| What is the Gifted & Talented Initiative? |
The strand is underpinned by the Luton Education Authority - [Gifted & Talented Policy] - which applies to any student in education within the authority from pre-school to age 19.
[Click here to visit the DCSF Standards site on Gifted & Talented]
[Click here to access more Gifted & Talented related resources and information on the Luton Learning Grid]
| | Who is involved? |
All 12 of Luton's High Schools are involved in the Gifted & Talented strand of Excellence in Luton and from September 2004 fourteen primary schools will also have some focused involvement.
All the schools accept the DFES definition of Gifted & Talented and subsequently identify cohorts of 5-10%. - Gifted - is recognised as referring to students who have shown marked ability or potential in one or more curriculum subjects.
- Talented - is recognised as referring to students who have shown marked ability or potential in areas like sport, art, music or vocational subjects.
| | Identification |
Identification of a student is not about being 'marked' as such on a national criteria but about being recognised as being amongst the most able of the student's particular school. Also the cohorts once identified are not set and immovable - students join and leave as they mature and develop.
Schools use a wide variety of methods to identify gifted and talented students, striving to recognise those with potential to achieve but may have barriers impairing real progress. Schools will use a range of strategies including looking at hard data, teacher nomination, parent nomination and peer nomination. |
| How is this achieved? |
Every High School has:
- a named Gifted and Talented co-ordinator.
- who has undergone the national training programme.
- close and regular links with the other High School co-coordinators through network meetings and enrichment programmes.
- identified and reviewed its gifted and talented student cohorts
- arranged school staff development
- begun discussing how to develop class strategies for Gifted and Talented students
- started to adapt and amend schemes of work to ensure differentiated work is provided at the highest levels in all subject areas and considers specific learning theories pertinent to G&T students.
- arranged extra curricula enrichment
- considered transition
- written a policy
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| School Contacts |
| Ashcroft | Jonathan Foster | Icknield | Ian Herrington | | Cardinal Newman | Mike Nolan | Lea Manor | Ray Shakespeare-Smith | | Challney Boys | Nicola Temple | Lealands | Laurie Arnold | | Challney Girls | Helen Foster | Putteridge | Bridget Vickers | | Denbigh | Ailsa Harris | South Luton | Mike Singleton | | Halyard | Chris Redding | Stopsley | Helen Wratten | | | | | |
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| Complementary Study Programme |
A major plank of the strand is our provision for students outside of school, this may involve students taking part in enrichment courses allied to subjects they are studying in school or provide them with a chance to step out the national curriculum to study subjects not normally offered.
This programme falls into four main areas - the subject programme
- master classes
- advance learning centres - primary focus
- summer schemes
Students can apply to join the courses outlined on the termly programme by contacting their school coordinator and completing an application form.
Note: places are allocated on a first come, first serve basis |
| Previous Courses | Digging the Past:
2 days during October Half Term | Year 9-10 | | Students studied archaeology for one day using the internet with expert tuition and spent the second day on a visit to Verulamium. | Winter Art College:
3 days during Feb Half Term | Years 7-8 | | Students worked with a variety of artists to form their own work and contribute to a joint project. | Shakespeare in the Digital Age:
Half day 9th March | Year 9 | | Students used the programme Kar2ouche to create their own animated versions of a scene they were studying for their English Key Stage 3 SATs examination in May. | Music and Video Technology:
1 day - either 6th or 27th March | Year 7-8 | | Students working in groups made a short video with musical backing | | Master Classes | Science:
Geography:
Mathematics
ICT | Year11
Year 9
Year 10
Year 9 | Mathematics:
15 sessions Saturday mornings | Years 5-7 | | Students worked on enrichment projects closely allied to the National Curriculum | English
15 sessions Saturday mornings | Years 5-7 | | Students looked at writing to a specific genre , studying Creation Stories and subsequently writing their own. |
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