Posted on Friday 22nd Sep 2017
Children labelled "average" by teachers are missing out because more focus goes on those at the bottom of the class, a report has found.
Experts say children who are classified in the middle range risk having late-blooming ability ignored as teachers assume they are neither struggling nor overachieving.
They said most pupils show either notable promise or are the the lower half of the ability range in a particular subject area and categorising them simply as the "middle" risks ignoring this.
The report, by testing company GL Assessment, found that "poor verbal, quantitative or spatial skills often mask potential".
Shane Rae, head of publishing at the firm, said: "Our analysis shows that within the cohort normally identified as ‘average’ (the middle half of students), six in ten exhibit some kind of verbal, quantitative or spatial ability bias.
"If teachers know exactly what this is, they can then tailor interventions accordingly."
Beccie Hawes, head of Rushall’s Inclusion Advisory Service, which provides advice to help schools include pupils with special educational needs, added: "‘Average’ can be misleading as it may stop us from identifying pupils that are either beginning to experience difficulties as their coping runs out or identifying pupils that are making perhaps accelerated progress."
Poppy Ionides, an educational psychologist, who contributed to the report, said: "A large body of evidence suggests long-term benefit from a ‘growth mindset’ in which children believe in the possibility of cultivating their abilities.
This feeds perseverance and resilience; failures are seen as opportunities to learn rather than diktats of inescapable ineptitude; those who start ‘average’ have the ability to be all but. Schools have the power to influence children’s mindset."
The study is based on data gathered from 24,500 students who took a "cognitive abilities" test provided by GL Assessment at the age of 11 or 12 and compared with their GCSE results.
Around 50 per cent of youngsters - about 13,400 - were identified as "average" or "middle 50 per cent" in terms of overall cognitive ability test performance.
Among the children considered "average", their chances of getting at least a B in GCSE English varied from one in 10 to seven in 10, depending on how strong their verbal skills were.
Latest News
19/01/22What are the Covid rules in schools and will they stay open this term?
Face coverings will no longer be compulsory in England's secondary school classrooms from 20 January.
17/01/22Thousands more Kent secondary and special school places needed over the next five years
Thousands more Kent secondary and special school places will be needed over the next five years.
11/01/22Covid: Face mask refusals in some of England's secondary schools spark parents' concern
Secondary school pupils in England returned from the Christmas break this week to new advice – to wear face coverings in lessons and to take lateral flow tests at school before heading into classrooms.
19/10/21Further strikes threatened at universities this term
Students could face more strike action at universities this term after the academics' union opened a ballot over pay, pensions and conditions. University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Jo Grady said the UK's flagship university sector was built on the "exploitation of staff". They had experienced a decade of pension cuts, collapsing pay and insecure contracts, she said. University employers said the prospect of disruption was "disappointing".
01/10/21What changes are being made to GCSEs and A-levels next year?
Department for Education says 2022 will be a ‘transition year’