At St. Edward’s Royal Free Middle School, we are committed to enabling all pupils to be successful and achieve their full potential in an environment that is secure, caring and focused on learning. We have in place a broad curriculum, enhanced by a programme of strategies that provide pupils with the skills to become independent and confident thinkers and learners, equipped to meet continuing challenge and change.
We use a number of methods for identification of more able pupils, including: prior attainment, teacher assessment, predicted results/grades and baseline assessments. We are also aware that some pupils will not present at school as more able & talented; some might not want to be recognised and some might not have been given appropriate opportunities to explore their gift or talent.
The school believes that there should be no prescribed limits placed on any pupils’ potential. We will always look for gifts and talents in all pupils, seeking to provide the enhanced opportunities appropriate to their needs. This will be through the taught curriculum as well as extra-curricular opportunities. The school is fully committed to working for equality of opportunity and this commitment extends to identifying and developing the talents of all our students.
We feel it is appropriate to adopt a fluid approach when providing for more able learners, as this allows us to identify and make provision in a flexible and considered way. We provide a rich and varied curriculum that can be accessed by all, regardless of ability across a range of subjects. Through skillful teacher assessment of learning and achievement, we identify those with high potential (those who are maximising their potential and those have not yet done so). These children are then provided with extension for learning, which can include:
- Richer and deeper questions;
- More complex problem-solving;
- Access to a broader range of texts or other stimuli;
- Opportunities to use skills in a range of contexts;
- Differentiated materials/activities within the curriculum area;
- Making full use of Pupil Premium funding to remove any economic barriers to achievement;
- Working in partnership with parents/carers and the local community to promote and celebrate aspiration, ability and achievement;
- Ensuring there is a breadth and depth of opportunity that allows pupils to develop abilities and talents.
We also provide a range of enrichment opportunities. These include:
- Reading University’s Salter’s Festival of Chemistry (Science)
- Education Business Partnership Maths Challenges (Maths)
- Reading buddies/librarians/honours readers celebrated (English)
- Sports leadership course (PE)
- Arts club for talented artists (Art)
- Public Speaking competitions – inter-house and Rotary Youth Speaks (English)
- French/Italian overseas penfriends
- Year 8 Options including: Italian, Advanced Music, Drama, Programming, Sports Science.
- Extension pledge (Pastoral)
- School production (Drama)
- Master Chef (Food technology)
- Careers advice and support (PSHE)
- Performance at carol service, live advent calendar and summer concert (Talented Musicians)
- Sterf’s Got Talent (Drama, Dance, P.E , Music, Pastoral).
All staff share responsibility for ensuring that pupils are happy, motivated and achieve to the best of their abilities while they are at St. Edward’s Royal Free Middle School.
We are currently a member of NACE, which is The National Association of Able Children in Education. We are also completing the NACE Challenge Award, which is an accreditation that ensures our provision for the more able group is excellent, that we challenge all abilities and meet the specific needs of the more able. The NACE Challenge Award is recognised by external bodies, such as Ofsted, as a mark of quality provision.
There are a number of helpful websites that parents/carers might like to look at, including:
www.potentialplusuk.org - This is the independent charity that supports the social, emotional and learning needs of children with high learning potential of all ages and backgrounds. Potential Plus UK runs events for parents/carers and children. They have an events diary and online booking system on their website.
Oxplore – The Home of Big Questions
Oxplore is an innovative digital outreach portal from the University of Oxford. As the ‘Home of Big Questions’ it aims to engage those from 11 to 18 years with debates and ideas that go beyond what is covered in the classroom. Big questions tackle complex ideas across a wide range of subjects and draw on the latest research undertaken at Oxford. Oxplore aims to realise aspirations, promote broader thinking and stimulate intellectual curiosity.