High Prior Attainers At Eltham Hill

It is our ambition at Eltham Hill School that every child reaches their full potential and receives the level of challenge and enrichment that allows them to continue their studies in further and higher education as well as in the world of work.

We aim to ensure that all students who arrive at the school as High Prior Attainers are continually stretched both inside and outside of the classroom. We run a comprehensive programme of activities and enrichment to ensure that High Prior Attainers receive the breadth of educational opportunities to reach their full potential.

All children make progress at different rates and have different ways in which they learn best. Teachers at Eltham Hill School take account of this in the way they organise their lessons and teach. Children making outstanding progress or showing particular strengths in one area may be given extra challenges or different tasks to help them succeed. This targeted support is overseen by the High Achievers Coordinator.

If you wish to discuss your child’s needs, the support they are currently receiving or are concerned about how they are performing in school please contact the school’s High Achievers Coordinators: 

KS3/4 (Year 7-9) : Ginoni Anand - Ganand@elthamhill.comKS4/5 (Year 10-13) : Daniel Watson - DWatson@elthamhill.com

Current Events

Year 12 activities: spring 

• Twenty-one students have applied for places on Sutton Trust summer schools

• Seventeen students who are interested in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science have signed up for programmes run by the charity Medic Mentors.

• Four students have applied for the National Access Summer School at Birmingham University.

• Two students have gained places on the MedView mentoring programme at King’s College, London.

• A student attended work experience at King’s College hospital during February half term. This had a huge impact on her, especially watching surgery in an operating theatre.

• A top STEM student attends the Queen Mary Futures programme, visiting the university on four Wednesdays to gain experience in different departments.

• Two students have gained places on K+, a two-year widening participation programme run by King's College London.

• A top English student is attending Christ’s College Cambridge’s English Literature Taster Series.

• A budding lawyer is attending Slaughter and May’s IntoLaw programme

• A student has secured a place on the York Experience Summer School

Year 9 activity : spring 

As part of the Brilliant Club’s Scholars Programme, twelve Year 9 students studied Autocratic Regimes in Africa with a PhD student from the University of Kent during the autumn term. They all  successfully completed the course, with five gaining Firsts, four 2.1s and two 2.2s. In February they travelled to the University of Sussex for a graduation event which included a tour from the University and talks from students and staff about university life. It was wonderful!

How are students identified?

Each year a number of students join the school who have achieved highly at primary school and in their end of KS2 tests. Students are identified as High Prior Attainers based on their performance in the end of KS2 tests and the information we receive from primary schools. However, if students make outstanding progress once they arrive at Eltham Hill School they can be identified as HPA at any time in their school career.

What activities will be offered?

We offer a range of activities, trips and clubs that aim to broaden students’ academic and social horizons by exposing them to a range challenging and enjoyable opportunities, which go over and above the expectations of the normal school curriculum.

A selection of the activities we offer for HPA students are listed below:

UKMT Mathematics Challenge

Students work towards competing in a national competition involving logical thinking and mathematical skills with the potential to go onto further rounds and even compete against students in other countries.

Philosothon Club

KS3 students gather to discuss a range of ethical and moral questions. They stretch themselves to question their own assumptions and opinions to discover the different filters of perception that may change the way they view things. This is an opportunity for students to really understand how they think and develop the metacognitive skills that can be incorporated into all of their work in other subjects.

The Challenge

Selected students meet once a week to explore their academic aspirations and the practicalities of organising yourself for effective study. On some occasions these sessions are run by other students or expert teachers for that specific area. It allows for students to discuss their ideas, take responsibility for their own learning and to help stretch their peers.

Debate Mate

Students will explore the principles underpinning successful debating skills and be exposed to a range of challenging topical and ethical issues through a series of sessions leading towards a final debate performance. Students will travel to different schools to take part in debating competitions and experience high pressured environments where they have to learn to think on their feet.