School’s award for helping talent

AN INDEPENDENT school in Wokingham has been re-accredited with an award which recognises its provision for talented pupils.

Holme Grange School, in Heathlands Road, was last month awarded the NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education) Challenge Award for excellence in provision for More Able and Talented Pupils.

NACE provides advice, support and resources for teachers of children with high abilities, whilst also enabling all pupils to flourish.

The school uses the Challenge Award Framework to audit and plan what it provides for more able and talented pupils.

The NACE assessor who visited the school said she was ‘impressed by the way the school has continued to develop its aspirational learning culture and the way in which pupils were seeking out and enjoying challenge.’

The assessor spent the day in school observing lessons, interviewing pupils, teachers and senior management and looking at pupils’ work.

The assessor said: “The language of challenge and learning is pervasive around the school…

This impacts on pupils as they see themselves as learners and can describe how challenge ‘makes you learn more and push yourself."

"Pupils speak positively about their learning experiences at school. They say that teachers push them ‘out of their comfort zone’ and that they are challenged in lessons.

They understand growth mindset and say that it has helped them become more resilient to take on new challenges. These approaches encourage pupils to work hard, be confident and achieve.”