High Achievers at Trinity
It is crucial to us at Trinity that students of all abilities thrive. Our most able students are no exception. Whilst every student is an individual who through daily unique interactions with staff are challenged and stretched, here is how we seek to support a culture of high achievement.
Curriculum
Of primary importance in stretching our most able students is ensuring that the curriculum is fit for purpose. That the courses of study children embark on in year 7 will equip them to achieve top grades at GCSE and beyond.
Our curriculum is rich in knowledge and provides at Key Stage 3 the basis for a rich understanding in each subject area. We believe that all children should have access to the best of what we have to offer and are determined that all children should have their sights set on achieving outstanding outcomes. Our most able students are encouraged to study a full English Baccalaureate curriculum from year 7 through to GCSE, including at least one modern foreign language. This ensures the most able are challenged through a broad and balanced curriculum appropriate to their abilities. We expect and encourage our most able to take on leadership roles within the co-curricular programme.
Our curriculum is arranged to support progression to A level and our popular 6th form offer enables students to access facilitating subjects and a wide range of higher education opportunities beyond. The sixth form is rapidly developing a track record of students regularly winning places at some of the UK’ s most prestigious universities, including Oxbridge and Russell Group Universities.
Groupings
Whilst most classes are taught as mixed groups in Key Stage 3, there is a top group for some subjects designed to allow students to be challenged through deeper questioning and extension tasks. These students still follow the same core content as all students and are assessed using the same assessments as would be the case in national examinations.
Students in Key Stage 4 are grouped to ensure that courses are taught fully, with every student able to access the top grades. Importantly, we have seen top grades across all subjects at GCSE, with many students each year achieving 8s and 9s in all subjects.
Careers and higher education
A programme runs throughout the school giving students the opportunity to experience aspects of higher education and consider applications to medical courses and to Oxbridge.
Demonstration/modelling
Teachers teach to the very highest grades, sharing model answers and examples of outstanding work for all students to emulate. We scaffold down to help students meet high expectations, always with the intention of exposing our students to the absolute best. Teachers demonstrate strong answers to different problems and questions to ensure that there are high expectations on all students including our most capable.
Knowing the individual
When asked about stretching our most able students, staff will talk about knowing their students and feeding back personally where necessary. The progress of the most able is regularly tracked at subject and whole school level and if necessary additional support is offered to ensure individuals exceed their potential.
In all areas of school life, we look to offer opportunities to lead others. The classroom is no different and high achieving students are often given opportunities to excel, from being class ambassadors to leading teams representing the school.
