Mixed ability sets are becoming increasingly prevalent within high schools around the country, and has sparked mixed views, yet is this a beneficial method of education?

 

Middlewich High School (MHS) began introducing mixed sets around two years ago as a new approach to education to help bridge the gap between high-achieving students and lower-achieving students. 

 

For some, this was an outrage, unheard of within the world of education, parents and their children were unsure about the change.

 

Since then, the initial shock of its introduction has mellowed over the years.

 

However, what is the current status and perceived outcomes of mixed sets?

 

What does the local community think about this form of delivery?

 

I spoke to a student at Middlewich High School, Elis Smith, to gain a better understanding of what it is really like to attend a school that has mixed-ability classrooms. 

 

He voiced his concerns about this method of teaching:

 

‘Mixed sets are a pain for everyone, those who don’t understand the work, and  the ones who excel are not challenged and learn nothing.

 

This leaves the teacher stuck in the middle.”

 

It isn’t just the opinion of students that determines whether or not mixed sets can be a plausible method of tuition that matters, an opinion from an outside educator is crucial to view the matter from a variety of perspectives. 

 

In the interest of this, I spoke to Johanna Bacon, (Associate Dean at the University of Chester):

 

“Mixed ability teaching can be transformative to both lower and higher ability students within a subject discipline. 

 

It allows the curriculum to both challenge and extend the learning of all pupils.  

 

Higher achieving students can embed deeper learning through the examination of the fundamentals of a discipline whilst perhaps being taught using different pedagogical approaches. 

 

However, there can be a tendency to focus on this at the expense of providing more challenging tasks to those who need their learning to be extended at a faster pace

 

This may lead to a ‘teaching to the middle’ where pupils are in some cases not challenged and others receiving inadequate support.”

 

This form of teaching, newly adopted at MHS, has provoked diverse opinions.

 

In some respects, it can benefit certain types of students, but other students may find it difficult to adapt or learn in the environment.