St Martin's School
An independent, co-educational preparatory school.
We believe wholeheartedly that all children are individuals; they are all special in their own way and we seek to develop every child to be the very best that they can be. We recognise that some children are capable of high achievement working at a level significantly beyond their age. We believe that given the right opportunities there should be no ceiling to a child’s learning. St Martin’s School is a member of NACE (National Association for Able Children in Education) and actively seek to promote the learning of the gifted and talented children in the school. All children are recognised and have the opportunity to realise their potential.
All learners, particularly those whose attainment is exceeding school expectations, are encouraged to challenge themselves further. In all subjects we encourage children to self and peer evaluate their work to consider improvement points and try to apply these. We share the video Austin’s Butterfly to demonstrate that this is possible even for our youngest learners. In Maths we encourage pupils to stretch themselves by: using the commutative or inverse calculation to check their work; giving reasoning for their answers; applying the concept in context or creating their own examples as a word problem. In Reading this would be by: using the scaffold Point, Evidence, Explanation (PEE) to make a point about VIPERS and the autor’s intent for the reader with evidence using a quote from the text and an explanation from their own experiences or wider reading. In writing we encourage pupils to know and understand all parts of technical writing e.g. word classes at an early stage and up-level their work using this knowledge, VCOP and the success criteria. In foundation subjects, we share and encourage the use of technical vocabulary and encourage a deeper understanding of the subject’s process so that children can apply this to their own thoughtful questions; this is particuarly evident in Science where we ensure pupils understand the types of enquiry when working scientifically. Homework is open ended which allows the children to work independently and push themselves to be the very best that they can be.
In school, we operate additional 30 minute focus groups by invite only for the highest attainers in Maths, Writing, Science, Music and Computing to offer them the opportunity to fully achieve their potential and apply their talents.