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28/03/24

Primary started the final day of the term with an assembly to celebrate the achievements and reflect on the successes of the term. We were also fortunate to hear a beautiful performance from two of our 6th Form. pic.twitter.com/jMGqhQcsiT

27/03/24

Year 6 made their own ‘Butterbeer’ this afternoon, after being inspired by their Harry Potter learning! It was a thumbs up for the magical beverage. pic.twitter.com/93AP0n1CGW

27/03/24

Year 6 were fortunate to have a visit from Professor Rosa Freedman, who spoke to them about human rights and the development of law. She shared her experiences working on tackling discrimination and promoting equality. pic.twitter.com/EDJTRFJJpv

27/03/24

Year 1 have had a lovely Easter service at St Luke’s Church ⛪️💐🌷🐣 pic.twitter.com/DYe831nzrX

27/03/24

Our final breakfast and we are all still smiling 😁 pic.twitter.com/aQm1Y2wqKh

26/03/24

Disco Night 🪩💃🕺 pic.twitter.com/AZa92NHafQ

26/03/24

The pieces are really coming together now ☀️🎭🎨🎶 pic.twitter.com/o4oR6AuJNQ

26/03/24

Good morning! We are all up and raring to go, back in our workshops and being creative 🎶🎭🕺🎨 pic.twitter.com/aCB6cYU0IH

25/03/24

Tonight’s activity: a 3D film 🎥 🦁👑 pic.twitter.com/f08xc6nhqv

25/03/24

A brilliant first day at the children have been incredible and have begun to create some amazing pieces of work 🕺🎨🎭🎶 pic.twitter.com/88Ynep9MaD

25/03/24

Mr D showing off his piano and singing talents with the help of Year 5! 🌊⛵️ pic.twitter.com/jcIKkHVrMH

25/03/24

Bed making has been a task in itself! 🛏️😂 pic.twitter.com/8DRuc4sWCB

25/03/24

We have arrived safely at Ingestre Hall! Ready for our morning activities to begin 🎭🕺🎶🎨 pic.twitter.com/oESPZ38BeO

24/03/24

Year 5 loved the VR headsets this week, exploring the Mayan pyramids 🗺️🧐🤩what a great way to end their topic! pic.twitter.com/FWCstJTZ4f

21/03/24

Our academy students held a brilliant morning for our Year 3, 4 and 5 students. A big thank you for arranging such a fantastic opportunity 🏐⚽️🏉 pic.twitter.com/WyXIdLSPto

20/03/24

* Primary Teacher vacancy *Full TimeSalary – MPS / UPS TLR 2a - Lead of ScienceStart date – September 2024https://t.co/Y5U107tZel#stalbansjobs pic.twitter.com/Ihd8anKcP0

20/03/24

What a treat! An exceptional visit from courtesy of the glorious Inspiring, fun, engaging and informative. Lucky students today! 🐆🐍🌳🛶🤿 pic.twitter.com/GFb2fbdnHe

19/03/24

A very happy U11 girls football squad today. A massive thank you to Premier League Primary Stars for our first ever official U11 Girls kit pic.twitter.com/ksmrbse3DR

19/03/24

Year 5 had a brilliant afternoon representing school at the Primary Netball Tournament! A big thank you to for hosting 🏐 pic.twitter.com/TtiV9lDtTn

18/03/24

Reception have received an egg-stremely interesting parcel this morning 🥚 the children can’t wait for their dinosaur eggs to hatch, they have started preparing a home for them in the outdoor classroom 🦖🦕🪺💥 pic.twitter.com/J8j9F00qbW

15/03/24

Year 6 were using their oracy skills today, challenging each other and having deep discussions about reasoning questions focused on time. pic.twitter.com/3hhwetDTUg

14/03/24

Reception had a great time this morning at St Luke’s church ⛪️ a big thank you to Alex and Chris for delivering these amazing sessions pic.twitter.com/xrOGzegPXX

12/03/24

A sneak peak of tonight’s trust concert 🎶 pic.twitter.com/eI3uHG6obt

11/03/24

Wishing our Muslim community members warm wishes for a blessed Ramadan 🌙 pic.twitter.com/C28AE8RlkG

More Able Students

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

The Mad Hatter asks Alice:

Q: “Why is a raven like a writing desk?“

A: ??

More Able and Talented students at SRA:

  1. All students are entitled to be stretched and challenged.
  2. Effective more able and talented provision improves teaching and learning within the classroom.
  3. By planning for MAST and talented students and scaffolding learning for all, aspirations and standards are raised.
  4. The focus on stretch and challenge is a key driver for whole school improvement.  

At Samuel Ryder Academy we are committed to ensuring all students achieve more than they ever thought possible, both academically and in other areas of their lives. To help More Able Students (MASt) meet their potential, we recognise that they need tailored challenge in every lesson as well as other opportunities to highlight their ability.

The government measure the quality of schools in a number of ways, partly by identifying groups within the student body and charting how they are catered for. More Able Students are such a group; the provision for these students is a matter of equity.

We identify our More Able Students using scaled scores stemming from their CAT and KS2 SATs results. In addition, departments are able to identify students as being talented in their specific area based on the department specific definitions.

Our More Able Students’ procedure aims to encourage the following:

  • student independence and resilience
  • an environment which enables students to learn new things
  • differentiation and challenge in lessons
  • extra curricular opportunities
  • student participation in a variety of endeavours

We understand that students shine in various areas. In order to support and challenge MASt, their grades from every subject are tracked 4 times annually to see if they are performing as they should, areas they excel in, and where they might need extra help. This can lead to discussions with the student, parents and interventions to help them get back on track.

At the heart of delivering opportunities for growth to students is the teachers and the quality of teaching and learning. As previously stated, our aim is to ensure all learners reach and ideally surpass their targets to achieve beyond their expectations. Equity of opportunity means that MASt are challenged to a higher degree and this is especially true in their daily lessons. Teachers plan higher order thinking questions in their courses and these are differentiated to scaffold students’ learning. One of the Academy’s teaching and learning priorities is stretch and challenge which creates a greater understanding of topics covered, deepens metacognition and increases independence.

As well as lessons there are ample enrichment opportunities for MASt, with a wide range of clubs and trips to cater for their needs. Different departments also run targeted MASt clubs or projects throughout the year. The curriculum is also supported with competitions, additional reading and a wealth of subject information on OneNote.         

Parents and carers play an important role in unlocking the potential of More Able Students. Some ideas to help you help your child include:

  • Watching and discussing (eg BBC4) documentaries
  • Encouraging reading generally: novels, non-fiction books, newspapers and online articles
  • Listen to an interesting podcast series and then discuss it with them
  • Visit places of cultural importance
  • Discuss what they learnt at school and how they learnt it

How can MASt help themselves?

  • Talk to your teachers about units that are coming up and prepare for them
  • Enrol in MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)
  • Read around your study areas using the reading lists provided
  • Set up a study group with your friends
  • Ask your teachers if you have any questions

As co-ordinator for more able students, I welcome any thoughts or suggestions for you have for the MASt program at Samuel Ryder Academy. (Or if you want to answer "Why is a raven like a writing desk?“) Please feel free to get in touch.

James Chatterley

j.chatterley@samuelryderacademy.co.uk

 

Links:

Hertfordshire Grid for Learning 

National Association for 'Gifted and Talented' Children - student definitions

National Society for 'Gifted and Talented' - identification signs

National Association of Able Children in Education

Recommended Support for Parents of 'Gifted and Talented' Children

MENSA, the High IQ Society 

MOOCs 

 

Samuelryder53   Samuelryder14

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