Gifted & Talented Pupils at CHSG

Information for Parents

Parents play an essential role in the development of their gifted and talented children, a role which the school supports but cannot displace. There are a variety of ways in which parents can facilitate the development of their children but as each child is unique then factors which help one child to develop will not always be appropriate for facilitating the development of other gifted and talented children.

Definitions

More Able pupils are defined as the top 10% in ability within the school in English and maths. Gifted pupils are those with great ability in academic subjects (e.g. maths, English and Science) and Talented pupils are defined as those with great ability in the performance or practical application subjects (e.g. dance, drama and art).

Parental Role

• Discuss your child’s progress with them
• Attend activities in the local area
• Use the internet or local magazines to contact other families or societies involved in working with gifted or talented students
• Celebrate their achievement and encourage them to push their boundaries

Below are more specific principles about how parents can support the development of their child in respect of:

• General Cognitive Development
• Language Development
• Logic and Numerical Development
• Development at School
• Concern about School
• Useful Web Links for Parents

General Cognitive Development

There is increasing evidence that the intellectual development of children is supported particularly well when they are regularly exposed to intellectual stimulation which promotes a growth of knowledge and problem solving skills. But as equally important as the stimulation is the opportunity to experience unstructured ‘free time’ where children have the responsibility to amuse themselves and so typically develop their imagination and creativity skills. Parents can support their children by helping them to encounter intellectual stimulation in reading and in new experiences through visiting museums, galleries or through interacting with other venues and situations with which they are less familiar. Some parents arrange additional formal studies for their children and that too can be helpful, although it is important to ensure that the children do not become intellectually exhausted. Sometimes the most effective support that a parent can provide may be actually limiting the number of engagements and formal activities that their child is exposed to, in order to ensure that the child has the intellectual space and ‘free time’ in which to play, experiment and develop hobbies and interests of her own.

Language Development

Some gifted and talented children manifest a particular love of, and aptitude with, language. They enjoy learning new words and phrases and perhaps like to use unusual forms of expression. Parents can support their children in the development of their language skills by reading with them and in particular by talking about and discussing what they are reading.

Some children respond particularly well to different types of literature and schools and libraries are usually only too pleased to offer advice about how a child’s reading can be broadened and varied. Some children enjoy and show an aptitude with oral language but are less interested in formal reading. Where this is the case the most effective support can be helping the child to gain in confidence with material she feels comfortable with, rather than in trying to move the child onto more complex material than she is ready for.

Logic & Numerical Development

Some pupils have a particular interest in numbers and logical reasoning. They will typically enjoy exercises involving these aspects and may well enjoy talking about problems involving calculations and conversions. Parents can support their children by trying to ensure that they enjoy any additional logic and numerical work that they are doing at home. Making games and playing games are good examples of ways in which children can do this. It is also important to balance activities which acquire new knowledge and new skills with activities which provide an opportunity to strengthen already existing skills by focusing on ways of applying logical and numerical.

Development at School

Schools aim to support the intellectual development of children in a holistic framework which takes account of intellectual needs as well as PSHE (Personal Social & Health Education) needs. Some gifted children have developed intellectually in terms of knowledge and understanding which would normally be expected of much older pupils. Other gifted children can show significant reading or numerical abilities in circumscribed aspects of the subject whilst others can seem to be making significant process through curriculum materials but are doing so in terms of learning to perform functions and activities rather than actually understanding the material and its application.

As every child is unique there can be no single way of meeting the needs of a gifted child, but in determining provision that is appropriate for your daughter a school will typically aim to ensure that the pupil is intellectually challenged and making progress in terms of understanding as well as knowledge whilst also working in an environment which meets their PSHE needs. When appropriate our teachers use differentiation with gifted and talented pupils and parents should be able to see some evidence of challenging activities in their childrens’ exercise books . Methods of support from the school are listed below:

In-lesson provision

• Lesson pitched at an appropriate level
• Develop questioning and independent learning skills
• Understand the role of assessment and be able to self- assess
• Work towards learning targets

Identification of a gifted and talented student

When selecting pupils to put forward for the gifted and talented register the following can be taken into consideration:

• MidYIS scores
• Key Stage results
• Teacher assessment
• Achievements outside of school

Monitoring of the Register

• Regular assessments
• Discussions between form tutors, subject teachers, GATCO, parents and the students
• Analysis of race, gender and geographic issues

Enrichment courses

Pupils on the whole scool register particpate in enrichment courses run by the Lead Teacher for Gifted and Talented pupils. Departments also organise courses and run activities that may interest more able pupils.

Concerns about School

Where parents are concerned about the provision for their children it is very important to communicate immediately with the school so that any misunderstandings can be addressed and resolved. In communicating with the school the most effective approach is to:

• Contact the class teacher first to register concerns and ask for the rationale underpinning the current classroom approaches. If as a result of discussion teacher and parents feel that a slightly different approach would be useful then agree the precise format of the new approach and the time frame in which it will happen. It can sometimes be worth agreeing a formal review meeting later in the term at which progress with the new format can be discussed
• If contact with the class teacher does not resolve parental concerns then the next step would be to contact the Head of Department or the school’s, the Assistant Head in charge of G+ T or Mrs Fashola (Lead teacher G+T)

Useful Links for Parents There is a growing body of information available on the internet for parents about gifted and talented pupils. Amongst the many useful information, support and advice sites are the following:

Family Education, Gifted and Talented www.familyeducation.com

National Association for Gifted Children www.nagc.org www.nagcbritain.org.uk Email: children@nagcbritain.co.uk Telephone: 0845 450 0221

Young Enterprise (Hertordshire) www.youngenterprise.org.uk

Websites of interest to pupils London Gifted & Talented www.londongt.org

Learning Resource Centre (LRC)

The LRC has a range of fiction and non-fiction texts. There is fiction that will stretch the young reader, from classics by Dickens and Mann, to modern writers such as Funke and Géras. A reading club runs from January to July each year. This is for students in Years 8 and 9 who enjoy reading and talking about books. The club is run jointly by the English Dept. and the LRC. We shadow the Carnegie Medal, which you can find out more about at: www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk

A new addition to the LRC library catalogue is an index to websites. Whatever topic a student is researching, the catalogue can identify sites that have been checked for secondary curriculum suitability. This is in addition to general internet access. Encarta Premium 2005 and non-fiction texts including the World Book Encyclopedia published in 2005.

A study club operates in the LRC before and after school. The Librarian, Mrs Grima, is always available at these times to help students with research, study, revision and planning. The staff area of the LRC has a range of material, designed to help teachers to enhance the learning of gifted and talented students.

A 6th form area with a range of texts, covering all subject areas for A level students, was set up in 2004 and has some of the most up to date support texts available. These are in an exclusive sixth form area with dedicated 6th form computers.