HUNTINGDON NURSERY SCHOOL

Policy – High Ability Children

We value:

. all children developing to their full potential

. respect for children, their ideas and thinking

. meeting the needs of all children appropriately

. children’s special talents

AIMS

We aim:

. to recognise the talents and needs of all pupils

. to identify specific talents and abilities in curriculum areas and also other

aspects, e.g. leadership

. to promote children’s development and learning

. provide a curriculum which is stimulating, accessible and challenging for

all children

. to ensure under achievement is avoided and children do not become

disillusioned

STRATEGIES

To ensure we meet our aims the following strategies are employed:

. use of the `initial checklist` to begin to identify high ability children

(attached)

. use of the LEA criteria to identify high ability children (N.B. Not all children

who may be regarded as very able will meet all these criteria and some of

these characteristics may not readily be evident if a pupil is significantly

under-achieving.):

. evidence of a talent in one or more areas, for example physical,

creative, leadership, mathematical etc.

. capacity for achievement beyond the normal expectation for the

pupils age

. rarity of response, which may include originality of ideas,

unusual sense of humour and/or more extended vocabulary

. ability to make connections

. approaches to learning which show capacity for self-motivation,

extended concentration and curiosity

. identification of high ability children through:

. setting of open ended tasks

. teacher observation

. parental information

. initial assessment

. ongoing assessment

. careful structuring of plans and evaluations to ensure a broad and

balanced curriculum

. planning for differentiation so that all children may reach their full potential

. fostering a positive culture in relation to learning by valuing children’s

contributions

. use of a planning and record keeping system to ensure a holistic view of

the individual child

. use of a diversity of approaches in teaching to suit a variety of learning

styles

. provision of activities and opportunities which are open-ended wherever

possible

. using open-ended questions to extend children’s thinking

. offering children positive constructive praise and evaluation on their

activities where appropriate

. encouraging children to plan and evaluate their own work-plan, do, review

. supporting and nurturing thinking within the classroom, as well as specific

skills and talents

. providing opportunities for high ability children to work individually or in

small groups on extending tasks

. encouraging parents to be co-educators through the use of home library

and topic activity sheets

. giving termly reports and holding meetings with parents to share children’s

information and developments

. having a structured format for assessment and record keeping to identify

and log achievements by key workers and LSA’s

. use of the record keeping process to support identification of a high ability

child

. passing on all child’s records to a new school, having a verbal meeting

wherever possible, to aid transition

INITIAL CHECKLIST

The following checklist can be used. An individual need not display all the characteristics, to be regarded as more able.

A /

Learns easily

B / Original, imaginative, creative
C / Persistent, resourceful, self-directed
D / Inquisitive, skeptical
E / Informed in unusual areas often beyond their years
F / Artistic
G / Outstanding vocabulary, verbally fluent
H / Musical
I / Independent worker, shows or takes the initiative
J / Good judgement, logical
K / Versatile, many interests
L / Shows unusual insights
M / Shows high level of sensitivity, empathy
N / Has excellent sense of humour
O / Exhibits unusually extroverted or introverted behavior within a group
P / Unusually high motivation and self-expression
Q / Speed of agility of thought and preference for verbal rather than written expression
R / Shows leadership qualities
S / Socially adept
T / Physical
U / Behavioral indicators

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