Skippers Hill Manor

SKIPPER’S HILL MANOR PREPARATORY SCHOOL

MORE ABLE PUPILS Policy

This policy applies all pupils in the school, including in the EYFS

Last revised December 2013
Date for revision December 2014
Annual review Autumn Term
Tim Lewis Head-teacher
Angela Alsop Deputy Head

SKIPPERS HILL MANOR

POLICY RELATING TO ABLE, GIFTED AND TALENTED PUPILS

Introduction/Rationale

Able and gifted pupils are those with strong intellectual and academic abilities.

Talented pupils excel in specific areas, for example, music, art, design, drama, dance or sport.

The definition of ‘able’ and ‘gifted’ pupils

An able pupil may be defined as one who achieves, or has the ability to achieve, at a level significantly higher than his or her peer group in the school. In the case of pupils aged 11 to 19, gifted pupils are generally taken to be those in the top five per cent of the national ability range, and this is the definition used by the Department for Education (DfE). It may be established by standardised ability testing, although evidence from parents and teachers is also important. It is easiest to identify exceptional ability as evidenced in such tests and in subject-specific performance where reasoning power, linguistic facility and mathematical aptitude are prominent features. Gifted learners may have special abilities in one or more subjects. In the age range 5 to 11, gifted and talented pupils are defined relative to others of similar age. Standardised ability testing can also be used to determine this. Whatever its age range, the challenge to each school is to find definitions which fit the pupils it serves. Most experts agree that while intelligence and other cognitive factors appear to be the most reliable indicators, a high level of aptitude and dedication are a key to success.

Just as pupils with special educational needs benefit from work specially designed for them, so able, gifted and talented pupils benefit from work of a kind suited to their highly developed capabilities. In each individual school, it is a matter of providing as far as possible what is appropriate for each individual pupil. This is not easy to establish or necessarily divorced from philosophical, political and economic considerations, but every kind of gift or talent, whether single or multiple, is within the scope of the overall definition.

Schools have a responsibility to provide a broad and balanced curriculum for all pupils based upon the National Curriculum. The National Curriculum is the starting point for planning a school curriculum that meets the specific needs of the individual and groups of people.

The National Curriculum sets out three principles that are essential to developing a fully inclusive curriculum:

·  Setting suitable learning challenges

·  Responding to pupils’ diverse learning needs

·  Overcoming potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of people

Adhering to these key principles should ensure an appropriate curriculum for all pupils within the school.

STRATEGIES

IDENTIFICATION

As a school we feel it is important to be precise in our definition to ensure appropriate identification and support for individual pupils.

We have established a register of able, gifted and talented pupils, with brief notes in relation to their individual gifts and talents. This includes their general and subject-specific abilities and any particular talents in relation to artistic, creative or sporting excellence. Since ‘ability’ rather than ‘achievement’ is the essential characteristic for the definition of able, gifted and talented pupils, it follows that some of those identified may be achieving at a level lower than their ability warrants. As relative ability may change over time, pupils may enter or leave the register.

Signs of high ability we look for

·  These include but are not limited to:

·  Being well ahead of their peers in the basic skills of speaking, writing and handling numbers;

·  Those at the end of Year 2 achieving Level 3 in SATS tests

·  Those in Years 2 and 3 that score in the 90+ percentile for NFER tests

·  Those in Years 4 to 8 who score in the 90+ percentile in areas of the CAT tests

·  Being able to concentrate for long periods of time on material which interests them;

·  Having a retentive memory;

·  Thinking quickly and approaching problems flexibly;

·  Using abstract ideas at an early age;

·  Enjoying complexity;

·  Showing intolerance of illogicality;

·  Being self-critical and critical of others;

·  Having an unusual or highly developed sense of humour;

·  Showing exceptional proficiency in creative, artistic, musical or physical activities

Understanding able, gifted and talented pupils and providing for their needs

·  Able, gifted and talented pupils are often fast workers, but they should not be given ‘more of the same’ since what will interest them is a new challenge or added complexity

·  In promoting excellence, specific provision within subject areas is much more effective than general enrichment without identified goals. For example, a pupil talented in art may benefit from a course in photography; a pupil of high linguistic ability may benefit from the study of another language, classical or modern; a pupil performing at a high level in science may benefit from a course in astronomy.

·  Able and gifted pupils may feel different and do all they can to seem just like others, deliberately performing at a level lower than their capability.

·  Able and gifted pupils benefit from being placed together with other similar pupils, particularly in literacy, numeracy, and music. This may entail grouping them with pupils of similar intellectual ability, regardless of age. However, not all able or gifted pupils are alike, so that special grouping may be of limited value.

·  Able and gifted pupils may be hard to manage because they finish tasks quickly and become bored by not having enough to do or by what they sense are low-level activities.

·  They may be vulnerable because their cognitive development is beyond their social or emotional development or beyond their physical ability to write.

·  Able and gifted pupils may be seen as a threat to the teaching because they always seem to know the answer, they pose awkward questions and in some ways their knowledge may be greater than that of the teacher. The challenge to schools is to provide learning appropriate to the pupil’s individual abilities while keeping him or her well looked after socially and emotionally.

·  Contrary to what is often believed, able and gifted pupils are not successful on their own. They need reasoning, drawing inferences, reaching conclusions and rising to new challenges. Similarly, talented pupils need the stimulus of new experiences. However, pairing the ablest pupils with the weakest may hold the ablest back and create resentment. Able and gifted pupils may also be held back by the view that specific provision for them is elitist.

Measuring progress

We aim to show improved standards for these pupils and can achieve this by identifying them as a defined group in an analysis of progress as measured in examination and test results or other forms of assessment. However, individual progress may be the crucial criterion as measured by the observations of teachers or revealed in competitions or success in a highly individual project or goal.

Strategies for meeting needs within the classroom

The needs of the “more able” child can often be met within the classroom situation and clear differentiation should achieve this. The main aim in relation to these pupils is to encourage them to become thoroughly engaged in their own learning and to enhance classroom work with material that will stimulate these pupils. Providing further research opportunities will develop their breadth of study and give them a personal challenge. This can be seen as a self motivating initiative and as a way of self monitoring. Higher order thinking skills are now fully embedded in the SKULL programme. We also aim to provide extension work as and when is necessary, such as those in Years 7 and 8, who are able to tackle Scholarship work. There are regular Scholarship tuition sessions given by specialist staff in one hour slots after school. We have recently become a member of NACE

Setting targets

The setting of individual pupil targets is a key strategy in raising levels of achievement across all ability groups. Targets are set in the following ways:

·  By the teacher of Year 2 pupils in English, Maths and Science, for when they move on to Year 3

·  By all teachers from Years 3 to 8, for all academic subject, in preparation for the next academic year

·  By the children themselves

Out of class activities

Many talented pupils can be accommodated through the school’s clubs and school sports clubs and teams. These include a school choir, drama and dance classes, orchestra, additional music lessons, art club and several sports teams.

The school enters many sports events and competitions, takes part in and holds musical and dramatic events and takes part in art exhibitions.

Angela Alsop/Tim Lewis

Reviewed December 2013