More Able Education at Alperton Community School Indira Warwick, Deputy Headteacher February 2016

At Alperton Community School, we strive to: Engage and inspire each and every student. Develop intellectual curiosity and a love of learning. Engender greater confidence in each student’s ability to tackle new and difficult ideas. Maintain a culture where we recognise and celebrate high achievement.

More Able and Most Able

Identification KS2 L5+ in English and Maths +115 on Midyis score (cognitive tests) Teacher nomination Feeder school nomination Subject specific data Self/ peer/ parental nomination Documents/MAT-2015/ACS-More-Able-policy-2015.pdfhttp:// Documents/MAT-2015/ACS-More-Able-policy-2015.pdf

Monitoring Role of the classroom teacher, the form tutor, the PMs (Pastoral Managers), the TLLs (Teaching and Learning Leaders), the Progress Leaders and the member of SLT in charge of More Able education. Role of Parents and Students. Academic Review Days and Parents evenings.

Provision Lessons are personalised to ensure that all students are stretched and challenged. Extension tasks are set. This is not ‘more work’ but work that is ‘more challenging.’ Challenge tasks are set in order to promote higher order thinking skills. The teacher may use targeted questioning or direct the More Able learner to a different starting point or give a different plenary to promote higher level reflection and evaluation.

Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO)

Algebra: Patterns in number How many sticks are needed for 3 houses? ( unistructural ) How many sticks are there for 5 houses? ( multistructural ) If 52 houses require 209 sticks, how many sticks do you need to be able to make 53 houses? (relational) Make up a rule to count how many sticks are needed for any number of houses. (extended abstract) Houses123 Sticks59__ Given:

Extended abstract example An answer requires the explicit expression of understanding of a general principle that applies beyond the specifics of this particular situation. Students need to ‘go beyond the given’.

Alperton Community School Flight Paths

Common issues Changes in self-esteem Lack of organisation Perfectionism Over sensitivity Boredom Anxiety Arrogance/ over confidence

What you can do to support your child Help your child to get organised (place and time to study, checking showmyhomework, displaying a study timetable) Go through your child’s books. Allow time for your child to reflect on their academic progress and ask them what they need to do next to improve further.

What you can do to support your child Encourage involvement in the school’s extra- curricular activities. Encourage and model wider reading and independent research. Ask your child to read out their work to you. This is a way of them proof reading their work before submission for marking. Remind your child that spelling, punctuation and grammar are vitally important!

What you can do to support your child Watch the news together or read an article together and discuss the main points as a family. Your child could lead this. Encourage your child to question/ challenge ideas and opinions. Encourage them to see things from a different perspective e.g. “Another way of looking at this would be…….” Your child will really enjoy this!

What you can do to support your child Visit places in London together: The British Museum The Tate Modern Art gallery Attend a lecture at the Royal Institution

Or step outside of London Take a day trip to Cambridge (our link is Jesus College) university/visiting-the-universityhttps:// university/visiting-the-university Or Oxford University oxford?wssl=1https:// oxford?wssl=1

Bring Your Family to University Days students/widening- participation/visits/parents-carershttp:// students/widening- participation/visits/parents-carers

The most important thing of all? Praise and encouragement for hard work, perseverance and effort. Practice……An hour and a half of high quality study every day will equip your child to attain mastery in their chosen field by the time they have completed their A levels (Gladwell’s 10,000 hours of practice)