Twitter Wall

Twitter Wall

13/11/23

Thank you to all our staff and students who represented the whole school community at our Service of Remembrance this morning. pic.twitter.com/Jp3dafkNOA

10/11/23

Thank you to all our staff and students who represented the whole school community at our Service of Remembrance this morning. pic.twitter.com/ckZYHPR2gT

09/11/23

Canteen staff put on a marvellous spread this afternoon as we celebrated Diwali! 🥳 The food was delicious and the students loved dancing away to the music. Happy Diwali everyone 🕯 pic.twitter.com/MjwX0Pa2Wf

08/11/23

Don't forget to come and celebrate Diwali tomorrow afternoon in the Canteen where there's lots of delicious food on offer! 😋 pic.twitter.com/ExgmTs1TsR

31/10/23

This morning Mr Place, Head of School, joined by Mrs Small, Head of Year 8, met with some brilliant Year 8 students who have recently received top Attitude to Learning scores. They gave some fantastic feedback whilst enjoying hot chocolate and cookies. Keep working hard! pic.twitter.com/C8CcOKiBVo

31/10/23

Come along to our 'Get into Teaching' event and find out about training with and and ask any questions you might have about our courses. Also several online options visit our website to register https://t.co/nJmPLgfBrx pic.twitter.com/shu1hvb8xO

31/10/23

Art Club were getting into the spirit of Halloween last night, look at these spooky creations! 🎃 pic.twitter.com/TbnigWlIhP

31/10/23

Exciting news! de Stafford School is now an approved centre for the "Your Time" programme, designed to help girls build the confidence needed to become leaders in sport. This is a fantastic opportunity for de Stafford and the Year 10 & 11 girls can't wait to take part! pic.twitter.com/hs7Qw2JseH

30/10/23

Come and celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights with us next Thursday 9th November. Our canteen have a range of delicious food on offer so make sure you don't miss out! pic.twitter.com/FIa6AgZIDS

20/10/23

It's time to be creative for DLD day, or week! Let's be a champion for people with DLD everyday of the year! pic.twitter.com/YBQoBxObd9

20/10/23

has been referred to as the most common disability you’ve never heard of. With 7.6% of the population having (that’s approx 2 in every class) we continue to raise awareness We know that the right support can really help pupils who have DLD pic.twitter.com/Wp4ghjOz3m

19/10/23

This morning Mr Place, Head of School, met with this amazing group of Year 7 students who have recently received top Attitude to Learning scores. They gave some fantastic feedback and enjoyed a hot chocolate and a cookie. Well done to you all and keep up the great work! pic.twitter.com/jVkG3VxTY9

19/10/23

Our hardworking Year 11 students attending their Further Maths after school sessions. Keep up the hard work everyone 👏 pic.twitter.com/de2v5rxuIQ

16/10/23

On Friday 13 October, we were delighted to welcome Mrs Hills, a research scientist, to present on her work in the field of pathology and strain typing of animal diseases. A huge thank you to Mrs Hills for taking the time to share her professional experience with us! pic.twitter.com/vT0OnsGdXB

09/10/23

We are thrilled to announce that our Macmillan Coffee Morning raised over £800! Thank you to all our students, parents, carers and local community who helped to make this possible. We are incredibly proud of all our students who spent so much time and effort baking! pic.twitter.com/vohH645Cz5

03/10/23

📣 Last few dates remaining! Slots are filling up fast, so please visit our website to book a School Tour 👍https://t.co/fM7z91j86d

28/09/23

🍰Parents/carers are warmly invited to join us from 11am - 12pm tomorrow for a coffee and slice of cake in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support 🍰 pic.twitter.com/xuBzwzKEp5

27/09/23

Year 8 students have been busy making Pizza in Food Technology today🍕. Chefs of the day go to Cameron B and Leon W! Your Pizzas look delicious, well done 🥳 pic.twitter.com/aKrDa5dOSe

27/09/23

Local Officers from Surrey Police visited the school to discuss tackling Violence Against Women & Girls (VAGW). Students were really engaged and found the session very beneficial. Thank you pic.twitter.com/xvBst6q2GV

25/09/23

We really look forward to showing you what we have to offer here at de Stafford and there is still time for you and your child to come and visit us during the school day. Slots are filling up fast, so please visit our website to book a School Tour 👍https://t.co/fM7z91j86d pic.twitter.com/SvS8imMAcy

Most Able

At de Stafford, we are committed to teaching in a way which positively challenges all students and enables them to reach their full potential. We look to provide effective learning opportunities across the curriculum both within the classroom and through our enrichment programme.

One way we achieve this is through our work with ‘most able’ students and high aspirers.

 

What does the term ‘most able’ mean?

Essentially, these are students who performed notably well at the end of KS2.

They are identified at the start of their time with us using their end of KS2 data (SATs) and another form of accredited, baseline testing (CATs) which we do in school here at the start of Year 7.

These students are flagged using the label ‘most able’. We monitor this cohort throughout their school career to ensure that we are doing all we can to support them to achieve their potential.

 

How do we support these students?

  • Regular pastoral and progress meetings.
  • Access to opportunities through partnerships, for example, with Reigate College and Caterham School.
  • A wide range of extra-curricular opportunities. These include clubs as well as excursions and school trips. Many of the activities and clubs listed on the Enrichment timetable are open to all students but would be particularly beneficial for ‘most able’ students. A small number of activities are run on an invitation basis.
  • Subject-specific signposting to further reading and opportunities for high challenge in lesson time.
  • Raising aspirations. This is done by talking about college or university courses and careers where subjects are relevant. By having links with companies and people from different industries students can see and hear firsthand where their hard work gets them.
  • Most crucially, we work to ensure that our teaching is engaging and challenging for all students. We are led by research into the most effective teaching strategies; we share best practice; and we are accountable for the progress of all our students. We work hard to promote and develop higher order thinking for all students.

 

How can I support my ‘most able’ / high aspiring child?

  • Encourage your child to try new things and step out of their comfort zone. It is important to learn to fail in safe environment and learning new skills develops resilience and problem-solving.
  • Encourage creative thinking and curiosity. For example, think of “I wonder..?” questions and explore the answers. For example: I wonder when it became legal to…; I wonder who first discovered that these ingredients make cake; I wonder who invented…; I wonder how that works…?
  • Board games are great for strategic thinking.
  • Support them to read around and research whatever they are studying that is of interest to them. There are many articles available on the internet. Their teacher should be able to signpost some good further reading for them if they are stuck.
  • Encourage them to read for pleasure. Research shows that this is incredibly powerful.
  • Ask them about what they are learning and challenge them to remember details. This process is great for making sure that what they learn sticks.

 

My child is very bright but is not on the ‘most able’ list. What are you doing to support them?

The opportunities we provide for our ‘most able’ cohort are open to all.

The ‘most able’ label is in many ways for internal monitoring: it allows us to track a certain group of students through their secondary education as a guide for how we are doing as a school. Any student who shows aptitude and a desire to stretch themselves will be positively challenged and supported to excel, regardless of how they performed at the end of KS2.