WELCOME TO WINDSOR BOYS` SCHOOL!

ACHIEVEMENT CENTRE

At Windsor Boys’ School we understand that all our students have individual educational requirements. Some are happy fitting into the school routine and will get the most out of their education. Others require more guidance and have special needs that need to be addressed before they can realise their full potential. Windsor Boys’ prides itself in having established an excellent Special Educational Needs (SEN) department at the heart of the school – The Achievement Centre.

The dedicated personnel of the Achievement Centre team comprises specialist teachers and highly trained teaching assistants. The department is co-ordinated by Mrs McKenna, who is responsible for its smooth operation. We also have specialist external resources available to help meet the needs of some pupils. These include extra ICT equipment and tools that help students access the National Curriculum.

Before a student arrives at the school, the Achievement Centre is working behind the scenes, with our feeder schools. We liaise with these schools to identify any student who may need our assistance.

GIFTED AND TALENTED

At Windsor Boys' School we are committed to promoting achievement and providing an environment which encourages every pupil to develop his talents to the full. We aim, therefore, to provide a rich and appropriate education for pupils of all abilities and with that recognise the need to consider the needs of our most able pupils. We fully embrace the principle of equal opportunities for all children and recognise that this does not equate to identical provision.

At Windsor Boys' School we will define the gifted and talented in the following way:

• Gifted pupils have abilities in one or more subjects other than art, design, dance, drama, music and PE.
• Talented pupils have abilities in art, design, dance, drama, music and PE.

Identification of the gifted and talented is an ongoing process. At the Windsor Boys' School, we will be guided by the following eligibility criteria, in line with The National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth:

• A CATs score of 126+ in one battery or 120+ in two batteries
• SATs results of at least one L6 in Year 6 or at least one L8 in Year 9
• UK Maths Challenge Gold Award
• A points score of 58+ at GCSE, where A*= 8, A = 7 etc.
• Evidence of outstanding achievement outside school e.g. success in national level competition e.g. chess
• Teacher nomination, but only where the teacher feels that the pupil is working in the national academic top 5%

Identification of our gifted and talented pupils will be the ultimate responsibility of the G&T co-ordinator, but this would not be possible without the full support of the SLT, HODs and all teaching staff.

At Windsor Boys' School we will use a range of teaching and organisational approaches to provide appropriate learning opportunities for our gifted and talented pupils. In particular, we will look to provide enrichment (relating to breadth of study), extension (relating to depth of study) and acceleration (relating to pace of learning). Consequently, the head of department and classroom teacher will have responsibility for developing and implementing such strategies within their subject area and classroom/teaching space.

The Head of Department will need to look for alternative courses to meet the needs of the more-able students e.g. the A level extension papers, arrange visits, invite guest speakers, develop resources, prepare departmental INSET etc.

The classroom teacher will need to address the needs of gifted and talented pupils, by providing opportunities for group work, differentiated homework, advanced questioning, individual target-setting and independent learning opportunities, for example.

Across-school activities will involve vertically grouping the gifted and talented pupils into a G&T group, although it is recognised that they will not be an homogenous group. Activities will include trips (to lectures, universities, galleries, museums, theatres, stadia, concerts etc.), visiting experts, discussion groups etc. In addition, the more-able students will be encouraged to participate in a wide range of school activities, not necessarily aimed at them directly e.g. art club, chess club, orchestra, residential trips and the debating society. As gifted and talented they must be encouraged and supported to take some responsibility for their own learning. (An important sub-group will be those gifted and talented pupils who are currently underachieving).

The school is developing whole-school strategies such as Assessment for Learning, learning about learning, thinking skills and student responsibility for their educational outcomes and these will all prove particularly valuable to gifted and talented students.

Monitoring must be a circular, on-going process and to know whether our policy is making a difference, there will need to be:

• Regular checks on the progress of gifted and talented pupils
• Records kept of pupil progress (pupil-tracking)
• Pupil and parent evaluation

The monitoring of provision for the gifted and talented within curriculum areas will be the responsibility of HODs, with support from the gifted and talented co-ordinator. The co-ordination and monitoring of across-school gifted and talented initiatives and the co-ordination of related INSET will be the responsibility of the G&T co-ordinator, with the support of SLT and all teaching staff.

The school will notify parents when their child is added to the gifted and talented register and the school will endeavour to keep parents informed and involved in all matters relating to gifted and talented provision and monitoring. The school will see parents as a resource.

PERFORMANCE

This year The Royal Borough Youth Opera presented Cole Porter’s wonderful 1930’s classic musical “Anything Goes”. Set on a glamorous ocean liner where an array of eccentric, Martini-sipping characters weaved their way through the convolutions of the P.G. Wodehouse plot.

Unrequited love, requited love and the fascination we have with celebrity were just some of the timeless themes. The dialogue was sharp and witty and Cole Porter’s lovely melodies and swing rhythms have become standards recorded by great singers across the decades. “I get a kick out of you”, “De-Lovely”, and the toe-tapping “Anything Goes” are some of the most defining songs of the thirties and the tender ballad “All through the Night” was simply divine!

This is the company’s third production (Carousel & Oklahoma!) and with its young, enthusiastic cast performing with a full, professional orchestra, it proved to be another great production.

To purchase photos taken during the Dress Rehearsal click here . 

CORE SUBJECT