What do we mean by Gifted and Talented?

Government policy 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)”.

It follows that we encourage schools in identifying gifted and talented learners to focus on:

• learners who are gifted and talented relative to their peers in their own year group and school (including the top 5% nationally )
• a range of abilities including talent in the arts and sport;
• ability rather than achievement, so that underachievers are amongst those identified.

Guidelines for schools state that:

• There are gifted and talented learners in every year group in every school. 
• Every school should keep a register of its gifted and talented learners.
• As ability is evenly distributed throughout the population, a school’s gifted and talented population should be broadly representative of the whole school population in terms of gender, ethnic and socio-economic background.
• It is important to note that since relative ability changes over time, learners can move on and off the register when appropriate.

Gifted and Talented Enrichment Activities

The Bridgwater Excellence Cluster plans for and arranges enrichment experiences for gifted and talented students.

Our aims are:

• To offer opportunities for like minded students to work together and to be challenged alongside children from other schools.
• To arrange for activities where the students work outside of their comfort zone and raise aspirations.
• To encourage students to be aware of their abilities and take a joy in their learning and to use new knowledge and skills back in their schools.

Gifted and Talented Cross School Forum

The Cross-school Forum is a new project which aims to bring students from the 4 Bridgwater Secondary Schools together to discuss issues relating to Gifted and Talented provision. The idea has originated from a group of students at Chilton Trinity School and also ties into the ‘Student Voice’ agenda.

This will be the first meeting for students selected to represent each year group and it is hoped that the meeting will allow the students to explore what they would like a Gifted and Talented forum to offer them. Their views will also form part of a larger South West forum.

Year 7 & 8 Parents’ Evening

Parents and carers of students in Years 7 and 8 were invited to attend an information evening about what it means to be gifted and talented, as well as how to support and encourage students.
The evening offered the opportunity to introduce Richard Curtis as G&T Co-ordinator for the school and Rita Peasland who is the G&T Co-ordinator for the Bridgwater Excellence Cluster.
The evening was also attended by Sarah Hargrave, a member of the school’s Senior Leadership Team (Inclusion Manager and SENCO) and Andy Sims who is the Director of the Kilve Residential Centre which is affiliated to the local authority.
The evening ended with a presentation from Andy Sims providing an overview of the work that is carried out at Kilve allowing Gifted and Talented students to take residential courses at the centre.

Year 9  Japanese Day at Huish Episcopi School

Students from schools in the Bridgwater Excellence Cluster came together at the Huish Episcopi School in Langport to work in mixed school groups and experience 4 workshops which have a Japanese theme as part of provision for Year 9 Gifted and Talented students in Modern Foreign Languages.

Workshops included Taiko Drumming, Calligraphy, Martial Arts and Origami.

Year 10 Poetry Workshop: Where the Language Lives
Students from schools in the Bridgwater Excellence Cluster came together for a workshop aimed at able students with an enthusiasm for language and enjoyment of creative writing.

Coming at it from an angle or a slant - using words in the way an artist might with whatever materials that come to hand, the purpose of the day was to approach poetry differently – saying something different and not telling us things that we already know. Poetry should be about making words live and not kicking them out into the long grass. In other words - a fresh look and a fresh listen.

About the tutor:

Phil Bowen is a poet whose work has been featured in The Forward Anthology, a playwright and biographer of the Mersey Poets. He has worked in over four hundred schools in more than thirty counties throughout England and Wales, as a poet-in-schools.

Books by the tutor:

Nowhere’s Far: New and Selected Poems 1990-2008 byPhil Bowen

Pictures

Phil Bowen reading to students

Phil Bowen with students deconstructing a poem

Links to useful websites
www.six.somerset.gov.uk/equalities (Go to gifted and talented link, and this will lead you to other useful sites)
www.swgate.org.uk (Regional info)
www.dcsf.gov.uk/ygt (Government website for young gifted and talented students)
www.kilvecourt.org
www.nagcbritain.org.uk
www.funbrain.com
www.nrich.maths.org
www.aquila.co.uk  (Magazine aimed at 8-13 year olds)
Individual Curriculum Areas will be able to guide you to subject specific websites.