Gifted & Talented Policy

Transcription

1 WEST HATCH HIGH SCHOOL THE BEST THAT I CAN BE Gifted & Talented Policy Policy reviewed October 2011 Signed

2 Gifted and Talented Policy Every child wants to be good at something, and every child can be. Professor Joan Freeman, Patron of NACE, How to Raise a Bright Child Meeting the educational needs of the gifted and talented is about building on good general school provision, not about providing something entirely different. Professor Deborah Eyre, 2001 PURPOSE This policy sets out our approach to gifted and talented students and how we are, or are on the way to intend to, providing for them. It provides practical guidance for teachers. PRINCIPLES We are committed to providing an inclusive and personalised education for all students. We believe that excellent provision for the most able students benefits all students. We have a responsibility to ensure that the most able and talented students are identified, are aware that have special fits and talents, and have appropriate provision via a differentiated and challenging curriculum, challenging teaching, opportunities to work in a team and to develop thinking skills. We will identify where enrichment activities offer particular opportunities for gifted and talented students and encourage them to participate We will aim to provide additional activities across a range of subjects that are aimed specifically at gifted and talented students. We have a responsibility to identify and maintain a register of the most able students, and to track and monitor their progress, and apply intervention strategies where underachievement is spotted. This policy reflects our school strategic aim of achievement for all We aim to provide learning that is High-challenge: learning activities based on content and resources are brought to life through the use of classroom questioning, differentiation, formative feedback and other techniques that result in a personalised experience for the individual with particular application to our specialist skills. Scope : Definition of Gifted and Talented: Just as there is no such person as a typical pupil, there is no such person as typical gifted or talented pupil. There is a range of terminology used to describe this group of children including : Able pupils More able pupils The very able Exceptionally able Gifted children Talented pupils Those with exceptional talent Pupils with marked aptitude The DfES, from its Excellence In Cities programme, uses the terms gifted and talented and these are defined as follows: Gifted Talented Top 5-10% of pupils per school as measured by actual or potential achievement in the main curriculum subjects Top 5-10% of pupils per school as measured by actual or potential achievement in the subjects of Art, Music and PE The definition is relational. Being gifted and talented in one school is not necessarily a matter of possessing an objective quality which would mark a pupil as being gifted and/ or talented in another school.

3 This may be the case with exceptional individuals but it may more routinely be the case that someone is amongst the most able 5-10% in one particular school. Nor should the specific figures be set in stone. Pupils develop at different rates and with pupils joining and leaving a school it may well be happen that a particular pupil will fall within the scope of the definition gifted and talented in one year but may not fit that category in a subsequent year. As well as high ability within subject areas, we should also consider those pupils who can think imaginatively and creatively across and in between subjects (e.g. an outstanding conservationist, linking together aspects of Geography and Biology). Personal and social qualities and skills such as leadership and communication are also surely aspects that we would wish to develop with pupils in our schools. In practical classroom terms, Gifted and Talented children are likely to present themselves to teachers in one or another of three groups: 1. those whose outstanding ability is very evident 2. a much larger group of children with high levels of ability (the DfES suggests about 10% of a school s cohort), who attain high levels of achievement and would specifically benefit from a school policy targeted on providing appropriately for Gifted and Talented children. 3. Children with high levels of ability, who do not achieve at a high level and who are in danger of being missed by those seeking to provide appropriately for Gifted and Talented children. Able pupils can have/be: Good all-rounders High ability in one area only Of high ability but with low motivation Of good verbal ability but having poor writing skills Very able with a short attention span Very able with limited interpersonal skills Keen to disguise their abilities SEN (think of children on the Autistic spectrum) PROCEDURE GIFTED AND TALENTED IDENTIFICATION There are four important elements to the identification process: 1. The use of tests 2. Parent feedback 3. Pupil feedback

4 4. Teacher identification At West Hatch we use teacher identification and the results of tests such as KS2 assessment and GCSE in the first instance. Year 6 parents are invited at interview to identify any gifted or talented characteristics, and we look to developing this aspect through for example inviting students to bring in photos of themselves excelling in out of school activities and displaying these as a way of celebrating achievement. A Gifted and Talented Register will be maintained centrally with the names of those identified by each department. The register is available for all staff to consult The register is reviewed annually, co-ordinated by the G and T manager with the assistance of the Data Manager The register is used for required school return information. RESPONSIBILILTIES Co-ordinator/Lead teacher Instigate annual review for G and T register Provide training and inset for staff, making use of technology where appropriate e.g. Learning Gateway Maintain up-to-date knowledge of research and national policy on G and T provision Explore and develop ways of communicating with parents of G and T students Work with other teams/leaders to identify links e.g. Specialism, Enrichment provision Lead department representatives in promoting good practice including classroom research Manage budget Support departments in developing G and T elements in their schemes of work and enrichment provision

5 Develop monitoring and tracking processes for gifted and talented students Report to governors as required. Heads of Department Ensure that schemes of work are inclusive of the most able students, providing for learning that challenges them to develop our specialist personal learning and thinking skills of communication, teamwork, organisation, creativity, independence, reflection and financial skills through for example using higher order questioning, assessment for learning, and challenging activities and resources. Ensure that nominations for the register are accurate and that identification is consistent. Be able to provide evidence of how gifted and talented students are achieving Have strategies in place for intervening with underachieving gifted and talented students. Lead the department in promoting outstanding teaching of the most able. Teachers Be fully aware of which students in their groups are gifted and talented Be fully aware of the characteristics for Gifted and Talented for their subject Plan lessons that cater for the most able students by with learning that challenges them to develop our specialist personal learning and thinking skills of communication, teamwork, organisation, creativity, independence, reflection and financial skills through for example using higher order questioning, assessment for learning and challenging activities and resources. Identify underachievement and intervene. MONITORING This is done on a variety of levels including: 1. Departmental 2. Learning Managers 3. SLT Learning Managers are instrumental in maintaining an overall view of the most able among other groups, and in tracking and following through on potential underachievement. The G and T co-ordinator is responsible for organizing good practice in monitoring and for working with relevant others.

6 The G and T co-ordinator co-ordinates and works with others to co-ordinate enrichment activities that cater for G and T students, and produces data to show this.