Most able and talented

Definition
At Villiers, we define our "Most able" students as those with highest National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) average scores as there is no Department for Education or Ofsted definition for this group. Our focus is on the top 10% of the year group (approximately twenty).

What we do
- Students are given lots of extra challenge in their lessons and their progress is overseen by the Heads of Department.
- Students have extra opportunities to lead and participate in enrichment activities which are overseen by the Heads of Year.  
- The Senior Leadership Team periodically check-in on these students’ extra-curricular and lesson "diet".

- There is a whole school teaching and learning focus consistently on stretch: strategies include training on writing challenging learning objectives, constructing challenging Schemes of Learning, developing questioning technique to probe for depth and developing metacognitive strategies (differentiated at teacher experience). This training has continued to develop over two years.

- The “Beginning teacher” programme has a on stretch and challenge (and workshops) throughout the programme.

- Monitoring of stretch through learning walks and observations including bespoke feedback and support.

- Challenging homework: celebrations of the best homework included an afternoon tea with the Headteacher.

- The Most able register is circulated to Heads of Department and all staff early in the year and strategies analysed and honed in department meetings.

- Talented register populated by Heads of Departments who have a focus on further enrichment for these students.

- Cambridge University trips.

- Heads of Year monitor achievement of most able and meet periodically to discuss engagement with clubs, trips, enrichment activities and their achievement.

- SLT Mentoring of High Prior Attainers (HAPs).

- Research Grants: one focused on improving provision for Disadvantaged HAPS.

- Head of year 11’s NPQSL research project focused on improving achievement of HAPS.

- Student council pushes students of all abilities to lead their peers and develops confidence.

- LORIC (PiXL) [Leadership, Organisation, Resilience, Initiative, Communication) is being run at KS3 to get students into good habits before KS4 (also in KS4).

- Duke of Edinburgh running at Bronze, Silver and Gold level.

- Maths Challenge at Junior and Intermediate level.

- Languages spelling and translation bee.

- British Science week participation.

- Debate Mate club.

- Jack Petchey Speak-out challenge.

- HAY girls writing group: six – eight Monday afternoons and Saturday afternoons and performing spoken word performance at Multi Cultural Evening.

- Speaker series.

- St John Inspire Programme: Oxbridge.

- London School of Economics Tutoring.

- Heavily subsidised music lessons for music students with potential talent in an instrument (including piano and brass instruments).

- Introduction of the Sports Leaders award at Sixth form.