The Ivy League Programme for our Most Able Students

The Ivy League Programme is Thurstable School’s provision for our most able learners. You may be familiar with the term “gifted and talented”, but this tends to be a judgement based on students’ excelling at one or two specific subjects. We use the term “most able”, as Ivy League members are performing above average in more than one or two subjects: they are the students who show the greatest potential, across the greatest range of subjects.  We take the top highest ranked students by SATS scores in Year 7 initially in the programme.

The overarching aim of the Ivy League Programme (ILP)  is to prepare students to make an informed decision about their future and provide them with the support to successfully apply for a competitive position at university and/or with an employer. This is achieved by providing opportunities for students to develop and gain a competitive advantage. It is underpinned by the three core aims and five steps of the APP.

The three core aims of the Ivy League Programme are:

1. To raise the aspirations of our ‘More Able Learners’ 

2. To ensure these learners develop the skills required to be successful.

3. To provide opportunities to help them “stand out”.

The five features of the Ivy League Programme  are:

1. Identify those with the potential to achieve.

2. Engage members with the programme, via their chosen pathway and input.  ensure that more-able students are motivated to achieve to the best of their ability and set standards of excellence as an example for others to follow 

3. Challenge members through various events and opportunities for more-able students to work at high cognitive levels and /or to develop specific skills 

4. Support members to make informed decisions about their future.

5. Achieve the best possible grades and a competitive advantage over others.

Membership of the Ivy League Programme

Membership is based on  a combination of the following criteria:

• Students’ SATs results

• Students’ assessment data from ROAs and milestone tests

• Feedback from staff

Decisions are not based on a single factor, therefore students with the highest SATs/CATs results or best Progress Check data are not guaranteed a place on the programme  – we look at the whole picture. However, members of the Ivy League Programme are usually within the top 10% of their Year, with approximately 20 members per year group.  

Membership of the Ivy League Programme is reviewed at the end of each term. This means that membership is not guaranteed for the duration of a year, so members need to ensure they maintain a high standard and continue to achieve and excel. Equally, this also means that all students could join (or re-join) the Ivy League Programme throughout their time at Thurstable School.