About NACE

An independent charity founded 40 years ago, the National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) works with schools, education leaders and practitioners to improve provision for more able learners and increase challenge for all.

Read our 2025 Impact Report

Our vision

That all young people, including the more able, have the opportunity to develop their abilities without limits – no matter what barriers to learning they may face and no matter what school they attend.

Our mission

• To support and work with schools in England, Wales and internationally to enable teachers and senior leaders to understand the needs of their more able learners and to develop high-quality provision and learning cultures which raise expectations and standards for all.
• To develop and disseminate evidence-based approaches to provision for more able learners and to undertake and spearhead research into effective practices for such learners.
• To champion more able learners, including those experiencing disadvantage, and to lobby for their inclusion in school improvement strategies, national education policy and other developments to achieve greater equity in education for all learners.

“Working alongside NACE is a
real privilege and has, and is, making a
significant impact on student outcomes.”
- Saskia Roobaert, Walton Priory Middle School

In this short video, NACE Challenge and Curriculum Development Director Christabel Shepherd explains why a focus on cognitive challenge for all is a “moral imperative” for schools, with the potential to transform the lives of young people across all contexts.

Our goals

• To support teachers and school leaders in developing high-quality teaching and curriculum design for more able learners and challenge for all through a range of professional development programmes and resources.
• To support schools in self-evaluation and school improvement for more able learners in a culture of challenge for all through the NACE Challenge Development Programme.
• To provide a highly regarded quality mark for school provision for more able learners through the NACE Challenge Award and to support accredited schools in disseminating best practice.
• To provide networking opportunities for schools to drive improvements for more able learners through knowledge sharing and collaboration.
• To undertake research into highly effective provision for more able learners and to disseminate this through publications, partnerships and NACE professional development services.
• To communicate with relevant national bodies and to contribute to policy developments to ensure the inclusion of more able young people, including those experiencing disadvantage, in improving educational outcomes and life chances for all.
• To engage in partnerships which will raise and promote awareness of the needs of more able learners, and how to meet their needs effectively through strategies which will have a positive impact on the aspirations and achievements of a wider group of learners.