High Prior Attainers Policy

Introduction

In 2015, the Sutton Trust’s Missing Talent report concluded that around 15% of highly able pupils who scored in the top 10% nationally at age 11 fail to achieve in the top 25% at GCSE. Whilst a concerning statistic in isolation the study further concluded that:

• Boys were statistically more likely to be part of the missing talent pool

• Pupil Premium eligible boys are the most likely demographic to appear in the missing talent pool

• Highly able pupil premium boys achieve on average half a grade less that other highly able boys, and more when compared to highly able girls

• Missing talent pupils are more likely to be White British, Black Caribbean, or from Pakistani or Bangladeshi communities

• In addition to being single sex, at the start of the 2021/22 academic year, Pupil Premium stood at 24% of students (with 18% current FMS6). Further, data from the 2011 census states that Havering’s ethnic makeup is 87.7% white (Havering Data Intelligence Hub). The school is therefore predominantly White-British with significant black Caribbean and South Asian populations. The issue, though visible nationwide, can be considered of particular local interest with the Sutton Trust designating Havering as one of 20 UK areas of High Missing Talent as part of its conclusions.

In sum, the Royal Liberty School finds itself at an intersection where it is demographically, economically and geographically likely to be at risk of students falling behind their potential exhibited at the end of KS2. As such, Challenge rightly finds itself as a priority in the 2021/22 School Improvement Plan. 

With this in mind, the Royal Liberty School aims to minimize the risk of high prior attaining students not making sufficient progress by implementing a programme to support HPA students. 

Rationale

The success of HPAs is a cornerstone of the school’s plans with the proportion of 7-9 grades at GCSE a key focus in the current SIP. This policy will outline the ways in which the school will designate HPAs, and the methods in place to track their progress, intervene when necessary and ultimately increase the conversion of their potential into top grades at KS4.  

Additionally, the Royal Liberty School is committed to providing an environment that encourages all students to maximise their potential. This will be achieved through a focus not only on challenge, but also on readiness and aspiration. Further information on Royal Liberty School’s approach to challenge can be found in the Challenge Policy.

The Challenge Policy aims to be more inclusive in its nature and is therefore focused on raising achievement throughout the school, meeting the needs of all learners at all levels of advantage. Provision for Challenge and for more able learners is the responsibility of all members of staff at The Royal Liberty School; by raising the achievement of the more able we aim to raise the achievement of all students within the school.

Definition and Identification of High Prior Attainers

The impact of Covid-19 on schools nationwide has made the process of assessing potential far more complex. Current KS3 students have no SATs data from which to draw and KS4 students have had the past two and a half years in and out of the classroom with inevitable variations in the provision of and engagement with online learning during school closures. The result of this disruption is that our ability and rationale to designate High Prior Attainment, High Achiever status or even progress against existing data has been severely impacted. With this in mind this policy aims to recognise these difficulties and temporarily adjust the Royal Liberty approach to High Prior Attainers. 

At The Royal Liberty School high prior attainers (HPA) are defined as students who have already demonstrated the potential to achieve highly in education. From 2021/22 where KS2 data is unavailable, in house aptitude tests should assist in designating students of high potential. Departments will identify any students they believe have the potential to achieve grade 7-9 in their subject. These students are then defined as high potential students as they have the ability to achieve the very top grades in one or more subjects. These students can be identified regardless of being classified as HPA.

It is currently expected that Standard Assessment Tests (SATs) at the end of KS2 will resume as normal for Year 6 students in Summer 2022. As a result, for Year 7 students in the 2022-2023 academic year, KS2 data will return to being the primary indicator of prior attainment and the basis from which HPA designation will occur from Year 7 onwards. 

Aims of the HPA Policy

• To ensure that HPA students are promptly identified through relevant data and classroom performance

• To monitor the progress of HPA students throughout their time at Royal Liberty

• To make supportive interventions where the progress of HPA students falls behind expected rates

• To curate a programme of activities and events design to support the progress of HPA students

• To ensure that additional extra-curricular opportunities for the challenge of HPA students are collated and advertised appropriately

It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that HPA progress is monitored within their respective subject. Heads of Department and the Challenge Coordinator should be informed of any significant issues. Further the Challenge Coordinator will collate relevant data after each data drop to track the progress of HPA students. 

Provision for High Prior Attainers

Royal Liberty School will meet the needs of able students by:

• ability setting is implemented in certain subjects e.g. Mathematics, English, and Science.

• using relevant data to track and monitor achievement to ensure that students make expected progress in line with national data with interventions to address underachievement.

• ensuring appropriate pastoral care is available where required to help more able students to achieve their potential.

• making sure student outcomes and achievements are shared with the school community through various curricular and extracurricular showcase events and through the school newsletter, website and Twitter page.

• ensuring the professional development programme for staff includes relevant aspects of more able provision.

• making available a wide ranging extracurricular provision including: competitions and national challenges, creative and Performing Arts events, engaging with external societies and groups which specialise in their field of interest. (Due to COVID 19 some of these activities may have to be cancelled or delivered through an online platform).

• planning key events during the year, such as awards evening & aspirational visits and trips to promote university education. (Due to COVID 19 some of these activities may have to be cancelled or delivered through an online platform).

• giving support to parents and students to aim high in education in a number of ways. E.g. parents evenings, revision workshops & achievement reviews.

• Providing staff with subject specific methods to incorporate challenge for HPAs in lessons 

The extra-curricular programme for HPAs may include:

• University visits 

• Termly activities in all subjects aimed directly at challenging HPA students (engagement and uptake to be monitored and managed by Challenge Coordinator)

• A-Level taster sessions in KS4

• Internship opportunities offered through the InvestIn partnership

• Support for applications to selective colleges (including access to Eton X and Eton summer school programmes)

• Inter-trust competitions

• Local and national competitions

• Full details of the extracurricular programme can be found on the website

Further information on the general programme for Challenge can be found within the Teaching and Learning policy.