More Able Learners

At Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School we are committed to providing the best possible provision for children of all abilities and plan our teaching and learning so that each child can aspire to the highest level of personal achievement across the curriculum, including Jewish Studies and Ivrit.

We understand that all children, including the more-able pupils, require support and challenge in their learning in order to make progress and reach their full potential. Here at Etz Chaim, we use the term ‘more-able’ to refer to pupils who demonstrate or have the potential to work at a standard well above their peers; this means they are exceeding the National Curriculum expectations for their age. This may be in one or more areas of learning.

We are immensely proud of the fact that Etz Chaim Jewish Primary School has the National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) Challenge Award accreditation. Please click here to see a letter from NACE about our award.

To see our 'More-Able Learners Policy', please click on this link:

Provision for More-Able Learners

We endeavour to meet the needs of higher ability children through careful identification and monitoring strategies and by providing access to a curriculum that includes a range of opportunities in order to enrich the experiences of our children as well as embedding the social aspects that are essential for life-long learning. A ‘growth mindset’ is nurtured throughout the school, promoting the view that intelligence can be developed rather than being seen as static - be the best that you can be.

We strongly believe that engaging teaching and learning for all is the key to securing achievement for every child. More able pupils are given a wide variety of exciting challenges and experiences, developing their ability to question, explain, persevere, communicate their thoughts and take risks in their learning whilst building relationships.

We support our more-able pupils by giving them opportunities for open-ended tasks, higher-order thinking challenges and extension activities. In class children work in a range of ways; ability groups, mixed ability, paired work and independent work. We use a variety of teaching styles and a range of higher-level questions to stimulate critical thinking.

Enrichment and Enhancement

We also offer opportunities for children to take part in enhancement activities, such as: workshops within school; outings; visits from other schools where the children can present their learning; a variety of extra-curricular clubs as well as the Barnet Dance Festival.

There are also a number of leadership opportunities offered to children across the school such as Library Monitors, Digital Leaders, Maths Ambassadors and Sports Leaders. This helps the children to develop confidence and leadership skills.

What can I do for my child at home?

There are many ways that parents can support their more able children. Below are just a few ideas that you may like to try.

Encourage them to take up a hobby
Encourage independent research (use local libraries or the school library which has a range of materials for the more able student)
Encourage them to read national newspapers (age appropriate) or to watch the news on television, to help their knowledge of current affairs
Talk to them about what they have learnt in school during the day and what has particularly interested them
Support homework activities by ensuring that the work is completed to a high standard
Encourage creative and independent interests using resources either from local libraries, the internet or the school
Help to develop team skills including cooperation and leadership by encouraging your child to take part in team games and sports
Encourage your child’s work in school to stimulate an environment of positive achievement.
Talk to them about Thinking Skills and encourage them to do lateral thinking games (eg Genius Square or Rush Hour) and puzzles (eg Sudokus, Nerdle …) to increase and develop these skills

Visit the following websites for resources and ideas to stretch and support your child:

http://www.londongt.org http://nrich.maths.org.uk http://www.funbrain.com http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools http://www.nace.co.uk (National Association for Able Children in Education)https://nagc.org (National Association for Gifted Children)

To find out more about more-able provision at Etz Chaim, please follow speak to our Curriculum Lead for More Able Learners, Mrs Osborne.