“Your talent is God’s gift to you; what you do with it is your gift to God.”
Leo Buscaglia
Archbishop Holgate’s School is committed to developing the full potential of each member of the school community, within the context set by its mission, its strategic aims, and its Christian values as a Church of England school. Care for the individual is central to our mission as a Church of England school, we are committed to equal opportunities for all and believe that every student, whatever their ability, has the right to be challenged and encouraged to develop to their full potential.
The school sees enhancement of learning opportunities for the most able students as a natural progression in meeting the needs of all and as a school community we seek to foster a climate of ‘scholastic excellence’ for the benefit of every learner. All students at Archbishop Holgate’s School are encouraged to speculate, be creative and develop independence through a range of learning opportunities. We believe that our dynamic, engaging, enriching curriculum, which challenges and inspires, fosters a love of learning and engenders the excitement of discovery, is a vital part of meeting the needs of our more able students.
As a school we are all to aware that to label a student ‘Most Able & Willing’ can be too general, and in many cases students can show different aptitudes for different subjects, and we take seriously the importance of differentiating between fascination/enthusiasm and high ability in a subject area.
Who are able, gifted and talented learners?
Most Able Learners
The most able students are those learners who achieve, or demonstrate the potential to achieve, at the highest levels in comparison to children at a similar age or stage in their education. Each subject assess for the identification of most able & willing in their curriculum area, as measured through actual and potential performance in a curriculum area or discipline. At Archbishop Holgate’s many pupils are identified as most able & willing in one subject; only those who are most able & willing in five subject areas or more are recorded on our most able register.
Willing and Able Students
The students classed as willing and able are students who take a particular interest or talent in a subject that might go beyond the curriculum. As a school we feel it’s important to nurture this enthusiasm and develop a student’s understanding and experience in this subject area. As with the most able, students will be identified by the class teacher as Gifted and Talented in this subject, and will be given the opportunity throughout the year to explore this subject further, whether through masterclasses put on by teachers, lunchtime clubs or mentoring by older students.
Our register of able, gifted and talented students is a working document that is updated on an annual basis. Parents will be notified of their child’s identification as most able & willing and specific opportunities available to students will be communicated. Identification takes place through subject specialist teachers, as those best placed to help realise and develop those pupils with the potential for excellent performance in their subjects. Identification is based on qualitative and quantitative data and is supplemented by the registers of our feeder schools which are communicated during the KS2 to KS3 transition process.
What provisions are in place for most able & willing learners?
Most able & willing provision is evidenced most strongly through the outstanding classroom provision in all subjects. Students are challenged, stretched and extended in every lesson by developmental ‘bright sparks’ tasks, and are encouraged to develop their creativity, independence and communication. most able & willing students are encouraged to take up leadership positions within the school and are offered the opportunity to do so through peer mentoring, the prefect system, the school council and the Sixth Form Senate.
| Year Group | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Y7 Breakthrough Projects | Students who may have lack of experience (e.g. at primary school or through elder siblings) of academic enrichment activities, especially those run through the York ISSP, are invited to the ISSP Breakthrough Event in October and then specifically invited to and encouraged to attend all subsequent ISSP events for the remainder of their time at AHS. |
| York University Science Lecture | Students are given the opportunity to attend engaging lectures at York University by leading experts in different scientific fields. | |
| History Nerds | Students are given the opportunity to work with students from across York as part of the History Clio group. They will attend History lectures by leading experts and focus on additional Historical skills and knowledge away from the curriculum. | |
| ISSP Masterclasses | Students are given the opportunity to work with students from across York as part of the History Clio group. They will attend History lectures by leading experts and focus on additional Historical skills and knowledge away from the curriculum. | |
| Reading Extension Tasks | Students are given the opportunity to expand their literacy experiences through a reading task set once a half term that focusses on a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction. In addition to this student are presented with a menu of extension work related to the text they are reading. | |
| Student Mentoring | Students identified as Most Able will work with older students (KS4 subject ambassadors?) to expand their interest and understanding in different areas of the curriculum. | |
| ISSP Summer School | A chance for students to study a single topic in depth over the course of four consecutive days in the summer holidays, working with teachers and students from across York. | |
 | Public Speaking Competition | Students will speak publicly on the topic of current affairs in front of the York Civic trust and the Lord Mayor of York. |
| ISSP Masterclasses | A chance to develop knowledge and understanding in different areas of the curriculum, whilst working with teachers from across the city as part of the independent/state school partnership | |
| York University Science Lecture | Students are given the opportunity to attend engaging lectures at York University by leading experts in different scientific fields. | |
| Reading Extension Tasks | Students are given the opportunity to expand their literacy experiences through a reading task set once a half term that focusses on a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction. In addition to this student are presented with a menu of extension work related to the text they are reading. | |
| Student Mentoring | Students identified as Most Able will work with older students to expand their interest and understanding in different areas of the curriculum. | |
| History Nerds | Students are given the opportunity to work with students from across York as part of the History Clio group. They will attend History lectures by leading experts and focus on additional Historical skills and knowledge away from the curriculum. | |
| ISSP Maths Excellence Club | An opportunity for the most able KS3 mathematicians to engage in fun activities deepening their love and understanding of mathematics | |
| ISSP Summer School: | A chance for students to study a single topic in depth over the course of four consecutive days in the summer holidays, working with teachers and students from across York. | |
 | GCSE Latin | Students will begin to study GCSE Latin as part of the ISSP course. Students will attend one after school lesson at week at either Bootham or St Peter’s School. Students will sit the examination in the summer of Y10. |
| AHS Masterclasses | Students are given the opportunity to work outside of the curriculum in subjects they find interesting and engaging. | |
| Student Mentoring | Students identified as Most Able will work with older students to expand their interest and understanding in different areas of the curriculum. | |
| Reading Extension Tasks | Students are given the opportunity to expand their literacy experiences through a reading task set once a half term that focusses on a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction. In addition to this student are presented with a menu of extension work related to the text they are reading. | |
| History Nerds | Students are given the opportunity to work with students from across York as part of the History Clio group. They will attend History lectures by leading experts and focus on additional Historical skills and knowledge away from the curriculum. | |
| ISSP Maths Excellence Club | An opportunity for the most able KS3 mathematicians to engage in fun activities deepening their love and understanding of mathematics | |
| ISSP Autumn Residential: | An opportunity for the most able KS3 mathematicians to engage in fun activities deepening their love and understanding of mathematics. | |
| ISSP Autumn Residential: | Students are given the opportunity to attend a residential (e.g. in the Lakes District) where they can take part in Masterclasses and outdoor activities during the October Half Term holiday with other students from York. | |
| ISSP Summer School | A chance for students to study a single topic in depth over the course of four consecutive days in the summer holidays, working with teachers and students from across York. | |
 | GCSE Latin: | Students will continue to study GCSE Latin as part of the ISSP course. Students will attend one after school lesson at week at either Bootham or St Peter’s School. Students will sit the examination in the summer of Y10. |
| GCSE Astronomy | Students will begin to study GCSE Astronomy as part of the ISSP course. Students will attend one after school lesson at week at either Bootham or St Peter’s School. Students will sit the examination in the summer of Y10. There is a short examination for this course. | |
| AHS Masterclasses | Students are given the opportunity to work outside of the curriculum in subjects they find interesting and engaging. | |
| Reading Extension Tasks | Students are given the opportunity to expand their literacy experiences through a reading task set once a half term that focusses on a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction. In addition to this student are presented with a menu of extension work related to the text they are reading. | |
| History Nerds | Students are given the opportunity to work with students from across York as part of the History Clio group. They will attend History lectures by leading experts and focus on additional Historical skills and knowledge away from the curriculum. | |
| ISSP Summer School | A chance for students to study a single topic in depth over the course of four consecutive days in the summer holidays, working with teachers and students from across York. | |
 | GCSE Astronomy: | Students will continue to study GCSE Astronomy as part of the ISSP course. Students will attend one after school lesson at week at either Bootham or St Peter’s School. Students will sit the examination in the summer of Y11. |
| GCSE Further Maths | Students are given the opportunity to work outside of the curriculum in subjects they find interesting and engaging. | |
| History Nerds | Students are given the opportunity to work with students from across York as part of the History Clio group. They will attend History lectures by leading experts and focus on additional Historical skills and knowledge away from the curriculum. | |
| Alumni Talk | Former students talk to Most Able students about career opportunities and competitive University placements at Oxbridge and Russell Group Universities. | |
| ISSP Summer School | A chance for students to study a single topic in depth over the course of two or three consecutive days in the summer holidays, working with teachers and students from across York. | |
 | National Debate Competition | Students are given the opportunity to take part in a regional debate competition, with the winner going on to compete against other students nationally. The debate topic changes annually, and is based on current affairs. |
| PIXL University Conference | Students aiming for competitive University entry will attend a conference put on by PIXL6 aimed at advice and guidance on selecting the right course and increasing their chances of a University offer | |
| History Nerds | Students are given the opportunity to work with students from across York as part of the History Clio group. They will attend History lectures by leading experts and focus on additional Historical skills and knowledge away from the curriculum. | |
| Alumni Talk | Former students talk to CA students about career opportunities and competitive University placements at Oxbridge and Russell Group Universities. | |
| Oxbridge Application Mentoring | Students applying to Oxford or Cambridge will be given one to one mentoring by members of staff, along with support with their entry exam preparation and mock interviews. | |
| WEX | opportunity to utilise compulsory WEX period and Enrichment period each week to extend experience | |
| Social Mobility | all opportunities are checked for eligibility and targeted recruitment facilitated | |
| Competitive Admissions Test tuition
| variety of tests given 3hrs of tuition prior to sitting the test to support effective and informed preparation (2022 UCAT, BMAT, MAT) | |
| Medify Subscription
| to support with admissions test and application prep | |
| Competitive Admissions Interview Coaching
| (1) External Interview coach talk to all potential CA students and proposed staff mentors in July Enrichment week. (2) Internal staff mock interviews with all potential CA students (summer enrichment week OR September early doors). (3) Weekly/fortnightly focused target driven mentoring session (15-30mins) on specific Qs that posed a problem in mock interviews or based on feedback from mock and info from coaching Rotary Club external mock | |
| Rugby School STEM Self-Paced Learning
| Students of Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Maths or Physics have access to a revision resources made by Rugby School to support effective consolidation and application | |
 | National Debate Competition | Students are given the opportunity to take part in a regional debate competition, with the winner going on to compete against other students nationally. The debate topic changes annually, and is based on current affairs. |
| Oxbridge Application Mentoring | Students applying to Oxford or Cambridge will be given one to one mentoring by members of staff, along with support with their entry exam preparation and mock interviews. | |
| Medify Subscription | To support with admissions test and application prep | |
| Competitive Admissions Interview Coaching
| (1) External Interview coach talk to all potential CA students and proposed staff mentors in July Enrichment week. (2) Internal staff mock interviews with all potential CA students (summer enrichment week OR September early doors). (3) Weekly/fortnightly focused target driven mentoring session (15-30mins) on specific Qs that posed a problem in mock interviews or based on feedback from mock and info from coaching Rotary Club external mock. | |
| Rugby School STEM Self-Paced Learning
| Students of aths, Biology, Chemistry, Maths or Physics have access to a revision resources made by Rugby School to support effective consolidation and application |
How is progress monitored?
The progress of all students is monitored rigorously through whole school systems and communicated to parents through the student planner and formal reporting. The Assistant Head with responsibility for ‘Most Able & Willing’ also monitors the progress of ‘Most Able & Willing’ students across their range of subjects providing intervention and action plans for those students at risk of underachieving.
How can parents and carers help?
Parents and carers are asked to inform the school of gifts and aptitudes their children may have and encourage their child’s participation in a range of enrichment activities, both inside and outside of the school. To support their child at home, parents should refer to the ‘Bright Sparks’ challenges in the newsletter and encourage their child to enter each half term. If parents or carers have any further questions about able, gifted and talented provision at the school they are encouraged to contact Mr Nick Avery, Assistant Head with responsibility for ‘Most Able & Willing’ .