At Wren Academy Enfield, the achievement of all is valued and celebrated. Within this, we recognise our responsibility to ensure that our students who have been identified as working at a higher academic level receive the necessary support and challenge, which will enable them to achieve the best possible grades and equip them to apply to the most prestigious university courses and employment opportunities. In the last few years, many Wren Academy Sixth Formers have been selected to study at a range of Oxbridge colleges or for competitive courses such as Medicine, Law and Veterinary Science.
Aims
- To identify all the children that are learning at a high level and to then develop teaching strategies and classroom activities, which will enrich and extend their learning or talents.
- To provide support and challenge throughout all phases that enables Higher Attaining Learners to achieve the highest GCSE and A Level outcomes.
- To offer an extracurricular, enrichment and activities week programme that will broaden the education of our Higher Attaining Learners and in time support them in creating suitable applications for the most prestigious Higher Education establishments.
- In due course, to encourage and support our higher attainers in creating ambitious plans for their future employment through outreach programmes, involving visiting speakers from a vast range of employment/educational fields, and our in-house careers education and guidance programme.
In the Classroom
The Wren Academy curriculum is designed to provide challenge for all, but particularly for students learning beyond age related expectations. We ensure that these students are given opportunities to develop the skills and understanding required for the top GCSE grades and throughout their time at school, which then leads them to achieve A*s in their A Levels.
Our commitment to continuing professional development for our teaching and support staff ensures that lessons are thought-provoking, and students are encouraged to think of unexpected answers and solutions to problems through our use of targeted, open-ended questioning strategies. All teaching staff are expected to identify the highest attaining students in their classes and provide evidence that they are challenging these students to extend their learning.
Outside of the Classroom
We know that new interests can be sparked and skills developed by experiencing learning outside of the classroom. This is why all students have access to two hours of compulsory enrichment classes each week that cover a wide range of academic and educational disciplines. In addition, there are extracurricular activities and an extensive activities week which are both used to develop the interests of our students. Many of these opportunities are open to all, but we aim to ensure that our Higher Attaining Learners are encouraged and supported to engage in the activities which provide stretch and challenge:
- CREST awards
- UKMT Maths Challenge
- Bebras Computing Challenge
- Debating
- Coding
- Creative Writing
From Year 8 onwards the highest attaining students are invited to attend a weekly Critical Thinking group which takes place after school each week. The group provides students with a range of opportunities delivered through a varied programme which includes Literature, Science, and the arts. Students are prompted to develop reasoning and debating skills as they increase their cultural awareness and discover more about an exciting range of disciplines. Subject specialists from within the school are engaged to provide stimulating degree level learning to motivate and challenge the students. Visiting speakers are also organised to inspire the students and increase their understanding of the many opportunities available to them in the future. Members of the group have recently attended a Theology Workshop at Oxford University and a Languages Conference at Berkhamsted School.
Our enrichment and extracurricular programme changes each academic year as new teachers join the school and are encouraged to add to the wealth of opportunity available for all our students.
Talented in a Particular Subject
Students who are talented in a particular subject are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities available to support in their specialist subjects.
This could involve providing support with open evenings, mentoring or teaching younger students, running or supporting with our enrichment programme or extracurricular clubs, interviewing prospective staff and working with teachers to develop new teaching strategies as Curriculum Advisors.
Every opportunity is taken to encourage and enhance the talents and skills of Wren students.