Wrenn School has always prided itself on producing a balanced curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils, including both the less and more able. A member of staff is responsible for ensuring that the more able are challenged, both within the curriculum and also in extra curricular activities.
The school policy sets out how Able Pupils are identified and the wide variety of ways in which their needs are met. It embraces the idea of the whole person and looks not only at the academic but also at the pastoral aspect of a pupil’s development.
Definition and Identification Close liaison with feeder schools, National Curriculum Key Stage 2 Assessment results and Able Pupil Identification Sheets where staff use subject-specification criteria to measure pupils’ progress, are all used to identify the more able. It is also recognised that parents have a significant role to play, not only in the identifying but ultimately in the provision for and the development of these young people.
Provision As needs vary from person to person, a judicious combination of setting and mixed-ability groups is used from Year 7 to Year 11, to ensure that able pupils are stretched in all subjects. Schemes of work for each subject reflect the need for a differentiated approach to cater for the whole ability range. Enrichment and extension activities are built into many of the schemes. The opportunities offered by differentiated homework’s are also recognised and wherever possible these principles are incorporated. In a small number of cases it may be possible for pupils to join a year group ahead of their chronological age.
Wrenn School is also a member of the Able Pupils Schools Network – a consortium of secondary and middle schools in Northamptonshire. The group organises a series of workshops throughout the year which are designed to challenge and extend Able Pupils.
Monitoring The Able Pupil Record Form serves as a collating document and is updated by the Able Pupils Co-ordinator. In this way, progress is monitored carefully and feedback provided for the pupil, teachers and parents.
