The More Able and Talented
More able pupils are those who are achieving, or have the potential to achieve, higher standards in any academic subject including the arts and sports. Talented pupils are those pupils who demonstrate a natural skill or ability in any area (such as sports, music, drama, leadership etc.) that is significantly higher than their peers.
The National Curriculum of England (2014) states within Section 4-Inclusion that ‘Teachers should set high expectations for every pupil. They should plan stretching work for pupils whose attainment is significantly above the expected standard. Teachers should use appropriate assessment to set targets which are deliberately ambitious.’
We believe that through the pedagogy of challenge- creating an environment of independence and creativity, and the development of higher order and critical thinking skills- we, as a school, will significantly improve the attainment and achievement of all pupils.
At BESA we employ a variety of strategies to identify more able and talented pupils. We aim to include information from many sources, such as assessment results and information from parents and previous schools. Identification should also be a continuous and open process with regular communication between all the parties. This process is coordinated by the Student Support Department, who also track the progress of More Able and Talented pupils to ascertain that they are achieving in line with their potential.