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Gifted and Talented

Thread I just read made me think about it. Anyone on here part of the whole Gifted and Talented list at their school and not get involved in the activites? I'm still not quite sure what it was all for... Just seemed to get sent a couple of newsletters a year and emails about taster courses for uni.
Can anyone shed any light on exactly what G+T was supposed to do?

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Reply 1

Mr Student

It's a status given student students that excel in certain subjects and therefore may need additional provisions to ensure they are sufficiently challenged. My school never used the G & T system. However, I've worked at one school that does, a specialist sports school, which allocates G & T status to those who excel in certain sports. For example, one student is on the books at Arsenal so he's naturally on there for football.

It's strange because some of the most able students who are predicted mainly A*s at GCSE are not on the register at this school. In some ways it is just another initiative that gives the appearance that schools are differentiating learning or meeting the needs of the most able. At the other end of the spectrum are the 'statemented' students who encounter certain obstacles which mean that they require an individualised learning provision. This may be due to behaviour or disabilities. These, in my opinion, are the more worthwhile incentive, though I would concede that the G & T register would be great if only schools actually used it to some advantageous end for the students concerned.

Reply 2

bittersweet.poetry

I got chosen for it in primary school and went on the free trip thing. Although I ended up being the only one from my school to go, but it was all good fun. :smile:

Did you get that free trip as well?

Reply 3

mespannerhanz

i was part of nagty when it existed. i went on a few of their day programme/event things, can't remember what they were called. did one in bristol about forensic science, one in enfield about sport and one at leicester uni about sweets and the chemicals etc in them and why they act as they do. all very interesting though not particularly helpful for me as im not particularly into science, just like the odd bits!

Reply 4

Captain92

Original post by bittersweet.poetry

I got chosen for it in primary school and went on the free trip thing. Although I ended up being the only one from my school to go, but it was all good fun. :smile:

Did you get that free trip as well?

No, mine was a secondary school thing. I think it started in year 10... so pushing 4 years ago for me now. You had to be in the top 2 pupils of the top set for at least 3 subjects to get on the list. I think mine were chemistry, history and english if I remember correctly.
But the only thing the school ever did was call us all to our head of year, explain what was going on, then took our emails and left us to it.
I still get emails now telling me to come to UEA for a History of Medicine course (aimed at year 10-11s :rolleyes:

)
Was just wondering if anyone got any real benefit out of it lol.

Reply 5

ellakrystina

I know that I was definitely on the Gifted and Talented list during primary school, but I don't think I did anything differently because of it. I think it's more for the parents' bragging rights than it is for the kids.

Reply 6

amongsttheweeds

Original post by Captain92

Supposed to provide opportunities to the top 10% of students. All it really did was delude loads of people into thinking they were experts. I never saw any real benefits to it, apart from getting out of class for a few hours every couple of months. -_-

Reply 7

01010000 01001010

My sister is on it. She recently went to Oxford for a visit and some lectures on English Literature.

Reply 8

Blueflare

I'm pretty sure my primary school never had a Gifted and Talented program, because if it did I would definitely have been a part of it, and I wasn't. I don't mean to brag, as I know primary school doesn't count for **** anyway. But I was a smart kid.
As for high school, I believe we did. I had a couple of friends who were part of it but they never said anything about it. I'm pretty sure all that happened was that people were selected in Sixth Form as potential Oxbridge students, and got taken on open days to both. Or maybe just Cambridge, as it was closer. I dunno.

Reply 9

CoffeeStinks

I was part of it in primary and secondary. In primary we had little maths sessions every tuesday at assembly time. I liked it because we got to miss assembly, but anyway we had to do sort of stretch and challenge questions. Secondary school we went to this summer G&T week at a local college were all the G&T students from the borough would come and we did projects and the sorts.

Well anyway, it doesn't really help people to achieve more in my opinion because in my school especially they just let us get on with things and didn't realise that we needed teaching too. But that could just be the incompetance of my secondary school.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 10

iamnotasealion

I've been on it since Year 7, but can't say I've noticed.

Occasionally they ask us to submit our details, along with a brief note on the extent to which we feel sufficiently challenged at school, but we heartily ignore them.

Reply 11

kpwxx

At my school the main activity was 2 week summer schools. Every year from the summer between years 6 and 7 for three years you were invited to the summer school if you were in the G&T program. It was free and it just allowed basically fun learning over the summer.

I suppose the idea is that students who are less 'gifted and talented' might not enjoy going to such an event, either because they found it too challenging or just didn't really enjoy learning. So it was a provision of this activity for those who did want it.

Then they had after school meetings you could attend if you liked where you just did fun activities together. It was more of a 'like minds' thing than having a specific aim, and possibly to help the students feel like they were getting something, rather than all the attention focussing on improving the performance of underachievers.

I think it's a nice idea if the school can afford to do it. It encourages the students to push themselves more than they might get in the classroom. But maybe my school ran it better than other schools!

Oh also, when you got past the summer school age you were invited back to help out running the summer school, which was nice.

Reply 12

Captain92

Original post by kpwxx

At my school the main activity was 2 week summer schools. Every year from the summer between years 6 and 7 for three years you were invited to the summer school if you were in the G&T program. It was free and it just allowed basically fun learning over the summer.I suppose the idea is that students who are less 'gifted and talented' might not enjoy going to such an event, either because they found it too challenging or just didn't really enjoy learning. So it was a provision of this activity for those who did want it.

Then they had after school meetings you could attend if you liked where you just did fun activities together. It was more of a 'like minds' thing than having a specific aim, and possibly to help the students feel like they were getting something, rather than all the attention focussing on improving the performance of underachievers.

I think it's a nice idea if the school can afford to do it. It encourages the students to push themselves more than they might get in the classroom. But maybe my school ran it better than other schools!

Oh also, when you got past the summer school age you were invited back to help out running the summer school, which was nice.

Yeah my school never did anything like this with the programme :frown:

Which was a shame cos I'd have been really interested in it.

(edited 13 years ago)

Reply 13

Great Lord Xenu

Original post by Captain92

I was Gifted and Talented for Art in year 7, and then somehow ceased to be the following year. Still got the Art prize in Year 12 though...

Reply 14

Ultimate_Geek

I was kicked off it and then randomly placed back on it twice in my school.

Nothing ever happened to those in G&T though.

Reply 15

kpwxx

Original post by Captain92

Yeah my school never did anything like this with the programme :frown:

Which was a shame cos I'd have been really interested in it.

Yeah, it was pretty good, especially for a school like ours (which I feel is MASSIVELY underachieving since I've been frequenting TSR lol).

In the after school club we got to organise a harry potter quiz night for a local primary school!

Also the summer schools were themed. So like, the first theme was power. We did science about how power was generated, debate about wind turbines (had to do our own mini political campaign and got parents to vote), a trip to the beach and a trip to the local outdoor activity centre, making our own mini turbines, making board games about power, that kind of thing. Basically linking the different subject areas to one topic.

Reply 16

jolteon

i was on the list then i was ina car accidennt

Reply 17

Oasis Jnr

I'm on the G&T list on my school, in fact the head of G&T called us all together for the first time in Yr12 to mentor younger students who are also in G&T(Yeard 7-9).

tbh, it's not bad, the trips are cool but if you're lazy and dont work hard, then your off the list and someone will replace you.

Reply 18

you7me

atm, im in yr11.
i never heard about til i was picked as a G+T kid but my target grades are Bs, recently raised from C!
all i got was extra holiday hw in pe =/ :lol:

but that was over a month ago! since that hw, i havent heard anything!
if it counts, i was a prefect in yr10..=S

Reply 19

Drunk Punx

I can't remember whether I was on the list for it or not. If I was, I was too lazy to go. Probably didn't see the point in it.
Probably wasn't on the list in the first place, to be honest...