Best Practice Forum

1. Best Practice Forum June 2010

2. Agenda • Update • G&T in the Early Years • Model policy and LA Guidance for MAG&T • Additional materials • Website • Case studies • Action Planning

3. G&T in the Early Years • What does it mean to be gifted and talented in the Early Years? • Gifted and talented children and creativity. • The importance of early language and communication. EYFS Themes: 4. A unique child. • Positive relationships. • Enabling Environments. • Learning and Development. • Moving into Key Stage 1

4. Key Messages • Mindsets - Carol Dweck • Beliefs you hold about yourself • Inhibit or enhance our learning • True of learners at any age.

5. Key Messages • In the EY gifts and talents are more likely to be revealed when practitioners and parents work in close partnership. • Children are developing more rapidly at this stage than any other time, gifts and talents may be transient at this stage. • Some children in the early years have gifts and talents masked by developmental and cultural differences.

6. Key Messages • Easy to confuse ‘advanced development’ such as a child who has mastered a skill early with those who have a specific aptitude or ability. • Ongoing observation across a range of contexts is the key approach to identifying in the Early Years.

7. EY Practitioners should be mindful to: • Address barriers to development; • Provide access to an environment that will engage the children; • Provide opportunities to extend their learning.

8. The importance of: • Recognition that all children have strengths to build on; • Recognition that the development of abilities and talents may be uneven and evolving; • Provision which offers children very broad experiences rather than narrow pathways; • The role of the practitioner as a facilitator of children’s learning.

9. Carers should look for: Unexpected and surprising responses Persistence and precision in play The ability of a child to reflect Children who interpret clues and codes in the world around them easily e.g. signs/ written word Children who are curious and motivated to find information and learning new skills. Practitioners should bear in mind that children with particular abilities: May sometimes become easily bored and frustrated May not have well-developed emotional and social skills May prefer the company of adults to other children Abilities are most likely to be accurately recognised through careful observations, including learning journeys.

10. G&T in the Early Years TASK • Consider the implications of this document in relation to your own knowledge of MAG&T and the Early Years curriculum. • What are your next steps? • Who needs to see this?

11. LA Guidance on G&T

12. LA Guidance on G&T • Updated guidance, outlining South Gloucestershire's recommended approach to provision for more able, gifted and talented pupils. • Model policies distributed to schools match LA guidance.

13. Overview of guidance • Introduction • Vision • Key Priorities • Rationale 2. The South Gloucestershire Approach • Definition of more able, gifted and talented • Identification • Register • Provision • Self-Evaluation and Action Planning 3. Roles and Responsibilities in MAG&T Provision • Learning and School Effectiveness Service • Governors • Headteacher/ Senior Leadership • G&T Coordinator/ Leading Teachers • Class teachers / subject leaders / support staff • SENCO/ Inclusion Leaders • Parents and carers • Children and young people • Appendices

14. Model Policies • Sent to all schools attending best practice. • Two versions: one including More Able, the other not. • Matches the LA Guidance published. • Now uploaded to the website in word format so you can adapt to suit your school.

15. Possible Provision map for identified pupils

17. G&T Self Evaluation Toolkit Possible contents: • More able, gifted and talented: definitions and policy • Self Evaluation: Principles – aims of self evaluation and how toolkit can help • Identification and the G&T register (process and analysis of make up) • Provision Mapping (approaches and map example) • Individual Pupil Planning (proforma already designed with explanation of use) • Pupil Voice (pupil questionnaire and feedback form) • Parent Voice (parent questionnaire and feedback form) • Pupil performance (ways of gathering teacher feedback, work sampling and data tracking) • Institutional Quality Standards (include IQS and rationale for use) • Classroom Quality Standards (include CQS and rationale for use) • Contributing to the SEF (use booklet already created)

18. Working group • Develop the tools that support evaluation and provision mapping of G&T through three supported meetings over the academic year. • If interested, let me know at coffee time!

19. Updated Website!

20. Website Headings • LA Guidance Materials • Quality Standards • Best Practice Forum - Primary • Best Practice Forum - Secondary • OFSTED and National Strategy Materials • NACE Challenge Award • LEAP (Secondary) • Additional Information

21. Case Studies • An opportunity to share case studies and the impact on pupils.

22. Coffee

23. Evaluation and Action Planning Use this time to: • Review you action plan and evaluate impact on pupils. • Present evidence to support your views to a critical friend. • Agree priorities for the next academic year and outline plan.

24. Priorities and developments next year… NACE Challenge Award Institutional Quality Standards Action Research Classroom Quality Standards

25. Meetings next year… • Wednesday 13th October 2010 • Tuesday 8th February 2011 • Wednesday 8th June 2011 • At Severnside Training Centre • Evaluations! Course code: GT005