High Prior Attainers
What is our philosophy and rationale for pupils with high prior attainment?
This strategy provides guidance on how we will meet the needs of pupils with high prior attainment. We aim to achieve the following objectives:
- To identify pupils with high prior attainment
- To address the needs of pupils with high prior attainment by providing support and teaching which makes their learning challenging, engaging and enables them to reach their full potential
- To provide enrichment activities outside the classroom to support self-reliance and independent learning
- To raise aspirations of pupils who have high prior attainment
- To liaise with parents of pupils with high prior attainment
How will we identify pupils with high prior attainment?
Our pupils are identified through various sources of information, including:
- KS2 GPVS Scaled Score Key Stage 2 Validated Result (SATS)
- NGRT Reading tests
- GCSE results for Year 12 and 13 students
- Recommendations from subject teacher
How will we provide for pupils with high prior attainment?
In-class support
High quality teaching for pupils with high prior attainment is the same as high quality teaching for all our pupils. These strategies are outlined in our main Teaching and Learning policy. Strategies include:
Ensuring there is clear progression within our curriculum model.
- Checking pupils have the knowledge base to succeed. In order to do this, all teachers need to ensure they have outstanding subject knowledge. This is achieved through our professional development programme.
- Identifying what excellence looks like in each subject area and sharing this with pupils.
- Assessing students according to our curriculum model. Have students learnt what we wanted them to learn?
- Encouraging students to use their metacognition to recognise when they are struggling and utilise resilience to approach solutions to this. This may be through the content of our lessons, encouraging students to elaborate and explain their thinking during questioning or through feedback which enables students to learn from their mistakes.
- Avoiding cognitive overload by presenting material in small steps.
- Encouraging pupils’ metacognition and teaching pupils how to learn effectively. For example, using visualisers to live model teacher thinking and teaching pupils about the importance of retrieval practice and organisation.
Academic monitoring
All pupils have a mentoring session with their tutor, through our pastoral tutor programme following data submission from subject teachers. Tutors discuss progress and identify targets in these sessions and will be aware of the pupils with high prior attainment in their tutor group. Also, once per year in all year groups, tutors meet individually with parents and pupils where they discuss pupil progress and targets in more detail. Students in Years 10 – 13 also meet annually with their subject teachers to discuss academic progress in relation to their examination courses in more detail.
Tutors and teachers will pay attention to pupils with high prior attainment who may be underachieving and discuss and target with them the barriers they may be facing.
Academic enrichment
There are a specific range of trips, clubs and programmes available to pupils with high prior attainment. Here is a small example of what we have offered previously:
Scholar Programme: Students in Years 9 and above will be given the opportunity to complete the Level 2 Extended Project Qualification. Delivery of this qualification will be after school and students will work to write their dissertation and complete their log book at home.
Young Enterprise Programme: High prior attaining students in Years 9 – 13 will have the opportunity to participate in this programme in which they will form their own company, creating their own product and fulfilling various industry specific roles to successfully market and sell it through a variety of different platforms. The programme aims to empower young people to discover, develop and celebrate their skills and potential.
UKMT Maths Challenge: High attaining pupils in mathematics are regularly entered for the UKMT Maths Challenge. This is a national mathematics competition organised by The University of Leeds. We enter pupils into the individual challenges, as well as entering pupils for the Maths Team challenge events at a regional level. Many pupils achieve Bronze, Silver and Gold certificates in the individual challenges, and a few go on to participate in the more advance stages of the competition. Lesson time is dedicated to helping pupils prepare, through modelling and discussing strategies, whilst looking at an array of problems. Pupils are also invited to further preparation sessions if they are entered for subsequent rounds.
Musical Production: Each year the Drama Department joins forces with the Music department for a whole school production. This allows us to showcase the talents of more pupils across the school with a public performance. Pupils with high learning potential and a curiosity for performing arts are encouraged to participate in the musical in addition to attending Drama and Music clubs.
Science Department: The department organise a number of events to support pupils with high prior attainment. KS4 and KS5 pupils will be invited to enter the RSC Chemistry Olympiad, the British Biology Olympiad or the Senior Physics Challenge. With the aim to challenge and inspire, these unique opportunities encourage pupils to push themselves further and excel in science.
Oxplore: Oxplore is an innovative digital outreach portal from Oxford University. 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. Pupils at Waseley Hills are encouraged to discuss these questions in their tutor groups.
How will we support parents in meeting the needs of pupils with high prior attainment?
At Waseley Hills High School, we have designed a super-curricular activity booklet for parents to support pupils with high learning potential. These activities have been carefully selected by subject teachers to enhance curiosity and challenge our pupils beyond the classroom. Scroll down to view our super-curricular booklet.
How will we raise the aspirations of pupils with high prior attainment?
We have worked hard to establish and maintain links with some of the UK’s top universities. Pupils with high learning potential are encouraged to attend university-led sessions throughout their time at school. In previous years we have:
Year 8: all high prior attaining pupils visit the University of Oxford where they engage in targeted workshops to raise their own aspirations. All students have the opportunity to engage with a number of universities through our annual careers fair.
Year 10 and 11: High prior attaining pupils regularly participate in assemblies and workshops led by our link University (Aston). In addition they work with Elevate education to develop the skills required to move on to top end destinations.
Waseley Alumni: We have many Waseley Alumni who are either at university, doing apprenticeships or are now working and have offered help to any of our pupils who need it. They support our pupils with high learning potential with applications, personal statements, or mentoring.
How will we continue to meet the needs of pupils with high prior attainment at Sixth Form?
We have high aspirations for all our Sixth Form pupils and support our pupils with high learning potential in applying to Russell Group Universities. This support includes the Extended Project Qualification which allows our pupils to embark on a largely self-directed and self-motivated project. Pupils must choose a topic, plan, research and develop their idea and decide on their finished product.
In addition, we offer the following opportunities to pupils with high learning potential at Sixth Form:
- Individual help with UNIQ Summer School applications
- Visits to Oxbridge link colleges
- Preparation for Oxbridge Entrance exams and mock interviews
- Regular academic mentoring from tutors
- Parent tutorials with link universities