Gifted and talented learners
We know how important it is that all pupils are provided with a first-class education personalised to their individual needs. Our approach to supporting gifted and talented pupils is designed in line with the school-led approach set out in the 21st-Century Schools White Paper (see link below) and our commitment to devolve power to schools. It provides schools with greater control and flexibility in how they design and deliver provision to meet the needs of all their gifted and talented learners and it will help schools to develop more challenging and interesting opportunities to stretch all their able pupils.
Within this, we recognise that there is a cohort of pupils
from disadvantaged backgrounds who might need some extra support to meet their
potential. Therefore, we will be providing maintained schools and Academies
with additional funding to support their 14-to 19-year-old gifted pupils who
are from these backgrounds. This additional funding will equate to £250
per pupil claiming Free School Meals (FSM) or classified as a looked-after
child and is identified as gifted through the school census.
The funding is to be used to develop provision to help disadvantaged gifted and
talented learners to compete with their more advantaged peers for places at
competitive universities, thereby strengthening social mobility. It will be
delivered through the School Standards Fund for schools that are not on the
City GATES and National Challenge Gifted and Talented Pilot Programmes. The
first payments are likely to be made in May 2010 and further details will be
available in due course.
Arrangements for schools on the City GATES programme will be unaffected. For those schools taking part in the National Challenge Gifted and Talented Pilot, the requirement for match funding will be removed from next year, with each school receiving £250 per pupil, in line with the national programme.
In addition, our broader work to support gifted and talented pupils will support schools in:
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developing 'excellence for all' strategies that support whole-school improvement thereby benefiting all their learners
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providing for all their gifted and talented learners through a personalised approach recognising their differing needs
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meeting the requirements of the forthcoming Pupil and Parent Guarantees, which will require schools to confirm through parents the challenge and support they will be providing to all their gifted and talented learners.
The key elements are:
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robust advice and guidance to enable schools to continue to effectively identify their gifted and talented pupils (see link below to National Strategies website);
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access to training, guidance, quality standards and a range of other materials and resources developed specifically for gifted and talented learners by the National Strategies (see link below to National Strategies website). The focus of these materials/resources will be on improving school level Gifted and Talented provision, in the classroom and through additional enrichment and study support opportunities;
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access to a network of some 140 high-performing specialist schools (see link below) pursuing a Gifted and Talented option and providing support to other schools in the system thereby facilitating collaborative working among schools, and strengthening provision in all schools and for all pupils;
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access to a needs analysis web resource to help them to assess, with their gifted and talented learners, their learning and development needs (see link below to National Strategies website). This will help schools to put in place tailored support programmes;
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for teachers and their gifted and talented learners, access to a range of web-based guidance, resources and materials (see link below to National Strategies website).
We are also continuing to support Regional Partnerships to focus specifically on Gifted and Talented. The Partnerships will facilitate LA collaboration and regional/local activities and support for gifted and talented learners across each of the nine government office regions.
Further information, and a range of Gifted and Talented resources, are available from the National Strategies website.
Advice about Gifted and Talented can also be obtained from your local authority Gifted and Talented lead.
We hope you will welcome this approach and take full advantage of the resources we are making available to you and your gifted and talented learners.
Last updated: 15 January 2010
