Gifted and Talented Policy (whole school)
Rationale
At Ryde we are proud of the job we do both academically and socially with all our pupils, whatever their needs. This policy sets out what we aim to do for our most able pupils.
We wish to accelerate learning as rapidly as possible, but we do not achieve this by advancing pupils through Key Stages. It would be rare to place a pupil in a Year Group outside their chronological age; such action would only be taken after careful consideration of the social and academic implications. We broaden and stretch bright pupils by setting tasks which challenge their intelligence. For example: at the early years, youngsters will be set tasks to expand their knowledge – it is not uncommon for people to have spelling, writing, reading and mathematical aptitudes above their chronological age; we recognise that for some pupils Key Stage 2 exams provide insufficient challenge at age 11 – more demanding material can be taught and new challenges faced; for most people in the GCSE years the target of achieving 10A* grades is enough, but breadth outside the syllabus paves the way for the next stage. For the older pupils there is the step of Advanced Extension Awards beyond A level, and some additional courses are available.
Identification and Monitoring
· The terms Gifted and Talented are defined in various ways in different publications but most commonly now a pupil who is outstanding (in the top 5 to 10%, depending on the standard of the cohort) in traditionally academic areas is considered Gifted and if they excel in sport, art, drama or music then they are Talented.
· Year and subject teachers will identify those pupils in their charge who they think would benefit from additional stimulus in their curriculum area and stretch them accordingly.
· A central register of Gifted and/or Talented students from each year in each discipline, including input from the Q’i Centre, will be kept to enable us to identify those who appear on a number of department lists and could benefit from additional provision. Results from standardised tests such as NVR, MidYis, etc will be fed into the register to ensure that ‘underperformers’ are not overlooked.
· Teachers and tutors will monitor each pupil’s progress in the usual way (record cards, reports, etc) and any student who drops behind in their ‘ordinary lessons’ will be made aware of the situation and given help to cope, but then withdrawn from the additional programme if necessary.
Policy Statement
· We do not advance pupils ahead of their National Curriculum Key Stage. Teachers provide more challenging tasks based on the common syllabus or explore avenues of interest that are ‘off the curriculum’. Support will be given to staff in locating additional resources if required.
· Year and subject teachers will stretch the most able pupils in their charge through: differentiation (either by task or outcome), setting additional extension work, entering regional/national competitions, clubs, societies, productions…
· Extra-Curricular activities such as Rainbows, Brownies and trips to ‘Little Canada’ and France in the Junior School as well as DoE, CCF, Global Rock, etc in the Senior School provide real opportunities for all pupils to challenge themselves, learn teamwork and hone leadership skills.
· Clubs and societies again allow pupils to explore personal interests with guidance from an enthusiastic adult.
Additional provision will be made for the relatively small number of pupils in each year who are gifted in a number of areas and for whom the list above is seen as insufficiently challenging. The aim here is to engage them intellectually and make them use and improve their abilities, but the extra demands must not become burdensome.
· In Years 7, 8 and 9, gifted and talented pupils who are coping well with the curriculum will be invited to take part in enriching activities.
· In Years 10 and 11 pupils’ top priority will be to aim for A* grades across all subjects – but broadening activities should still be offered in each subject. Additional courses are on offer – in particular Critical Thinking AS level and Latin.
· In the Sixth Form individual subjects should again take a lead especially with potential Oxbridge candidates who can be given additional lessons and tasks in preparation for the relevant entrance procedures. The Critical Thinking course will be extended into A2, General Studies is already in place and pupils can also sit AEAs where available. Use of video-conferencing, specialist lectures and structured discussion groups can also open their eyes to new ideas or advanced concepts.
