The central aim of St Philomena’s is to provide the Most Able students with positive educational experiences and opportunities which will enable them to discover and fulfil their own potential. The ‘Most Able’ programme seeks to ensure that the Most Able students, in the light of their unique gifts and talents, are enabled to become the person God calls them to be, and that they are equipped for their future pathways.

 

AIMS

• To provide a full educational experience for students of all abilities, which is rooted in the Catholic faith and which promotes the students’ spiritual, aesthetic, moral, cultural, mental and physical development. 
• To promote the highest achievement in all students, irrespective of ability or aspiration
• To foster a love of learning and intellectual curiosity beyond the taught curriculum
• To fully support the wellbeing of Most Able students  

 

 

Broad & Balanced Taught Curriculum - stretch and extension

The taught curriculum for the Most Able focuses on ‘stretch & extension’ but not more of the same. This provision includes enabling Most Able students to identify and account for prior knowledge and build on their interests in order to extend them further. They are encouraged to explore an area more deeply, going laterally with a concept, or using more complex terminology to describe abstract ideas. Questioning techniques are also used to boost thinking as a vital way of stretching Most Able  students. Most Able  students are encouraged to consider questions from different viewpoints and alternative perspectives. Specific strategies in lessons for challenging the Most Able include the use of Deep Thinking Challenges’ (‘DTCs’), ‘Big Questions’ and ‘Thinking Hard’. Increasingly as students move through the school, the work of Most Able students will become more evaluative and investigative in nature. Most Able students are also encouraged to consider cross curricular connections and identify synoptic links between topics and subjects.

 

Academic Additional Learning - opportunities to develop high-level cognitive skills

For students from Year 7 to Year 11, there is a specific supra-curricular programme. Most Able  students in Year 12 and Year 13 can engage with the ‘iWonder’ supra-curricular programme. 

Most Able students in Year 10 have the opportunity to undertake an additional Level 2 qualification - the Higher Project Qualification. Students plan, research, write and present a dissertation-style project on a chosen topic within the framework of ‘Environment and Sustainability.’ Students are exposed to challenging concepts and skills as they lay the foundations for skills needed at KS5 at a Higher Education including, academic literacy, creating a coherent line of argument, finding and critically evaluating sources, referencing and managing a project in order to meet key objectives. Through offering a broad choice of subject areas to research and explore, students begin to develop a ‘mini specialism’ beyond the taught curriculum. 

Most able students in Year 12 then have the opportunity to extend their area of specialism through undertaking the Extended Project Qualification in Year 12. This challenging Level 3 qualification enables students to pose any ‘big’ question of their choosing to explore and research. Ultimately, Most Able students produce a 6000 word written dissertation ensuring they are well equipped to move into Higher Education and further rigorous academic study.

 

Extended Co-curricular St Phils + & Trips - to develop critical thinking skills

Most Able students are strongly encouraged to take part in a variety of clubs, to help them gain new knowledge and skills and develop their critical thinking through debates for instance. Our Society Programme allows students to both participate in and lead a group of peers with similar interests and career aspirations ensuring that their area of interest beyond the curriculum is fully supported and developed within school. 

Most Able students are offered a variety of trips to develop their critical thinking skills including academic writing workshops at the University of Greenwich and critical reading and research skills seminars at Queen Mary University and the British Library. Trips to Oxford and Cambridge colleges further enhance aspirations of our Most Able students and give them the opportunity to find out more about an Oxbridge pathway.

 

Cultural Capital - extra cultural activities

We aim to ensure that our Most Able students have the opportunity to be involved in a range of challenging programmes and competitions. Most Able students are encouraged to develop a ‘mini specialism’ which they foster within and beyond the school through being directed to relevant reading and wider opportunities. Through the Project Qualification programme, Most Able students learn the necessary skills to locate and capitalise on the resources, events and opportunities available to them in their local community and across London.

 

Careers, Progression & Destinations - bespoke support and guidance

The school aims to ensure that there is tailored support and guidance available to Most Able students regarding their progress and career aspirations. O flagship programme within the school is the ‘Oxbridge Preparation Pathway.’ Most Able students embark on this tailored programme in Year 12 which supports students in three distinct phases:

 

Spring Term  - Informed Applicant 

Introductory sessions including ‘Why Oxbridge?’ ‘Facts and Myths’ ‘Choosing a Course’ and ‘Choosing a College’

 

Summer Term - Critical Reader

Super curricular sessions designed to enhance oracy, critical thinking and close reading skills as well as developing wider cultural capital and a ‘mini specialism’ 

Autumn Term - Master Specialist

Individual support including tailored feedback on UCAS personal statements, admission test preparation and interview preparation including a ‘mock interview day’ with external interviewers. 

Furthermore, a number of additional opportunities are made available to Most Able students including a chance to attend the Oxford and Cambridge Student Conference and talks from external speakers including Schools Liaison Officers for Oxbridge. Most Able students will also be directed towards targeted Access Programmes including K+, HE+, Target Oxbridge and Sutton Trust Summer Programmes where applicable.

Reading, Vocabulary & Oracy - focus on advanced research skills

Through the Project Qualification Programme, students advance their research skills and academic literacy beyond the level expected for their phase of education. Furthermore, through presenting their project at the culmination of their research, students develop their oracy skills as they defend their research. 

As part of the Oxbridge Preparation Programme, students are supported in articulating their thought process and engaging in high level debate in an interview context. Through rigorous interdisciplinary discussion, students develop their debating skills and ability to form a logical and reasonable verbal argument. Through a ‘Mock Interview Day’ Most Able students are challenged with external interviewers who are experts in their field and alumni from Oxbridge Universities allowing them the opportunity to test their oracy skills. 

Digital Learning - building a strong skills set

Through a cumulative approach to developing research skills across KS4 and KS5, Most Able students learn how to locate and identify reliable and high quality online information. Through learning how to navigate higher order search engines such as Google Scholar, students are able to conduct high quality research and form a convincing argument. Most Able students are taught the skills needed to become critical online readers and spot ‘fake news.’  Useful links are also shared with students via a dedicated Google Classroom for each year group.

PSHEC / RSHE - debating at a high level

The PSHEC and RSHE curricula both include a broad range of debates and discussions, enabling Most Able students to develop their cognitive abilities and oracy skills. Deep-thinking questions are included in PSHE and RSHE to allow students to delve deeper into topics.

IDENTIFICATION- MAIN POINTS

A variety of processes enable individual Most Able students to be identified. The curriculum takes into account the needs of Most Able students through differentiation, extension, enrichment and acceleration, making use of all available expertise. The pastoral needs of our Most Able students are recognised and supported by the school.
To ensure a consistent and accurate identification process, a variety of methods are deployed. St Philomena’s takes advantage of information about students’ ability from a variety of sources:

• NFER Testing 
• GCSE point scores 
• National levels of achievement 
• Teacher recommendation and identification

The identification process results in an identified cohort of students who represent the Most Able students in each year group according to their academic ability. They are placed on the Most Able register. These identified students will be working above the level of their peers and are an identified cohort which represents approximately the top 10% of the year group. This process is inclusive of students with SEND who meet the above criteria. At Key Stage 5, Most Able students are identified by their target grades, of a minimum of one ‘A*’ and two ‘A’s, based on their KS4 examination performance.

Pupil Premium, SEND and EAL students are key sub-groups within the Most Able cohort and teachers are expected to be aware of their particular needs. The KS3-4 Most Able Coordinator and KS5 Oxbridge Coordinator monitor their progress and well-being closely. 

Please click here for our comprehensive Most Able policy