NACE

Independent charity supporting schools to improve provision for more able learners, in context of challenge and high aspirations for all.

30/09/2026

What does it really mean to make a curriculum inclusive?
(by Misba Mir, Deputy Headteacher, English Lead and Year 6 Teacher, Carlton Junior and Infant School)

This is a question we have returned to again and again at Carlton Junior and Infant School. It is easy to talk about inclusion, differentiation and support. It is much harder to ensure that, while removing barriers for learners, we do not accidentally remove the opportunity to think deeply, take risks and experience genuine challenge.

Our starting point is simple: inclusion should not mean lowering the bar. It should mean removing what gets in the way of children reaching it.

At Carlton, our school vision is Dream – Aspire – Achieve Beyond Excellence. That language matters because it reminds us that ambition has to sit at the heart of our curriculum for every child. Our school is a diverse, one-form-entry primary school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, and we are proud of the range of experiences, languages, backgrounds and perspectives that our children bring with them.

Read the rest of Misba's blog post here:
https://www.nace.co.uk/blogpost/1761881/521433/From-access-to-ambition

23/09/2026

“Let’s not underestimate the collection of data… when the data is collected nationally, when the DfE and Ofsted look at it… it gets better.”

What do you make of those words? Do you agree, or do you instinctively push back against them?

They were spoken by Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza as she responded to a question about collecting attendance data in colleges on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

Join our CEO Paul K Ainsworth in exploring the latest changes to the Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR), and in particular what they could mean for schools whose pupils already perform strongly.

How the new IDSR changes school data: what leaders need to know about similar schools and high prior attainers
https://www.nace.co.uk/blogpost/1764156/521377/How-the-new-IDSR-changes-school-data

22/09/2026

Who leads on More Able in your school? Is it named as part of their role or are they juggling it alongside other responsibilities?

Perhaps you're wondering...

Why is a focus on the more able and challenge so important?

What should I be doing? What am I going to do to get started?

What does this responsibility entail, and what areas should I focus on?

What are the skills I need to develop? What support might I need?

How will I identify effective learning amongst our more able learners?

Leadership of provision for more able learners and challenge is an interesting, varied and rewarding role.

It's about ensuring that school policy and provision are highly effective in meeting the needs of more able and exceptionally able learners - so that all learners experience appropriate levels of cognitive challenge.

Whatever your situation or context, we can help.

For our members, we have a full resource collection, including a guide to 'leading for more able'.
https://www.nace.co.uk/page/leading-more-able

We also have events which are open to everyone: our half-termly online More Able Leads Development Group, and a one-day 'Leading on More Able and Challenge' CPD course.

More Able Leads Development Group (early booking discount available):
https://www.nace.co.uk/page/more-able-leads

One-day 'Leading on More Able' course:
https://www.nace.co.uk/page/oneday-events

15/09/2026

Are you a school leader or teacher looking for opportunities to connect with peers?

With our new online Member Networks, we're hearing from some of the most important people for our mission - educators at our member schools. Rachel and Nadine, who gave us the great quotes below, are facilitating two of our initial sessions.

Designed for our passionate NACE member community, we're offering these online sessions for open discussion, sharing expertise, collective problem-solving and practical advice, in a supportive and collaborative environment.

Covering a wide range of topics, from inclusion to metacognition, EYFS to A-level, there's something for everyone.

And as always, we'll be focusing on challenge for all, and improving outcomes for more able learners.

https://www.nace.co.uk/member-networks

09/09/2026

Boring, boring, boring...

Many students fail to attend school every day because it is simply not compelling enough. The learning, curriculum and overall school experience is not sufficiently challenging, interesting, relevant, meaningful or engaging.

How can we address this?

Rachel Macfarlane discusses ideas from her new book 'Making School Unmissable' (co-authored with Paul Jenkins), in our latest blog post, with quotes from famous high attainers - from Richard Feynman to Taylor Swift.

Read the full post here:
https://www.nace.co.uk/blogpost/1761881/521178/Boring-Boring-Boring

28/08/2026

Back to school!

If you're a school leader, teacher, or education practitioner, we hope you've had a chance to rest and reset. We've spent the summer break working on all of our new events, courses, networks and resources.

This week we have been preparing our member mailing which includes a selection of useful items for the More Able Leads at our member schools. It's a team effort with all hands on deck to pick, pack and post.

What are your school's plans for this year?

-----
Video description: The NACE operations team choose printed items from different piles and put them in large envelopes. One person adds the postage to the envelopes and puts them in boxes; another wheels the boxes around to the front of the building. The postman carries the boxes out to his van.

10/07/2026

As we reach the official end of the academic year, we're taking the opportunity to look back and reflect.

From webinars to school visits, and meetups to our mini-conference, we've encouraged conversations, supported learning and professional development, and learnt a few things ourselves along the way.

Here are just a few highlights from a very busy year!

06/07/2026

NACE went out and about at The Festival of Education on Friday. We had some great conversations and found inspiration in a a selection of the wide range of talks that were happening. We’d love to know if any of you attended too!

14/05/2026

Many schools have contributed to the success of our publication, with their case studies adding a wealth of rich insight and practical examples. Today, we are proud to share a featured case study from Childwall Sports & Science Academy, published in Removing Barriers to Opportunity and Achievement. See the images below to explore Childwall’s inspiring work.

“We are thrilled to be included in the publication and extremely proud of all of our students who have engaged, thrived and achieved (in some cases beyond their target grades) in our Academic Society. To see their developing confidence and resilience has been a real honour.” – Jen Patterson, More Able Lead and Teacher of English.

“We were absolutely delighted to see our work with our more able and most motivated students recognised by NACE. A particularly proud moment for Mrs Patterson as she received our official copy of the NACE publication- a testament to hers and Childwall Sports & Science Academy's commitment to stretch, challenge, and inspire every student.” – Ben Rodgers, Assistant Headteacher for Quality of Education

Building on the success of our publication, we are now hosting a one-day CPD course to share practical strategies and key findings that schools can implement in their own settings.

Book your place for our June event here: nace.co.uk/removing-barriers-event

12/05/2026

Building on our recent research publication, Andy and Christabel will be coming together this June to deliver a one-day CPD focused on ‘Removing barriers to opportunity and achievement’ for young people and the communities we serve. ✨

Book your place now: nace.co.uk/removing-barriers-event

Address

Horticulture House
Didcot
OX118QP

Telephone

+441235425000

Website

http://www.nace.co.uk/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when NACE posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Want your school to be the top-listed school/college in Didcot?