Identifying Able and Talented October 2013

1. Identifying Able and Talented October 2013 Providing effective classroom provision for Able and Talented not only stretches these students but benefits all pupils by providing intellectual challenge on a daily basis.

2. Why is it important to identify Able and Talented students? “How schools support our most able students is of vital interest to us all. Ensuring that the brightest pupils fulfil their potential goes straight to the heart of social mobility, of basic fairness and economic efficiency. “ (Sutton Trust, 2012) “The real challenge is to set higher expectations for progress for all, because sustained progress will mean more pupil and parent engagement throughout the learning journey.” (Making good progress, DfES 2007) A tailored education means addressing the needs of the most gifted and talented, just as much as those who are struggling. (White Paper, 2005) Why is there a new focus on Able and Talented? Some models focus on: An individual’s intelligence, as measured by standardised tests, relative to the population as a whole. A consideration of an individual’s disposition and character, for example persistence and task commitment, as well as ability in academic or creative pursuits. Previous Definitions: DfES (2007) defined gifted and talented as ‘children and young people . . significantly ahead . . .relative to their peers in their own year group and school.’ This replaced the previous definition that attempted to quantify the number of gifted and talented students as the “top 5 – 10%” o f pupils per school” (GTWISE 2005). Background: Over recent years there has been an increased emphasis on the need for schools to challenge and provide for their most able students – generally, the top 5-10% of each school’s cohort. Yet, there is little consensus in education on what constitutes ‘able and talented.’ The terminology for this group of students is varied and changing.

3. What do recent reports into the provision for Able and Talented suggest? December 2009 Ofsted surveyed a small sample of 26 schools to evaluate their capacity to respond effectively to changes in policy in terms of making provision for gifted and talented pupils, and to identify good and less effective practice. • Key Findings: • Gifted students are not being stretched • Teachers still believe a focus on the most able will detract from other students • Where students are  provided with extra work, it is still more often than not ‘MOTS – More of the same’ • Very few schools talked to their students, exploring student voice • Some specialist schools had developed good partnerships, ie. Sport • Most ‘Out of Hours’ programmes do not support and/or are not linked to the curriculum; therefore, provide little significant impact on learning. • Analysis of different groups of identified students is limited. • Schools MUST: • “align their policies for gifted and talented students more clearly with other developments which focus on matching learning more closely to individual student needs” • “provide more support for gifted and talented students in disadvantaged circumstances” • “narrow the gaps in outcomes between different groups of students, while increasing the challenge across the curriculum for gifted and talented students” • “promote social mobility through entry to a wider range of universities”

4. What were the previous initiatives?

5. How do these changes affect TCS? The recent report ‘Educating the Highly Able’ produced by the Sutton Trust (July 2012) recommends ‘the confusing and catch-all construct “gifted and talented be abandoned’ and suggests the focus, as far as schools are concerned, should be on those capable of excellence in school subjects, which the report terms, ‘highly able’. TCS will follow the advice from the Sutton Trust (2012) and identify students who are able and talented. This will be a flexible approach but will be roughly 10% of students. TCS will use the following definitions: • More able children would demonstrate a higher ability than average for the class and would often require differentiated tasks and opportunities to learn through challenges. Most able children will be working at two levels above the majority of children in the class and would sometimes require additional and different provision. Talented children demonstrate an innate talent or skill in creative or sporting fields.

6. How will TCS identify Able and Talented students? TCS is accountable for identifying some part of every year group as able and talented. (Adonis, 2006b). Action Points: Curriculum teams will create a framework for the identification of Able and Talented students which is appropriate for their subject area. Able and Talented Co-ordinator will collate curriculum frameworks and publish these as part of the whole school Able and Talented Policy. Curriculum teams will use their framework to review and update existing Able and Talented register. Able and Talented Co-ordinator will collate registers and ensure that data is up to date on sims. Initially, the Able and Talented register will be based on teacher recommendation. You may wish to consider how the use of data feeds into this approach. Andrew Adonis stressed thatalthough ranking on the basis of test scores ‘may be a helpful guide, I must emphasise that it is just one piece of quantitative data that would be unreliable if used by itself, almost certainly failing to pick up late developers and underachievers.’ He goes on to stress ‘the significance of data and the value of qualitative evidence’, (Adonis, 2006a)

7. How will TCS curriculum teams create a framework for identifying Able and Talented students? Curriculum teams should discuss what able and talented may look like in their subject areas. Time should be used during the Curriculum meeting on 5th November. Curriculum teams should discuss what able and talented may look like in their subject areas. The following ideas offer a starting point for discussion. A more able child may display some or many of these aspects of their behaviour and intelligence: • An unusual memory • Passing intellectual milestones early • Reading early • Unusual hobbies or interests or an in-depth knowledge of certain subjects • Intolerance of other children • An awareness of world events • Set themselves impossibly high standards • Prefers to spend time with adults or in solitary pursuits • Loves to talk • Asks questions all the time • Learns easily • Developed sense of humour • Musical • Likes to be in control • Makes up additional rules for games • Extrovert/introvert • Often modest about their abilities

8. Curriculum teams should create a list of 5 criteria for identifying Able and Talented students in their subject areas. (This is a best fit model) The following descriptors can be used as a starting point (copy/amend/create as you see fit). CTLs may wish to ask their teams to give this some thought ahead of the team meeting on 5th November. • In (Subject X) Able and Talented students demonstrate: • above average ability (knowledge, skills and understanding) in tests and assessments. • • a capacity to work quickly and jump stages of learning • • greater curiosity which leads them to ask in-depth questions or link learning to previous experience or work • • the ability to explain what they want to do/have already achieved • • an ability to understand and apply basic and complex issues/concepts • • working with abstract thoughts • • advanced understanding of language/number • • a tendency to be critical of themselves and others • • retaining information and using it at a later date • • the ability to teach themselves (e.g. to read, count, write, ICT, develop new skills) and work independently • • a reluctance to repeat skills already mastered • • an understanding that evidence/information can conflict • • a tendency, particularly in the early years, to work and socialise with older pupils and wanting to achieve at their level • • contrasting abilities (e.g. good at reading, wide vocabulary but poor writing) • • an ability to take a leadership role and support others of differing ability; • • more mature preferences and interests • • connections in learning and transferring knowledge, skills and understanding from previous activities • • the ability to concentrate for long periods on an area of personal interest or strength but to lose interest quickly at other times • • an understanding of how they learn and what and why they have achieved.

9. What will the completed framework look like? • Able and Talented Identification Framework • Subject Name (Please enter) • Teignmouth Community School is fully committed to equality of opportunity for all students. We believe that every student, whatever their ability, has the right to be challenged and so encouraged to develop to his or her full potential. • We understand the phrase ‘Able and Talented’ to refer to the top 5-10% of our students as measured through both actual and potential achievement. • Able and Talented students in (Subject X) typically demonstrate the following characteristics: • Criteria 1 • Criteria 2 • Criteria 3 • Criteria 4 • Criteria 5

10. What are the key action points/dates for Curriculum Teams? 1. Voluntary briefing about creating the identification framework for any CTLs wanting further guidance (10 – 15 mins max) Wednesday 23rd October 2. Discussion time during curriculum team meeting to create identification framework Tuesday 5th November 3. Curriculum teams to update/amend existing Able and Talented register based on the new framework and feedback to CTLs. 4. CPD session on stretch and challenge (SEA/AEW) Tuesday 26th November 4. CTLs to email SEA completed framework and list of Able and Talented students by Friday 6th December