All students possess academic potential that can be nurtured and developed through application, practice, and expert teaching. At Furze Platt, the term ‘more able’ is used to describe students where that academic potential is already particularly pronounced. Through having high expectations, aspirations, quality teaching and learning, all students have access to opportunities which will help them to ACHIEVE.

The School’s More Able Coordinator (formally Gifted and Talented) is responsible for ensuring that students are suitably stretched and challenged in lessons, beyond lessons via the super curriculum, and promote enrichment opportunities to widen curiosity, demonstrate excellence and develop ambition.

All departments are continually developing and providing an enrichment programme for More Able students and adapting their teaching materials to meet the needs of such learners. As part of our inclusive ethos, all lessons are ‘taught from the top’, where challenge is presented at every level and support offered to help all students access the higher-order thinking skills and concepts.

Since March 2021, Furze Platt have become a member school of Potential Plus, a charity that supports children with high learning potential. As part of this membership, we are working towards the ‘High Learning Potential Best Practice Award’ in recognition that we are meeting the needs of high potential learners.

 

Identification

A ‘more able’ student has a recognisable ability to grasp difficult concepts quickly, and to engage in high level reasoning. They have an unusually high level of verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning and/or non-verbal reasoning, including the ability to make connections, see patterns, think logically and creatively, and solve problems.

More Able students are identified on entry to the School using information held by primary schools about that student’s learning and achievements in Key Stage 2. We use this information to make sure we provide students with the right level of challenge. More Able students will be identified on entry by:

• Having SATs scores of 120 in English (reading) and Mathematics
• Having CATS test scores in the top 10% nationally
• Showing exception attainment in a range of subjects by the first progress report of Year 7

In addition to using quantitative data, More Able students will be identified over time using:

• Subject area nominations
• Exceptionally high and consistent academic achievement
• Assessment and examination results
• Parent consultation - we will consider parental nomination and welcome any background, knowledge or evidence of a student’s work done at home if appropriate. This information will be cross referenced to performance data.

Once identified, More Able students are placed on the More Able register. This register is reviewed and updated regularly during the academic year. More Able students are not removed from the list if underperforming; instead, additional intervention is agreed for these students.

 

Opportunities

The school also offers a significant range of enrichment programmes that provide further challenge and fulfilment for our More Able students that may include:

• Duke of Edinburgh Award
• Debate club
• Psychology GCSE (accelerated)
• Mandarin classes
• Maths Challenge and Maths masterclasses
• Greenpower Engineering Club
• STEM workshops
• DigiGirlz at Microsoft
• Hackathon at Reading University
• Lessons from Auschwitz
• Science lectures
• Oxford University visits
• Oxbridge and Russell Group University preparation

 

Useful websites and resources

https://giftcourses.co.uk/ - offer a range of residential courses where they can meet and learn with other youngsters who share their enthusiasm for taking on new ideas.

www.brilliant.org - Brilliant is for anyone who has an interest in mathematics and science. Dive into advanced, creative problem solving and improve domain knowledge and critical thinking skills. Learn how different domains, like number theory and computer science, are interconnected. Discover how core math and science concepts apply to modern topics.

https://potentialplusuk.org/ - A UK charity that specialises in supporting students with high learning potential.

https://tomorrowsachievers.co.uk/ - provides specialist masterclasses. The courses are affordable for all and cover a wealth of different topics - including science, technology, maths, philosophy, virtual reality, literature and the arts - in ways which involve and challenge the most-able students.

https://ted.com/talks - TED is devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks.

https://futurelearn.com – Free Online Courses designed to encourage independency by exploring subjects beyond the curriculum.

https://mensa.org – Mensa, the high IQ society, provides a forum for intellectual exchange among its members around the world.

https://suttontrust.com – a charity which aims to improve educational opportunities for you people from non-privileged backgrounds and increase social mobility. It offers support for access to university, particularly where students are first generation applications.

https://aquila.co.uk – a fun magazine aimed at KS3 students. Encourages children to read, think and ask questions.

 

Finally, if you have any questions about our provision for our More Able students, please email office@furzeplatt.com.