Most able students: key findings and recommendations

Introduction

Hello and welcome

Bradley Simmons

5 March 2015

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Potential run of the day

10.00: Welcome Bradley Simmons Regional Director Ofsted SW

10.15: Introduction Sir Michael Wilshaw Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector

10.45: The most able students 2014 survey findings Joan Hewitt HMI

11.30: Coffee and market place

12.00: Sutton Trust

12.45: Lunch and market place

1.30: NACE

2.15: Cotham School

3.00: HMI / local authority / schools action planning

3.45: Conference summary and close

5 March 2015

Introduction from HMCI from here onwards

Sir Michael Wilshaw

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector

The most able students:

An update on progress since June 2013

Joan Hewitt HMI

March 2015


To deliver key messages from 2014

survey

To understand the reasons behind key findings

To share with colleagues what works well

Key objectives


Many students fail to reach their potential

One quarter of pupils who achieved Level 5 in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6 did not make the progress expected of them

Consequently they failed to achieve at least a B grade at GCSE in English and mathematics

The most able students June 2013


Are leaders challenging their most able students and

encouraging their ambition?

Has the achievement of the most able students improved?

Has the transfer and transition from primary schools improved?

Has the quality of teaching, learning and assessment of the most able students improved?

Is work, including homework, for the most able in Key Stage 3 challenging and demanding?

Are school leaders helping their most able students to overcome financial and cultural obstacles to university applications, including applications to the Russell Group universities?

The most able students 2015


Key findings 2014

Improvement has been slow. Achievement of most able students remains a concern.

Differences in outcomes between:

Disadvantaged most able students and their better off peers

schools where most able students make up a very small proportion of the school’s population and those schools where proportions are higher

the most able girls and the most able boys

Too many students fail to achieve the grades they need to get into top universities and jobs


Key findings 2014

Leaders have not embedded an ethos in which academic excellence is championed with sufficient urgency.

Learning too frequently affected by low-level disruption in Key Stage 3

Not enough effective training for staff

Monitoring and evaluation of teaching and students’ work was prioritised at Key Stage 4

Not enough schools have a dedicated senior member of staff or governor responsible


Key findings 2014

Schools were rarely meeting the needs of students who are most able and disadvantaged

Not enough done to widen the experience and develop broader or social and cultural awareness in Key Stage 3

Funding not targeted with precision or evaluated effectively

The gap at Key Stage 4 between the progress made by most able disadvantaged students and their peers is too large and not closing quickly enough


Key findings 2014

Secondary schools are not always using transition information from primary schools effectively to get the most able off to a flying start in Key Stage 3.

In 16 of the schools visited, transition arrangements were not well developed

Information gathered tends to be more sophisticated but not always used to spot gaps in learning or identify potential

Few schools had enhanced arrangements for the most able students

Leaders did not see the need to do anything differently for the most able

Information from tracking not used to improve the curriculum and teaching strategies

Do you know what has been taught in the Key Stage 2 curriculum?

How do you find out if the most able students have met their targets?


Key findings 2014

Too often work was not hard enough in Key Stage 3

Improvement focused in Key Stage 4 and 5; little has changed for students in Key Stage 3

In over the half the schools visited students confirmed the work was too easy

Schools recently inspected rarely offered a bespoke curriculum for the most able in Key Stage 3

Conversely half the schools visited had a curriculum tailored for the most able at Key Stage 4

Only one fifth of schools adapted homework for the most able


Key findings 2014

The quality of teaching for the most able is too variable in Key Stage 3.

Expectations not high enough

Quality of work across subjects is patchy

In almost half the schools visited work was not challenging enough in English and mathematics this increases to two thirds in other subjects

Typically – extension work, challenge questions and differentiated tasks in only 8/40 schools had provided specific training

In 25 / 40 schools visited students report their learning being affected by low level disruption

To contrast this, three quarters of school teachers said that disruption of the most able was rare

How challenging is the curriculum in your school? Is teaching variable, especially in foundation subjects?

How do you know?


Key findings 2014

Assessment, performance tracking and target setting have improved but there are still weaknesses.

Stronger in Key Stage 4

Tracking and target setting in Key Stage 3 lacks rigour and ambition

Only one quarter of schools used baseline testing to spot gaps in learning

Targets set from Key Stage 2 are not re-calibrated to reflect or any acceleration in learning

Quality of teacher assessment variable


Key findings 2014

Guidance and information to students about accessing the most appropriate courses and universities were not good enough.

Careers guidance and support remains fragile

Only one third of the 40 schools employed dedicated staff . Quality is too reliant on individuals

There remains a minority of teachers who would not encourage their students to apply for a top university


Key findings 2014

While leaders made stronger links with universities to provide disadvantaged students in Key Stage 4 and 5 with a wider range of experiences, they are not evaluating the impact sharply enough.Stronger links with universities developed for disadvantaged students but not evaluated effectively

One quarter of schools visited offered no additional support to first time applicants

49 of 130 schools recently inspected did not prioritise the needs of the most able disadvantaged

Regional differences result in some disadvantaged students being badly served


Most able students are let down too often and failing to reach their full potential.

68% of pupils with Level 5 English and maths did not reach A* or A

Just over a quarter did not reach grade B

In 19% of 1667 non-selective schools’ sixth forms not one student in 2013 achieved two A’s and one B commonly preferred by our most prestigious universities

One half of students achieving level 5 in English and mathematics at Key Stage 2 failed to achieve A or A* grades at A level in non-selective schools

The achievement of the most able students


Percentage of most able students who previously attained Level 5 at Key Stage 2 gaining A* to B grades at GCSE in 2014


The minority effect

Attainment of most able pupils in GCSE mathematics and English and the proportion of the most able pupils

in mathematics and English in 2014

Slide 11

Slide ~

Think for a minute. How well do the most able achieve in your school? Do they lose ground in Key Stage 3?

What works well?


Whilst the overall picture has not

improved, inspectors found examples of good practice.

Pockets of good practice


Leadership

Leaders place a strong emphasis on creating the right ethos in which the most able are inspired and motivated

Pay close attention to detail to ensure they nurture particular talents and gifts

Teachers take every opportunity to bolster students’ self esteem and encourage them to aim high

Leaders have a clear strategy for setting challenging targets

They make sure teachers and students know what is expected of them

Track the progress of the most able closely

Mechanisms for seeking student views and using the findings

Systems in place to spot potential and tailor support from the outset and continue this to ensure successful application to university


The curriculum and teaching

Key stage 3 carefully structured to take into account knowledge and understanding of most able

Strong emphasis on resilience and mastery

Given equal status with other key stages

Teachers highly aware of what students can already do

Plan with high expectations and have a precise understanding of what they want students to learn

Bespoke training on how to offer challenge and stretch most able students


Transition, guidance and support

Attention to detail

Joint planning of year 7 curriculum

Information was used carefully to ensure work was at the right level

Dedicated staff with expertise on what the top universities are looking for

Making good use of the widening participation schemes


Use of pupil premium

Planned with clear outcomes in mind and evaluated sharply

Funding used to target to specific needs of students

Attend open days or cultural visits

Help with specific aspects of work to achieve A or A*

Access to Sutton Trust summer schools successful in motivating students to aspire to gaining places at the top universities.


Recommendations

School leaders should:

develop a culture of high expectations

make sure that teachers use information provided by primary schools about the most able pupils to help manage their transition to secondary school

appoint staff and governors with responsibilities specifically to champion the needs of the most able pupils from poorer backgrounds


Recommendations


give Key Stage 3 equal priority with other key stages when allocating teaching staff to classes

provide training for teachers of all key stages so that their teaching routinely challenges the most able students

ensure evaluations of curriculum delivery, teaching and learning in Key Stage 3 are robust and lead to rapid improvements


Recommendations


involve universities in training school staff to provide advice to the most able

provide training for all teachers so that their teaching challenges the most able pupils


Recommendations

Ofsted should:

make sure that inspections continue to focus sharply on the progress made by students who are able and disadvantaged

report more robustly about how well schools promote the needs of the most able through the quality of their curriculum and the information, advice and guidance they offer to the most able students

ensure thematic surveys investigate, where appropriate, how well the most able are supported through, for example, schools’ use of the pupil premium and the curriculum provided.


Recommendations

The Department for Education should:

ensure that its performance tables, which present key data on school outcomes, include measures of the achievement of the most able students.


Finally

Urgent action is now required.

Leaders must grasp the nettle and radically transform transition from primary school and the delivery of the Key Stage 3 curriculum.

Schools must also revolutionise the quality of information, advice and guidance for their most able students.

Only with swift and bold improvements can we ensure that our most able students fulfil their potential.