Teaching & Learning Policy

More Able and Talented Policy

At Carlton, we have a ‘More able and talented’ (MA&T) policy to ensure that those who fall on our MA&T register are having their needs met in terms of being challenged in the classroom as well as providing opportunities to participate in extra learning opportunities both during and outside of school hours.

How do we support this?

At Carlton we adopt the following strategies and interventions to provide challenges and additional opportunities for our more able and talented pupils:

High-Quality Teaching:

In class, children are challenged through deeper learning activities and by working with peers of all abilities. Teachers can extend work for the more able pupils through the use of higher-level questioning and activities that are aimed at the top level of Bloom’s taxonomy model (see image below). Additionally, pupils who are more able also tutor and help others in the class to deepen their understanding and develop their explanatory skills. The Growth Mindset approach is also embedded throughout school so that children become confident, resilient and responsible individuals.

Targeted Support:

If a child needs extending over and above the support given in everyday high-quality teaching then group intervention support can be offered. Examples of groups we run for our more able pupils include…

Workshops:  Half or full-day workshops are run in school or at another local school, normally a high school, for pupils with guests and teachers that specialise in particular areas e.g. science, maths, authors etc.

Sports Coaching:  At Carlton, we have specialist sports teachers who provide lunchtime sports clubs throughout the year. Some of our pupils who are more able or have a skill in a particular sport can help out at these after school clubs and teach/coach other pupils alongside the teacher.

Art Development:  Identified pupils have worked with a local artist to create bespoke pieces of art that are now displayed in our school.

What else do we do?

Some pupils will need more personalised and individual plans/programmes to ensure that they are being encouraged to achieve to the best of their ability and are therefore provided with extra booster clubs before and after school.

We are also a mastery specialist school which uses the NCETM materials to support the teaching of maths. The mastery approach focuses on developing fluency and skills that enable children to make wider links and also see how mathematics is essential in the real world.

 What can you do?

If you believe that your child may have a particular talent in a subject or skill then please contact the school office for a form. We would love to know what your child might do outside school and provide them with support, activities and information on how to develop that talent further.