NACE Challenge Award

Ewell Castle School Celebrates NACE Challenge Award accreditation

The National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) has named Ewell Castle School the 472nd school to be accredited with the NACE Challenge Award.  The award is given in recognition of school-wide commitment to high-quality provision for more able learners, within the context of challenge for all.

NACE CEO, Rob Lightfoot, said "Ewell Castle School has worked successfully to attain the NACE Challenge Award.  It has shown itself to be committed to developing an environment in which all learners are both challenged and supported to be the best they can be."  The award is based on the NACE Challenge Framework, which sets out criteria for high quality provision for more able learners within a wider ethos of challenge for all.  The framework is available as part of the NACE Challenge Development Programme - a suite of resources developed by NACE to help schools evaluate and improve their provision for more able learners.

NACE's assessor reported: "Ewell Castle has an inclusive ethos and a commitment to embedding challenge in the classroom and across the school ....[and is] committed to the best for every child.  Talents are explicitly recognised and celebrated.  Teachers actively seek to continually identify more able learners and provide learning opportunities to support this process. ... Pupils speak positively of their school, which they are proud to be a part of, and value the support and challenge they receive.  One pupil commented that " ....teachers all encourage us to thrive in all our lessons".  In the prep school, pupils speak with confidence about their 'learning muscles' and articulate the 4 'Rs' with clarity and understanding.  (Reciprocity, Resourcefulness, Resilience, and Reflectiveness). ... The climate for learning is positive, pupils are very well-behaved and have particularly good relationships with their teachers and each other.  Pupils are confident in questioning their teachers and challenging each other respectfully."

Improving provision for the more able remains a priority for many schools and has been highlighted by Ofsted as a key focus.  The experience and evidence gathered by Challenge Award-accredited schools also shows that effective strategies to improve provision for the more able are likely to have a positive impact on the achievement of a much wider group of learners.

To attain the Challenge Award, schools must complete a detailed self-evaluation using the NACE Challenge Framework, submit a portfolio of supporting evidence, and undertake assessment by a NACE associate.  The assessment process includes examination of school data and key documents, lesson observations, and interviews with school leaders, learners, parents and governors.

CEO, Rob Lightfoot,said, "The Challenge Award is presented in recognition of whole-school commitment to and achievement in providing effective challenge and support for all - spanning school leadership, curriculum, teaching and learning, processes for identification and tracking, extracurricular opportunities, strong communication and partnerships, and ongoing evaluation."

Ewell Castle will now be part of the international community of Challenge Award-accredited schools which have demonstrated a sustained and effective commitment to meeting the needs of more able learners, and an interest in sharing expertise for the wider benefit of the education community.

Find out more: www.nace.co.uk/challenge

Copy kindly supplied by National Association for Able Children in Education