Ofsted Inspections – Outstanding Schools – Most Able pupils

In this series of articles, we are looking at Ofsted inspectors' comments on schools which they have judged to be outstanding. In this article, we'll have a look at their comments regarding the "most able" pupils (typically pupils which a high Prior Attainment). The attainment and progress of most able pupils It is not surprising that in these schools the most able pupils are working above age-related expectations. However, it seems that these pupils exceed even the high attainment shown nationally for high prior attainers: Teachers also ensure that the most able are regularly challenged to reach and exceed high targets. The most able pupils made outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics.The most able pupils in the school attain particularly well compared with similar pupils nationally. It should be noted that, under the KS2 Progress calculation methodology, there is a lower cap on how much progress can be measured for high prior attainers compared to others. For example, a Level 3 student...
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Ofsted inspections – Good schools – most able pupils

In this series of articles about "good" schools (according to Ofsted), we'll be looking at Ofsted inspectors' comments regarding high prior attaining pupils. This article is about most able pupils. School Inspection Handbook Paragraph 195 of the most recent Ofsted School Inspection Handbook (September 2018) includes: Inspectors will pay particular attention to whether the most able pupils are making progress towards attaining the highest standards and achieving as well as they should across the curriculum. They will also consider whether the most able pupils are receiving the support they need to reach their full potential. However, as we have previously seen (Greater Depth/High Score Standards), Ofsted's comments regarding the higher standard inclined towards schools being below the National Average. So what do the same inspectors say about the most able pupils. Achieving results Away from the attainment statistics, Ofsted inspectors are more appreciative of the ability of high prior attainers and, when matched up with appropriate expectations, they achieving the results expected for them: The most...
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