progress rather than attainment, with the aim of motivating students to keep improving.

Evidence from external sources is also used to inform our pupil premium strategy, including research published by organisations such as the Education Endowment Foundation, DfE white papers, and the work of previous Pupil Premium Award winners. Such research has led us to run CPD on effective feedback, re-evaluate our use of teaching assistants, and even make changes to the way we reward students. However, external evidence is always approached with caution; we are aware that any single intervention will not necessarily work in every context.

Within school, we encourage our staff to engage in research projects, with the intention of raising standards for our students. Recent examples include a project by our Embedding Literacy Leader, evaluating the effectiveness of different reading schemes and subsequent outcomes among students. Such research is showcased in our weekly teaching and learning staff briefing, disseminated by faculty leaders, and uploaded to our staff VLE, so it informs our teaching and learning strategy going forward.

In-school research by one of our Curriculum Leaders focused on effective teaching and learning strategies for more able disadvantaged students, and identified modelling as particularly effective for this group. For example, instead of just giving students a practice paper and then marking it, we break the paper down into chunks. Students are given time to work on a section, then the teacher models the process of answering each question – showing them how the answer is arrived at, how to set it out, and so on.
 
The modelling approach has worked well in maths, English and science, and we plan to spread it across the whole school – not just for revision and exam preparation, but more widely. This will be one of our main strategies for all students, with a particularly high impact expected for the more able disadvantaged.

Removing barriers to achievement

Being a member of NACE has complemented our intention to continue to drive standards up for more able learners, both in the classroom and from an enrichment perspective. One such benefit of our NACE membership has been CPD, which has helped our more able coordinator to inform the planning and delivery of our More Able Programme. The online resources provided by NACE have been used across faculties within the school, and the research featured on the website has aided our development of teaching and learning for more able learners.

Part of our pupil premium funding goes towards CPD. The funding also covers our More Able Coordinator role, which focuses on support for more able disadvantaged learners, building cultural capital as well as academics. This includes a series of Year 7 projects which students present to parents each half term, and a Year 9 project with The Brilliant Club.

Careers guidance is another major focus in our support for disadvantaged more able learners, with the aim of raising their aspirations. Our full-time lead on enterprise and employability works with all students, with priority given to the more able disadvantaged to ensure they receive bespoke advice.

Beyond this, we try to remove as many additional barriers as we can. In the past year we’ve worked with the Education Endowment Foundation on a research project they were evaluating, running a project to educate our students on good sleep patterns and the importance of sleep. Another example involved reaching out to Specsavers after realising many of our students were reporting difficulties seeing the board; this led to Specsavers developing a free eye-screening kit which is now used by schools across the country.

Our recent success at the Pupil Premium Awards is recognition for the work we’re doing at every level in the school, involving all members of staff. It’s proof that the available research and guidance are effective, and that those marginal gains really add up.

Tom Hague is a deputy principal at Fullhurst Community College in Leicester. Tom leads on outcomes and curriculum, including the use of the pupil premium. Tom joined Fullhurst through the Teach First programme, and recently also completed the Future Leaders programme with Ambition School Leadership.

Provision for more able learners a national priority

Supporting schools to improve provision and outcomes

Levelling the admission test playing field

Bridging economic, social and cultural gaps

Sustaining the momentum

Engaging parents in more able provision

How has the Challenge Award made a difference?

We have found the Challenge Award hugely effective in raising our standards so that we gained an Ofsted outstanding rating, but also to maintain and improve further those same standards. The framework of the Award highlights the importance of a high-quality curriculum for more able children, but also one which benefits all children. Its strategic thinking and pedagogical structures are well-matched to one of our key mottos: “Better never stops”.

The Award helped us focus on ensuring that, both inside and outside the classroom, curricular and associated opportunities for all our children are second to none. Our Ofsted rating and exceptionally high scores in Progress 8 and in the Sixth Form underline the power of the NACE Challenge Award.

Planning and training key to success

I am proud of all we do, and our Challenge Award report reminds us that we have a “rich culture of celebration and achievement for all pupils, including the most able”. This is underpinned by our School Development Plan, and that is secured by the persistent and consistent commitment amongst our staff to improve their own skills and also those of our pupils.

Training for all in our academy has been key. Opportunities for high achievement within and outside the curriculum are planned for and therefore happen and are effective; such important issues are not left to chance. 

Ongoing evaluation and improvement

A key strength of the Challenge Award is the fact that it identifies areas where the school can improve further, and we take these things seriously. We are considering further use of our virtual learning environment (VLE) to provide a forum for the most able, and we are considering how we can improve research techniques amongst our pupils. We also have issues to consider in the use of transactional language and mastery more generally.

As a head teacher, I commend the Challenge Award to every school. I have found it tremendously powerful at all stages of our development, in this school and in other schools where I have had management responsibilities. Whether the school needs to develop from a low Ofsted category and low achievement to a high-performing school, or go beyond the outstanding category, the framework provides the challenge, the direction and the energy for all.

Join the Challenge today!

Paul Dick is the chief executive of the Kennet School Academies Trust, and has been head of Kennet School since 1989. During this time he’s also led a number of other schools to strong positions, as well as serving on the board of the forerunner of QCA and contributing to a range of local and national developments. He won the Leadership Teaching Award for best leader in the South of England in 2000, and holds an OBE for services to education.

Find out more about the NACE Challenge Award.