Deputy headteachers Paul Ainsworth and Josephine Smith consider how school leaders can reinvigorate their G&T programmes so they are an integral part of their school’s success and not simply a bolt-on
Improving your gifted and talented provision depends on being able to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses in your current approach. The Institutional Quality Standards (IQS) is a self-evaluation tool for doing just that, and supports the introduction of personalised education across the whole school, writes Deborah Eyre
Val Scott brings us up to date with developments in Wales and describes the important role played by NACE in introducing Quality Standards to schools
Jo Smith provides some practical tips about how technology can support and enhance the learning you have planned
Collaborative work can have an energising effect across the curriculum. Jo Counsell describes a collaborative project that used dance to enhance literacy learning
What turns a competent athlete or ‘player’ into an exceptional performer? Crispin Andrews considers the make-up of this type of talent and highlights some issues for schools
Valsa Koshy explores the issues surrounding the identification of, and provision for, our youngest gifted and talented children
Key stage 2 lesson plans for exploring the Beijing Olympics to meet learning objectives in geography and citizenship, provided by Caroline Coxon
AfL strategies can be invaluable in providing feedback for pupils and developing insight into G&T learners’ individual needs. Clare Smale provides some practical tips for teachers
David Allen and Iona Towler-Evans look at an innovative system of teaching thinking skills through drama
Do G&T children have more than their fair share of social-emotional difficulties? Kalliope Emmanouilidou looks into the research and challenges some stereotypical views
Guy Claxton invites debate on his eight character strengths and virtues for the learning age
Blake Technology College has gone from ‘challenging circumstances’ to achieving the NACE Challenge Award for G&T education. Lesley Griggs describes the improvements to teaching and learning and the approach to G&T provision in the school which led to this success
High ability and confidence do not always go hand in hand. Paul Ainsworth suggests how life coaching techniques can be used to help G&T students
Peter Leyland describes how he used TASC to teach his Year 6 class about measuring time
Dilwyn Hunt, adviser for RE and G&T, explores the idea of having a more philosophical approach to religious education
How did a Birmingham primary school manage to complete the NACE Challenge Award in less than a year? Sarah Batstone describes the work undertaken
Natassja Cole gives her verdict on the pros and cons of being on the G&T register
In this numeracy lesson plan Paul Ainsworth describes how learning about probability can provide excellent opportunities for speaking and listening and incorporate plenty of challenge for the most able
John Senior highlights the importance of helping learners to have fun with numbers and develop positive attitudes towards mathematics
What if we all looked the same? This was just one of the topics used to get pupils thinking at a competitive event organised by Luton LEA and attended by Peter Leyland
Working with very able pupils presents a challenge to any teacher, but when learners also have special educational needs, there are complex issues to address. Julian Whybra shares his experiences of children and young people with Asperger syndrome
How can we get primary-aged children to give us feedback about their classroom experiences? Iwona Glowacz used the prospect of getting published as a way of collecting pupils’ thoughts
This science lesson plan for Key Stage 2 works on a number of levels, writes Caroline Coxon
David Gimson describes how cross-curricular observation helped teachers to develop more effective questioning techniques – and also led to them asking their own questions about the G&T ‘label’
Andrew Cushing argues the case for a new programme of physical education in schools
Marcelo Staricoff describes an inclusive approach for meeting the needs of G&T pupils in primary classrooms
Jo Smith suggests practical ways of building challenge into every lesson
Canvassing pupils’ views can inform their learning as well as our teaching – as Paul Ainsworth discovered when he asked one of his classes to comment on his marking
A murder investigation, crisis in outer space and stick insects! Peter Leyland reports on a chemistry competition that really gets pupils thinking
The CfBT Education Trust manages the national gifted and talented strategy and is planning an online ‘one-stop-shop’ to provide routes to CPD, case study material, outreach events, resources etc
We look at two examples from a booklet produced by the West Midlands Regional G&T partnership describing the experiences of 16 ‘test bed’ schools as they have engaged with the IQS and taken a lead in their implementation
Listening to what students themselves have to say about their education is an important part of high-quality G&T provision. Year 8 pupil, Beth Hancox outlines her thoughts on the qualities of a good teacher for gifted and talented students
How can teachers ensure that there is appropriate challenge for G&T pupils in every lesson? In the first of a series of lessons plans, Caroline Coxon provides some ideas
In 2002 Gwen Goodhew was dismayed at the lack of resources she found for young linguists. Five years later, her research has revealed changes for the better.
Steve Paget explains how logovisual thinking (LVT) can stimulate higher-order thinking
How form tutors can raise achievement for all pupils and support the gifted and talented. Aim Higher coordinator Martin Ransley reports.
The extra provision for gifted and talented students has been criticised by Chris Woodhead. He should look at comprehensives such as Ashby School, where the Da Vinci programme offers a wide variety of opportunities, says G&T coordinator Malcolm Salt
Raising the level of challenge for all children lies at the heart of RA Butler School’s G&T policy. Ann Geeves and Clare Gill describe how they have put systems in place to do this
Good planning will enable you to stretch pupils without exhausting yourself, says Jo Smith
Gifted and talented provision faces competition from many other areas for a share of personalisation funding. Josephine Smith and Paul Ainsworth share their tips for raising awareness of G&T in your school
What is it like for a former pupil to return to her old school as a G&T teaching assistant?
The Bristol Climbing Centre courses aim to develop the whole person. Jo McCready explains their teaching philosophy and describes their work with more able students
The underachievement of disadvantaged gifted and talented young people is a major concern. Nik Miller and Alison Rowan explain how the Goal project is helping
Richard Gould describes the approach at Villiers Park Educational Trust
Collaboration is growing in 14-19 G&T education. Sandra Howard and Lis Stock of the Gifted and Talented Education Unit at the DfES look at some recent developments
Many SENCOs in primary schools also have a designated responsibility for G&T children. New guidance should ensure that effective provision for this group of children is in place. It may also help clarify whether or not SENCOs can be expected to take primary responsibility for this task.
How can teachers raise aspirations for students who have untapped potential? Martin Ransley follows the lives of a group of Year 9 students.
Brin Best argues that we must actively teach creativity if our more able learners are to play their full role as decision-makers in the world of tomorrow.
How can G&T specialists support NQTs, and how can NQTs prepare themselves? Hilary Lowe of Oxford Brookes University looks at some of the key issues
At Belvoir High School staff help pupils set their own SMART targets while house days are used to help pupils develop strengths
Staging a ‘whodunit’ can provide great scope for enrichment, says G&T consultant Bob Cox.
In his continuing series on gifted thinkers, Charles Dietz looks at the work of Robert Sternberg and how he has influenced the teaching of gifted pupils
Howard Gardner will forever be associated with his theory of multiple intelligences. Charles Dietz discovers that the Hobbs professor in cognition and education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education has a lot more to say on the nature of giftedness.
Charles Dietz examines the work of Guy Claxton, professor of education at Bristol University and fellow of the British Psychological Society.
Charles Dietz examines the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and its implications.
Casterton Business and Enterprise College (CEBC) is one of three truly comprehensive Rutland secondary schools with 800 pupils on role in Years 7-11.
G&T coordinator Jo Smith explains how to get the most out of working with parents.
How can personalisation work in practice? Headteacher Paula Allen spoke to Bob Cox to explain how it’s done at Dorney Combined School.
Brin Best tries to make sense of the government’s personalised learning agenda, and suggests practical ways of making it work for your more able students.
Ian Warwick, senior director of development at London Gifted & Talented (LGT), explains his vision of personalised learning and describes LGT’s personalised programmes.
G&T education has been a precursor of personalised learning, says Tim Dracup, head of the DfES’s Gifted and Talented Education Unit.
Casterton Business and Enterprise College (CBEC) is the hub of local learning, offering 11-16 education by day and a wide range of recreational and academic activities for young people and adults in the evenings and at weekends
What does ‘extended school’ mean to politicians, teachers and parents and what will it mean for more able pupils? Deputy head Paul Ainsworth explains
Until recently G&T education was piecemeal and largely ignored in Northern Ireland. David Ryan describes the start of a strategy for G&T education at Belfast’s Education and Library Board.
How can you help G&T pupils develop strategies for thinking about their work before rushing in? Peter Levin offers some solutions.
Aimhigher coordinator Ivan Holdsworth discusses transition years and the implications these stages have on students’ learning.
Any primary school teachers out there with workshop ideas? I’m organising a few Antarctica mornings for local primaries and I’m trying to work out what to do.
This activity is about values, language, futurology, ethics and belonging.
G&T coordinator Peter Leyland explains how one Luton primary school has found that this thinking technique benefits everybody – students, more-able students and even staff.
Neil Short reports on the result of a small survey into sports provision in schools.
G&T adviser Linda Hodgson describes how her cluster has developed a way of listening to and responding to pupils’ perceptions of school.
Jane West looks at some misconceptions about giftedness and how to dispel them.
Ask the pupils to imagine a world with no ‘O’
Nick Smurthwaite explains how the after-school organisation Stagecoach is helping pupils with ability in the dramatic arts.
A fun activity to encourage extension and development of vocabulary.
How do you provide for your most able pupils within your existing education framework? Carol Cummings and Aileen Hoare describes a programme piloted in Cheshire LA
Design today for tomorrow: this activity looks at an art movement as a starting point for designing and making a product.
Does Gardner’s concept of multiple intelligences (MI) help or hinder us in our quest to identify G&T students?
Why do so many people think that giftedness is a ‘seriously wrong’ idea? Dr Ruth Cigman argues that the way forward lies in ensuring that we recognise genuine giftedness.
If giftedness is expertise in development then gifted historians are, or should be, on the road to being masters of a discipline. But how do we identify and nurture gifted historians? Alison Rowan explains the role of NAGTY’s history think tank.
Martin Ransley describes how he organised a series of enrichment work-related activity days at Highbury Fields School.
How can assessment be used as a tool for improving learning and achievement for all pupils? What do you need to do differently for your more able pupils?
Teaching Expertise is delighted to announce our sponsorship of a teacher’s expedition to Antarctica, exploring how humans cope with extremes.
Post-16 education for G&T pupils is disjointed and ill-supported. Mike Bulmer explains what needs to change.
Ruth Wilkes and Geoff Roberts describe a series of popular events in French and German.
What are the potential benefits to young people and how are schools preparing? Richard Bailey looks into the future.
The Camborne, Pool and Redruth Learning Space in Cornwall had a long journey towards G&T innovation, writes Sue Sayer
Educational consultant Mike Fleetham shares some interesting ideas about choosing books and looks at some practical ideas for using stories to develop children’s thinking.
Dr Jonothan Neelands, deputy director of research at the National Academy of Gifted and Talented Youth, explains how drama helps both the academically gifted and artistically talented.
Pupil focus groups can be used to evaluate your school’s G&T programme, as teachers Paul Ainsworth and Josephine Smith explain
Who are the gifted and talented children in our schools and are their needs being properly met? Former head, Roger Smith, suggests that broader definitions and greater efforts need to be made to identify and support the special needs of this group
Our theme was ‘Rich World, Poor World’. How do we open the eyes of children to equality issues?
Looking for the root cause of many boys’ underachievement and subsequently the simple answer or ‘Quick Fix’, has become something of a preoccupation over the past few years. Here, School Improvement Officer Gary Wilson explains why he believes that neither of these particular tasks can ever bear fruit
Bill Lucas explores the phrase ‘accelerated learning,’ and its associated curious, if well-meaning, misconceptions
A new review group has been set up to recommend ways of:
How can G&T coordinators ensure that differentiation for G&T pupils is taking place in every classroom? Paul Ainsworth looks at some methods based on sharing best practice
This book could act as a guide to anyone entering the fray of dealing with outstandingly able children, but it fails to provide great inspiration or sufficient practical advice.
Able child coordinator Nik Lawrence spoke to G&T Update about his work.
Dr Carrie Winstanley explains the principle of dual exceptionality with dyslexic children
Walking on clouds: how could we engineer the possibility of walking on clouds in the sky?
Headteachers working together in a National College for School Leadership (NCSL) research project have announced progress in overcoming differences in performance between departments within schools.
How can teachers help their most able mathematicians? Lynne McClure, consultant for the Mathematical Association discusses the problems and offers some solutions.
Josephine Smith and Paul Ainsworth, both senior teachers with responsibilities for G&T, look at the evolution of the role of the G&T coordinator at Casterton Community College and the effect that TLR reforms are having on it now
The STAR workshops were designed by performers Martha and Eve to bring out students’ creativity in music, drama and discussion
Gifted and talented support in the regions is being consolidated in a new partnership model. In 2004 NAGTY began to set up ‘regional gateways’ as part of its delivery of programmes and activities particularly for primary and CPD
Schools’ census data on G&T populations will be collected from both primary and secondary schools along with institutional data (including progress against IQS) and matched against all other data in the National Pupil Database (ie pupils’ attainment data and cognitive ability tests).
The concept of ‘study skills’ is found in a large number of schools and is often seen as a dry subject by both teachers and students. However, the approach adopted in this publication is refreshing and entertaining and was a pleasure to read.
What name would you give to our present time?
A sport for all: the real challenge is the philosophy of the game: is it to be competitive or cooperative?
The Deanes School is a specialist sports college in Benfleet, Essex, where for a number of years staff have been working on G&T programmes based on provision beyond the curriculum, writes G&T coordinator Keli Hampstead
In tackling educational disadvantage by personalised learning, the government should have strong regard to children with special educational needs, according to a report from the parliamentary select committee on education.
All current research on student achievement challenges the traditionally held mythology that the bright will always do well in whatever circumstances and that ‘borderline’ pupils fare better at the top of secondary modern schools rather than ‘struggling’ in grammar schools – a view entrenched in the attitudes of able students at The Thomas Aveling, a high school.
Are you truly providing every opportunity you can to allow your most able students to thrive, while also not disadvantaging others? Michele Paule outlines action you can take to ensure you identify these students and then are able to shape the best provision for them.
Model mapping (or ‘mind mapping’) is a learning tool for pupils of all ages and abilities, as Oliver Caviglioli, co-author of MapWise and former PE teacher, explains
Jo McShane, South Tyneside’s gifted and talented and Aimhigher manager explains why raising the aspirations of gifted students is a key part of her work.
G&T coordinator Samantha Wilkinson of King’s Wood School, Essex, explains how she has developed a PE programme for gifted and talented students
Professor David Jesson of the University of York has expressed concern that talent is ‘going to waste’ because state schools fail to develop the potential of more-able students
The National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth was established at Warwick University in 2002. Director Professor Deborah Eyre explains her vision for its future.
Critical thinking, communication, politics, philosophy, environmental awareness, economics.
One of the hardest jobs in teaching is to differentiate materials and teaching among pupils of differing abilities in the same class. So is grouping by ability right for your school and for your most able pupils? Jane West examines the pros and cons.
Students from St Clere’s School, Essex, travel to the US for an Advanced Space Academy course every year. G&T Update talked to the trip’s organiser, G&T coordinator Ken Lewis.
The able, gifted and talented continue to make strides at the first school to receive NACE’s Challenge Award, as deputy headteacher and G&T coordinator David Futerman explains
Writer and consultant Barry Hymer explains why he thinks G&T education needs to rethink some commonly used policies.
Black and Wiliam (often mispelled as Black and William, with two ‘L’s) developed a radical approach to learning, as Charles Dietz reports.
Why do we need to celebrate? Is there a pattern common to both religious festivals and secular festivals and celebration?
Empowering students by developing their understanding of how they learn.
Quality standards are the new buzzwords in school self-evaluation for G&T coordinators. But what’s the difference between an audit and self-evaluation – and how do you do it? Jane West explains.
Primary strand coordinator for G&T Joy Blaker explains how schools in Rotherham approach the issue of identifying their most able pupils.
During the academic year 2004-05 the London Borough of Lambeth developed an imaginative and creative partnership, offering enrichment courses for gifted and talented primary and secondary students, held in some of their many local museums and galleries and provided by the educational organisation GIFT. Rosemary Butcher explains.
Such is the anticipated durability of the West End musical Billy Elliot that a special school has been established in Leeds to train talented youngsters for the show
Gifted and talented strand coordinator Sue Sayer describes her work as leader for G&T and creativity for her excellence cluster and explains how a Classroom of the Future has influenced the teaching and learning of pupils in the Camborne, Pool and Redruth Success Zone
Whether you’re writing your first G&T policy or need to update your current one, what do you need to include? G&T Update editor Jane West explains