The Government wants to support schools in providing challenging and stretching educational opportunities for all pupils, including the most academically able.
The Government has:
- Made available Level 6 National Curriculum tests for Year 6 pupils in English reading, English writing and mathematics.
- This provides stretch for the most able primary school pupils, and enables the system to recognise and celebrate their progress.
- Introduced in the new teaching standards, a clear expectation for the first time of the need to support and challenge high-ability pupils.
- Introduced a new Ofsted school inspection framework which
- includes a tighter focus on the progress of particular groups of pupils, including the academically more able.
- Included in the performance tables information on the progress made by groups of pupils with different levels of attainment. This enables
- parents and others to see how well children of different abilities are catered for.
- Slimming down the National Curriculum so that it sets out only the essential knowledge all children should have, in order to create time and space for schools to develop deeper and more stimulating educational opportunities, including the most able
- Ensured that the English Baccalaureate allows sufficient time beyond the e-Bacc subjects for all pupils.
- This enables the most able to pursue wider study in areas which reflect their personal interests and support their aims for work or further study.
- Continued the Dux Awards scheme in 2013.
- To encourage the recognition and reward of top performing pupils in Year 9 (14 year olds).
- Introduced two new destination measures as part of the performance tables to ensure schools focus on progression for all their pupils.
- The measures will show pupil destinations one year after the end of Key Stages 4 and 5, including their entry into further education, employment and training.
