What do we mean by ‘Gifted and Talented’ children?

The DCSF defines the group supported by the National Programme for gifted and talented education as:  “Children and young people with one or more abilities developed to a level significantly ahead of their year group (or with the potential to develop those abilities).”

All institutions are free to determine the size of their G&T cohort. At Hall Green we aim to identify approximately the top 10% of our learners, these pupils are identified through a combination of teacher assessments and data.

The definition ‘able’ has two strands: ‘gifted’ and ‘talented’. Hall Green’s Gifted & Talented policy works on the basis of the following distinctions:

• Gifted is relevant to core academic subjects-

Maths, English, Science, Humanities, ICT etc.

• Talented is a particular skill in creative arts and sports

What do we do at school to help these pupils?

The biggest focus at Hall Green is to ensure we provide quality Teaching and Learning for all of our pupils. Within school there are a variety of activities to stretch and challenge them, for example:

• Differentiated tasks
• Independent learning
• Active learning
• Risk taking
• Higher order thinking skills
• Peer teaching
• Enrichment & extension

You might notice that your child is involved in some enrichment activities in or out of school such as:

• Maths Challenge Days, Bletchley Park visit
• G&T Summer School
• After school & lunchtime clubs
• Interviews/Careers/Aim Higher days
• Cambridge/Oxford University visit
• University Summer School
• Aspirations & Leadership day – Lance Edynbry in collaboration with Wheelers Lane School
• Visiting artists
• French and music concert in collaboration with Swanshurst School
• Rolls Royce team and  Dragon’s Den
• Language plays
• Advanced Kayaking

What can you do at home to help support your child?

Research has shown that 80% of learning goes on out of school hours. Children are constantly learning from the things they see and hear, from the attitudes they are exposed to and the activities in which they are involved. It is essential that parents recognise the important role that they can play in developing their child’s potential.

Support & Encouragement

A supportive and encouraging home background provides the ideal condition in which young people can develop their abilities. Some ideas to help achieve this:

• Recognise and praise achievement
• Focus on what can be learnt from disappointments
• Discuss school work. Find out what they have learnt and ask them to explain things to you

Activities & visits

• Try to expose children to stimulating experiences such as, playing a sport, visits to museums, Art galleries, Historical sites etc.
• Allow children to take up different hobbies and join different clubs in and out of school
• Encourage reading of books and newspapers
• Encourage the viewing of a variety of thought provoking documentaries and films
• Help them to become critical viewers and readers by discussing what you’ve seen and read
• Ask for their opinions on moral issues and dilemmas. Encourage understanding of both sides of an argument

Developing language skills

There can be no doubt that being able to communicate is a vitally important skill. Whether your child is already a mature reader and excellent communicator, or has yet to develop strong language skills, the following ideas can all be used to develop awareness and interest in the language we use. Many of these ideas also develop thinking skills and logical reasoning.

• Emphasise the importance of speaking clearly and discussing ideas and opinions
• Buy a daily newspaper and subscribe to journals which your child is interested in
• Encourage your child to summarise information and feed back to the rest of the family
• Continue reading together
• Play games associated with language such as crosswords, scrabble and articulate.

Developing creative and analytical abilities

The ability to think creatively and analyse information are essential life skills. Once learnt these are tools for life which can be used in all situations and which form a basis for many careers. All subjects at school focus on developing these skills, it is not subject specific. Some activities which help with these skills include:

• Discussing adverts for obvious and hidden messages
• Pick an item and invent 10 new uses for it
• Re-invent/design something new
• Think up new plots for scripts

Developing visual and spatial awareness

• Let your child redesign their bedroom
• Learn a new craft
• Play ball games
• Design and produce their own website

Subject specific advice

The following document includes some subject specific advice which you may find helpful for you and your family.

 ^{[updated 02/07/2012]}