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15/03/24

Dear Parents & Carers,Please take a look at this week's review to see what's been happening in and around our school.https://t.co/vEurh4dJkzHave a lovely weekend! pic.twitter.com/EFDPVAFs6M

15/03/24

Come and join our Science Team in this exciting Head of Science role. More details can be found at https://t.co/zYkULfVyqZ pic.twitter.com/ahZTCqokFv

14/03/24

Yr10s working hard during the RE ‘Walking Talking Mock’! Getting everybody exam ready. pic.twitter.com/vQ1KD2GTy8

14/03/24

Our year 8’s were practicing using revision clocks today for their mid unit revision. Some great clocks and revision taking place. pic.twitter.com/eCEeTOxRpn

13/03/24

An amazing shot of the joint secondary school orchestra at the end of tonight’s fantastic trust concert. Congratulations to all the pupils and staff who put on a wonderful show! pic.twitter.com/7ktrS5m45c

13/03/24

This photo sums up a very excited dance team who came 2nd place out of 40 schools in “The Great Big Dance Off” competition and are now through to the grand national finals and will compete against the best 18 schools in the country in July! Grand Finals here we come!💪🏻🤩 pic.twitter.com/2S1d6Fm8rN

12/03/24

Congratulations to Yr 10s who made it through to the District Final after a hard fought 2-1 win away at Chauncy. An outstanding strike from Charlie started us off before Freddie sealed the victory with a goal in the second half. A great team effort! ⚽️⚽️👏 pic.twitter.com/WxOG3AbsMv

11/03/24

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11/03/24

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11/03/24

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11/03/24

As Ramadan begins, we wish Ramadan Mubarak to all our Muslim families pic.twitter.com/sNgl7LATXs

10/03/24

Wishing all mums a happy Mother’s Day. Today, we celebrate everything you do for us! pic.twitter.com/1JYOkv6UOD

10/03/24

Great to start all my lessons today focusing on Libby Lane for IWD. pic.twitter.com/OEbvfhJRBW

08/03/24

Dear Parents & Carers,Please take a look at what's been going on in and around our school this week.Have a lovely weekend.https://t.co/l8l4WVrOQa pic.twitter.com/WAvyKd0Jpj

08/03/24

Today our Year 12 students met with to gain some interview experience, whilst receiving constructive feedback with regards to interview hints, tips and techniques.Thank you to the staff from Reynolds who gave up their time to help. pic.twitter.com/nxydtOBbBw

08/03/24

* * * Happy International Women's Day * * *from everyone at Robert Barclay Academy pic.twitter.com/oBPhLY3ZA0

07/03/24

Fantastic poster from to broaden the diversity in your classroom or library ❤️📚 pic.twitter.com/PrUef8DwEL

07/03/24

New Building ✅New Facilities ✅New Name 🤔We'll be opening our new home under a brand new name, with a new website to match!We're really excited to be taking this step and we can't wait to share more details with you allA cultural beacon coming to you very soon! pic.twitter.com/xaVh4ZSj4Z

07/03/24

Thank you for helping to inspire our children

07/03/24

A few favourites ✨ pic.twitter.com/253q3GcFtm

07/03/24

Mad Hatter and the White Rabbit 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ozU5f15hic

07/03/24

The staff and students have had a wonderful World Book Day today and raised lots of money for new books for the library. There have been some truly amazing outfits too! Here are a few from the day... pic.twitter.com/iEEs8tDN2J

05/03/24

DISTRICT CHAMPIONS! Congratulations to Year 8 Boys Sportshall Athletics team who finished in 1st place in this year’s competition. Great achievement boys 🏆🥇#TeamRBA pic.twitter.com/rISlbiykFX

01/03/24

Our year 9 geographers were out in Birmingham today conducting their very own fieldwork. Students designed their investigation from scratch and chose their own techniques. It was a great day and were a credit to the school. pic.twitter.com/SAuzdj21K0

01/03/24

Dear Parent and CarersTake a look at this week's review to see what's been happening in and around school. Have a lovely weekend!https://t.co/vEurh4dbv1 pic.twitter.com/IHB0l9nnXO

More Able Students (MASt)

At RBA, as part of the Scholars’ Education Trust, we believe that:

  1. All students are entitled to be stretched and challenged.
  2. Effective more able and talented provision improves teaching and learning within the classroom.
  3. By planning for MASt and talented students and scaffolding learning for all, aspirations and standards are raised.
  4. The focus on stretch and challenge is a key driver for whole school improvement.

At Robert Barclay Academy we are committed to ensuring all students achieve more than they ever thought possible, both academically and in other areas of their lives. To help More Able Students (MASt) meet their potential, we have key principles and procedures which we hope will provide the right support and environment for students at the top end of the ability range to thrive and reach their academic potential.

The key principles and procedures of our More Able Programme include:

  1. Identifying our More Able Students. We do this by using scaled scores stemming from their CAT and KS2 SATs results. In addition to this, departments are able to identify students as being talented in their specific area based on the department specific definitions.
  2. These students being challenged to a higher degree, and this is especially true in their daily lessons. Teachers to plan higher order thinking questions in their courses and these are differentiated to scaffold students’ learning. One of the Academy’s teaching and learning priorities is stretch and challenge which creates a greater understanding of topics covered, deepens metacognition and increases independence.
  3. Providing extra-curricular opportunities
  4. Providing careers information, advice and guidance package in liaison with local, national and international business links we have developed at the school.

Our aim from this is to strengthen the following from our More Able Students:

  • greater student independence and resilience.
  • an environment which enables and motivates students to want to learn new things.
  • an environment that motivates them to aspire to be the best they can be.

We understand that students shine in various areas. To support and challenge MASt, students’ grades from every subject are tracked 3 times annually to see if they are performing as they should be. This can lead to discussions with the student, parents and interventions to help them get back on track.

At the heart of delivering opportunities for growth to students is the teachers and the quality of teaching and learning. Our aim is to ensure all learners reach and ideally surpass their targets to achieve beyond their expectations.

As well as lessons there are ample enrichment opportunities for MASt, with a wide range of clubs and trips to cater for their needs. Different departments also run targeted MASt clubs or projects throughout the year. The curriculum is also supported with competitions and additional reading/tasks.

Parents and carers play an important role in unlocking the potential of More Able Students. Some ideas to help you help your child include:

  • Watching and discussing (eg BBC4) documentaries
  • Encouraging reading generally: novels, non-fiction books, newspapers and online articles
  • Listen to an interesting podcast series and then discuss it with them
  • Visit places of cultural importance
  • Discuss what they learnt at school and how they learnt it

How can MASt students help themselves?

  • Talk to your teachers about units that are coming up and prepare for them
  • Enrol in MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses)
  • Read around your study areas using the reading lists provided
  • Set up a study group with your friends
  • Ask your teachers if you have any questions

As co-ordinator for more able students, I welcome any thoughts or suggestions for you have for the MASt program at Robert Barclay Academy. Please feel free to get in touch.

Sophie Mars

SMars@robertbarclayacademy.co.uk

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