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Our CHAllengers
Nurturing the Most Able
At Chiltern Hills Academy, we believe every student should be inspired, stretched, and supported to reach their full potential. For those with the highest academic ability, we offer a dedicated programme of opportunities and support.
We call these students our CHAllengers – a name that reflects their readiness to embrace challenges, aim high, and inspire those around them. This approach is grounded in our school values of honesty, respect, compassion, love, forgiveness, self-discipline, and hope.
Our Aims for CHAllengers
We are committed to:
- Championing ambition – creating a culture that celebrates the talents of our most able learners.
- Supporting excellence – helping students flourish and leave school with outstanding qualifications.
- Raising awareness – ensuring staff, governors, and families understand how best to support CHAllengers.
- Tracking progress – encouraging, guiding, and evaluating achievement throughout a student’s journey with us.
Identifying Our Most Able
We identify CHAllengers early in Year 7 using:
- Key Stage 2 results – typically a scaled score of 110+ in reading and maths, plus ‘greater depth’ in writing.
- Cognitive Ability Tests (CATs) – generally a score above 120.
- Teacher insight – recognising potential that may not be evident in test scores, especially for new arrivals to the UK or students with English as an additional language.
This information is shared with all teachers so lessons can be adapted to both support and stretch each CHAllenger.
Opportunities Beyond the Classroom
We believe learning extends far beyond the curriculum. CHAllengers are encouraged to explore. Find out more in the sections below.
Big Ideas and Broader Thinking
TED Talks – Thought-provoking talks on topics within and beyond the curriculum, encouraging discussion at home.
Oxplore – The University of Oxford’s “Home of Big Questions”, designed to inspire deeper thinking and curiosity.
Reading to Stretch the Mind
Cambridge University Wider Reading List – Challenging material across a range of subjects, perfect for KS4+ but open to ambitious KS3 students too.
Creative and Academic Competitions
Young Writers – Opportunities to enter poetry and story competitions on a range of themes and genres.
NRICH Mathematics – Free, high-quality maths challenges from the University of Cambridge to develop problem-solving and reasoning skills.
Working with Parents and Carers
Parents and carers play a key role in supporting CHAllengers. We share ideas, resources, and regular updates so families can help nurture curiosity, resilience, and a love of learning at home.