More Able
At Capital City Academy we aim to help every single student reach their full potential through high-quality teaching and learning, stimulating extra-curricular opportunities and a shared commitment to developing global citizens. Every student is recognised as an individual and we cater for each individual’s needs. In line with this, we have developed a statement of intentions for students who have been identified as more able. The aim of the statement is to outline the Academy’s endeavours in helping those students develop aspirational ambitions, succeed academically and effectively prepare for successful futures.
Extracurricular opportunities:
At Capital, we have an extensive extracurricular programme that has been crafted to support our high achieving students. If your child is classified as ‘more able’, they should be attending at least one of the following activities:
- Academic extension meetings (once per half term)
- Supported independent study sessions (Y10/Y11 only)
- Journalism club
- KS3 or KS4 book clubs
- Afterschool TEDtalks (Y7/Y8 only)
- University trips and higher education outreach
- Speakers4Schools virtual and in-person lectures
- Asset group LAs (by invite only)
- Capital 6 Capital Asset Programme
- Capital 6 Lead Ambassadors
What is offered in department areas?
English
- Integration of additional texts to supplement core texts.
- Applying current affairs and key historical events to texts.
- Applying philosophical and ethical questions to texts.
- Introducing literary theory and criticism.
- Allowing students to form their own questions to respond to.
- Allowing students to construct responses in small groups or pairs.
Maths
- Exploring abstract concepts (e.g. ideas and implications of ‘infinity’, pi, imaginary numbers, the cosmos and binary code)
- Introducing mathematical concepts beyond the curriculum for the year group.
- Encouraging students to set questions themselves, particularly those which can be applied to real-life examples
- Asking more able students to teach concepts to other students
- Encouraging participation in UKMT Maths challenges that stretch students' creative, visual and problem-solving abilities.
Science
- Insisting on absolute precision when using key terminology in written and oral tasks
- Exploring ethical and moral dilemmas in science
- Discussing current affairs relating to the subject
- Offering extended independent research-style projects
- Asking students to apply high-level concepts to everyday examples
- Asking students to research and present new concepts to their peers
Humanities
- Applying social and ethical dilemmas to certain topics
- Providing additional reading materials in humanities (e.g. articles from the periodical Geography Association magazine)
- Promoting enquiry-based learning
- In geography, students will be given additional homework in which they must do an extended task such as a poster, presentation or essay
- Asking students to research the basic facts about a topic at home in order that they can then study it in depth in lessons.
MFL
- Explore current affairs in the relevant country
- Providing students with authentic, challenging texts
- Using authentic culture based pictures for description work to challenge and extend vocabulary. (e.g. Tintin for French or Mafalda in Spanish)
- Exposing students to higher level grammatical structures
- Creating an element of mystery and problem-solving (e.g. exploring etymology)
- Enabling participation in trips and masterclasses to experience new concepts first hand
- Encourage students to engage in performing arts outside of the classroom (e.g. going to see performances in their own time)
- Encouraging attendance at after-school clubs to gain a deeper understanding on a smaller student-to-teacher ratio
- Integrate detailed knowledge about the history of art and movements, encouraging students to apply contextual analysis
- Using opening questions at the beginning of topics to enable students to create accounts and reasoned arguments at a relatively abstract or hypothetical level.
- Encouraging students to identify the successes of others and to celebrate them.
- Using visually exciting resources, including new technology to promote curiosity.
Performing Arts
- Enabling participation in trips and masterclasses
- Encouraging participation whole school performances
- Encourage students to engage in performing arts outside of the classroom (e.g. going to see performances in their own time)
- Asking more able students to lead sessions for younger students
- Allowing students the opportunity to read, watch, hear entire set work before practically exploring in a way that they can be engaged in questioning and analysis at a deeper level
PE
- Encourage participation in a range of extra-curricular initiatives
- Embedding specific wider reading tasks in SOW for homework and extension tasks (linking to tactics, rules and regulations in the sport- leadership and development of school core values.)
- Providing opportunities for students to respond in ways other than writing e.g. display work, role play and short video films.
- Give a set number of words to be used to make more able students think hard before they write, and make every word count.
- Discussing current affairs in sports
- Exploring more analytical aspects of sport (e.g. statistics and research, sports commentary)
If you have any questions or would like any more information on how to support your child in stretching and challenging themselves, please contact Ms Barnard, our Lead Teacher for More Able and Aspiration.
You can also refer to our More Able Statement of Intent for further information:
More Able Statement of Intent for 2022-23
