Challenge

At St Polycarp’s we identify children who have outstanding abilities in academic subjects, sport, music and the creative arts.

Opportunities are given to the children to develop their specific skills and talents right across the curriculum within school. Challenge is provided for More- Able children by the teachers within their daily lessons.

A member of staff is given special responsibility for the more able and looks for opportunities offered to schools to develop skills and talents.

We take children to participate in More Able Workshops in English, Science, DT and Maths at several local secondary schools both state and private. In Y5, More Able children are selected for Saturday sessions at the Royal Grammar School in Guildford for Maths, Science, DT, Drama and Languages. Our younger, more- able children are invited to More- Able Writers’ Days with well- known authors and More Able maths days.

Annually we enter several maths competitions including the Young Mathematician of the Year competition and regularly get through to the regional finals, having also got to the finals at Cambridge University in the recent past.

We compete in the Catenian, Public Speaking Cup annually and our children have been very successful at this event, having specific coaching in school beforehand.

St. Polycarp’s enter a host of arts competitions throughout the year and are given many chances to perform musically both internally and externally. We recently came 3rd in the County Dance competition.

We enter sports competitions run by Active Surrey, National Sports Bodies, the Premier League and those put on for the more able at local secondary schools both state and private. We have been very successful at District and County Level and have got through to National Competitions several times recently. We put our children forward for specialist sports elite teams outside and have had many of our talented children get through to these squads.

Our very broad clubs programme has been developed to enhance the children’s opportunities and talents. Through our clubs, children have competed in external music, sport and chess competitions and been involved in external theatre productions.

We write references for ‘More Able’ and talented children if there are scholarship opportunities open to them.

If a child has an outstanding strength, talent or achievement that you would like to share, you can e- mail the office for the attention of Mrs Trafford. You can attach copies of certificates or photographs.

We like to celebrate achievements in our Collective Worships and have a display board where we can share outstanding achievements.

Likewise, if we feel a child has a particular strength that could be pursued further, we let parents know.

More-Able Provision Policy

Please click here to view or the policy document below.

More-Able Challenge Curriculum

Providing Challenge whilst teaching the More Able

More Able curriculum provision:

‘Quality first teaching’ and ‘planning for challenge’ throughout ensures all children are challenged across the curriculum. Provision in the classroom includes:

Planning driven by mastery strategies and Blooms driver words, for example White Rose maths and tasks designed to promote thinking/verbal reasoning,
Explicit instruction strategies such as using Socratic questioning to deepen discussion,
Use of metacognition to encourage learners to reflect on their learning journey and take accountability for furthering their own progress,
Choice of challenge and encouragement to choose the more challenging option, which require deeper thinking, verbal reasoning and skills driven learning,
Resources which enable learners to scaffold and take control of their learning, developing independence,
Choice of presentation across the curriculum,
A balance of teacher/TA support designed to stretch and challenge higher attaining children,
Continual assessment for learning, ensuring teaching is responsive to need in the classroom.

NACE

St Polycarp’s are a NACE member school.

About NACE

An independent charity founded almost 40 years ago, the National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) works with member schools, education leaders and practitioners to improve provision for more able learners, driving whole-school improvement and raising achievement for all.
NACE believes that all children and young people, regardless of background, should be recognised and have the opportunity to realise their potential.
Our work is guided by the following core principles, which unite our diverse network of member schools, professionals and partner organisations:

The education of more able learners is a whole-school endeavour to be embraced by all school leaders.
Addressing the needs of more able learners will raise achievement for a much wider group of learners in a school.
Providing for more able learners is not about labelling, but about creating a curriculum and learning opportunities which allow all children to flourish.
Ability can be revealed across a range of specific domains or more generally, and not only in traditional academic subjects.
An ethos of high expectations and aspirations is a central plank for any school providing for more able learners.
Teachers are central to providing challenging and enriching education, and their professional development is paramount.
Ability is a fluid concept: it can be developed through challenge, opportunity and self-belief.

More Able Provision Policy pdf
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