The most able students: are they doing as well as they should in our non-selective secondary schools?

Too many of the most able pupils are underperforming in non-selective state secondary schools, concludes Ofsted this report. It recommends that the Department for Education ensure that parents receive a report each year from schools that communicates whether their children are on track to achieve as well as they should in national tests and examinations; develop progress measures to identify how well the most able pupils have progressed from Year 6 through Key Stage 4 to the end of Key Stage 5; and promote the new destination data, which will show what proportion of pupils in sixth form providers go to university and, particularly, the Russell Group of universities.

 It also suggests that maintained schools and academies should develop their culture and ethos so that the needs of the most able pupils are championed by school leaders; help the most able pupils to flourish and leave school with the best qualifications by providing first-rate opportunities to develop the skills, confidence and attitudes needed to succeed at the best universities; and give the parents and carers of the most able pupils better and more frequent information about what their children should achieve and raise their expectations where necessary.