School Advice Sheets - Strategy and High Learning Potential
Potential Plus UK’s advice sheets for schools offer guidance regarding strategy and high learning potential to classroom and lead teachers, senior leaders and governors in all school phases. Topics covered include writing policies for provision for high learning potential, creating challenge plans for high potential learners, tackling underachievement, and co-planning.
School Members can access all of our advice sheets and download them free of charge by logging in. The School Advice Sheets are available to non-members to purchase and download at £3.60 each.
See our School Advice Sheets Page for more advice sheets on subjects such as: identification of high potential learners, classroom practice, social and emotional needs of high potential learners.
S00 – High Learning Potential
Potential Plus UK has taken the decision to use the term high learning potential (HLP) to describe learners we support, instead of the word ‘gifted’ or ‘gifted and talented’ or ‘more able’ or ‘very able’; which are all terms that have been used in schools and the media in the past. This advice sheet aimed at senior leadership and all teaching staff describes why we have adopted the term and what we mean when we use it.
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S02 – Supporting High Potential Learners
High potential learners need support because they often lack regular challenge, leading to the underdevelopment of learning skills that are essential for success. There are also some sensory, social, emotional or special needs issues that may affect learning and can also lead to underachievement if not addressed. This advice sheet is aimed at teachers, teaching assistants and high learning potential lead teachers in primary and secondary phases. It covers why high potential learners need support and what kind of support is needed.
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S03 – Writing a Whole School High Learning Potential Policy
This advice sheet is aimed at lead teachers and senior leaders in all school phases and gives guidance about writing a policy that covers provision for high learning potential, either as part of a wider ‘inclusion’ policy, or as a stand-alone document. It is a framework that covers factors that are recommended to be included, with suggestions for consideration that needs to be made, and appropriate wording to use.
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S04 – A Whole School High Learning Potential Policy Template
This advice sheet is aimed at parents and carers. It covers how to recognise high learning potential in Mathematics at the Primary level, as well as how to support a child with high learning potential and/or a strong interest in this. There are also links to further resources in this subject area.
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S05 – Role of the High Learning Potential Lead Teacher
This advice sheet is aimed at the high learning potential lead teacher or person with responsibility for this cohort within an educational setting. It provides guidance on the requirements of the high learning potential lead teacher, what constitutes good practice, what the role should include, the knowledge and skills of the person, and the support that they should provide to colleagues.
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S07 – Role of the Governor with Responsibility for High Learning Potential
It is important for governing bodies to have an overview of the school’s provision for high learning potential. This advice sheet is aimed at school governors or directors with responsibility for high learning potential and other school leaders to inform about the role, what it entails and the duties someone with this appointed responsibility would undertake.
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S09 – Challenge Plan for High Learning Potential – Student Proforma
This advice sheet provides teachers and others within the education environment with a template to use when developing a challenge plan for a high potential learner. This form can also be used by lead teachers and others with responsibility for high potential learners as a basis for a conversation with the learner.
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S10 – Challenge Plan for High Learning Potential – Teacher Proforma
This advice sheet provides teachers and others with an example of a challenge plan for a high potential learner. It can be used by lead teachers or others with responsibility for high potential learners as a basis to develop similar plans for their own learners.
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S13 – Tackling Underachievement in the Secondary Phase
High potential learners in secondary school are at risk of underachievement because of their different pace of learning, particular learning style, barriers to learning or social isolation. In order to combat these problem areas, five types of support have proven to be effective for high potential learners. This advice sheet is aimed at teachers and senior leadership team members in secondary schools and it shows how these types of support can be provided in the secondary school setting.
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S14 – Enabling High Potential Learners to Take Part in Planning Provision
Planning effective personalised learning to motivate and challenge high potential learners can be tricky and time consuming for teachers. So many children with so many diverse needs and interests yet so little time… Involving high potential learners in lesson planning is a highly effective, efficient way to plan strategies that really work. Who better to understand the requirements of excellent, challenging learning than the learners themselves? This advice sheet is aimed at teachers who are interested in providing genuine leadership opportunities and at senior leaders who would like to support trainees, NQTs and a range of teachers in refining their practice in the classroom through the co-constructing of learning.
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S23 – Evaluating the Skills and Development Needs of Teaching Staff in Relation to High Learning Potential Provision
There are many demands on the professional learning needs of teachers, but few have the potential to have a greater impact on achievement for all than developing teachers’ knowledge, skills and expertise in the provision for high potential learners (HPL). This advice sheet outlines a range of strategies schools can use to identify the professional learning needs of teachers so that resources, including time, can be targeted effectively. It will consider how to identify the needs of the school, as well as strategies to identify the professional learning needs of teams and individuals.
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S25 – Learning Communities to Develop Staff Skills in High Learning Potential Provision
Learning Communities can be a powerful and cost-effective model for professional learning, providing the opportunity for large numbers of teachers to learn together about best practice in a specific area of classroom focus, across year groups and subject specialisms. The Learning Communities model provides a structure for learning and innovating collaboratively over a period of time so has the potential to make a significant impact on outcomes for learners. Focusing on provision for high potential learners (HPL) has the additional benefit of promoting high levels of challenge in secure learning environments which will raise achievement for all learners and create a culture of risk-taking and high expectations.
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S26 -Educational Acceleration
Acceleration is the term used when a child works at a level beyond their chronological age. There are many forms of acceleration, and it is the most cost-effective intervention to ensure that high learning potential children are challenged in their learning and develop appropriate social skills. Many high potential learners benefit greatly from some form of acceleration. There are several implications for the child and the school. This advice sheet offers you information to help you support children with high learning potential should they require a form of acceleration.
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