Most Able & Willing Learners

Our commitment to your child…

We hope that one of the reasons you chose for your child to attend Archbishop Holgate’s School was because of our commitment to ensuring John 10:10 permeates across our pastoral care, our personal development and our curriculum. Alongside our Christian Values we believe that John 10:10 emphasises everything we aspire for your children, our students. “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”. We want students to want as much as they can achieve for their lives, both personally and within their careers. As part of that it is important to highlight to students’ what opportunities can be taken to enhance their outcomes and future prospects. Not all children will aspire to remain in academia or pursue highly academic careers but for many, this is a way for them to improve life chances. Academia is not the only route and we are proud of the breadth of our curriculum to identify all strengths of the individual and carve a way to demonstrate and evidence them for future employers.

Over 60% of our students stay and continue their post-16 study with us and we see 80% of that cohort go on to their first-choice universities, with half of them going to Russell Group universities. 20% of our post-16 cohort go on to competitive apprenticeships at level 3 and above. Regardless of the destination, we encourage students to recognise the benefits of qualifications as the currency to a vast and varied range of career goals and aspirations.

Who are Most Able and Most Willing Students?

Most Able Students

The ‘Most Able’ term is the term currently used in education to categorise those within a cohort that have an above average academic ability. These students are expected to be identified early and encouraged to have high career aspirations.

ALL students at AHS experience opportunities to enrich and enhance, however we identify our most academically able by their CATs tests taken in Year 7. This is not an assumption that it is the only method of measuring ability but we believe it is a strong indicator of academic ability.

Year 7 CAT results offer valuable insights into a child’s current cognitive strengths. They serve as a roadmap for parents and schools to tailor teaching and provide targeted support where necessary.

A “good” Year 7 CAT score varies for each child depending on their academic journey. CAT scores are usually reported as “standard age scores” (SAS), comparing how well a student does against their peers.

When it comes to spotting giftedness, a score of 120-129 in multiple areas identifies a child as highly talented. If they score 130 or more, that’s a sign of outstanding intellectual ability.

(achievelearning.co.uk)

We, of course aim to provide context to these scores throughout their time at AHS and can take other factors into consideration such as exceeding target consistently and other academic accolades. Initially we will categorise your child as ‘Most Able’ if they have a CAT SAS of 120 or above.

Most Willing Students

We recognise that many children will not score 120 or above on their CAT assessment, or be considered to be intellectually outstanding, but that they are highly motivated, work extremely hard and are driven to achieve the very best that they can. We celebrate these children and are the most proud our ’Most Willing’ as they really are the epitome of John 10:10. Our commitment is to ensure that these children are recognised and pushed towards their aspirations consistently. We have created a Most Willing ‘Super Curriculum’ that means that your child can go the extra mile in their chosen subjects to further enrich their knowledge, critical thinking and reading opportunities.

What to expect from us…

• Each year group has a Most Able aim as they progress through the ‘AHS Journey’. There is also a list of the provision they should expect to be asked for participation in.

• For our Most Willing, they can elect to be a part of the Most Able offer as well as take advantage of the Most Willing Super Curriculum that our department leads have created for each key-stage.

• Expect your child’s subject teachers to know that they are identified as Most Able or Most Willing and know what they have participated in.

• Expect your child’s curriculum leaders to be analysing your child’s performance in-line with expected effort and progress, as a categorised Most Able or Most Willing child.

Our Most Willing and Able Welcome Newsletter is available here.