Friern Barnet School Gifted and Talented Policy

Friern Barnet SchoolGifted and Talented PolicyLast Reviewed: November 2011 Next Review: Nov 2014Approved by: Student Achievement Committee Date:

Gifted and Talented PolicyRationaleFriern Barnet School is committed to providing an environment which encourages all students tomaximise their potential. The Gifted and Talented Policy, although aimed specifically at the more able,is intended to be inclusive in its nature. It is therefore consciously aimed at raising achievementthroughout the school, as well as meeting the needs of the most able. Provision for gifted and talentedstudents is the responsibility of all members of staff at Friern Barnet School; by raising the achievementof the more able we aim to raise the achievement of all students within the school.AimsAs a school community we will:• ensure that all students receive an education appropriate to their abilities• provide teaching which makes learning challenging and enjoyable• provide higher order thinking and questioning skills• stimulate students through extracurricular and enrichment activities• support the abilities, personal qualities and talents of all children• recognise under-achievement and seek to remove it• employ a wide variety of methods of recognition of potential• ensure that the curriculum realises the needs of the most able and extends opportunity for all• compile a gifted and talented register and enter this on the school census• provide appropriate training for staff to ensure that these aims are achievedPractice1. Definitionsa) The term 'Gifted' refers to those students who are capable of excelling in traditionally academicsubjects such as English or History.b) 'Talented' refers to those students who may excel in areas requiring practical skills or abilitiessuch as in PE, Drama, or Art.c) ‘Multi Gifted and Talented’ refers to students with high ability in both these areas.d) The term ‘Gifted and Talented’ is not to be understood as referring to the most able children inthe national population. The term should be seen as relative and refers to the top 5% to 10% ofany school, regardless of the ability profile of students at the school.2. IdentificationGifted and Talented students are identified by making a judgment based on an analysis of varioussources of information including:• test scores (end of key stage levels; examination results)• teacher nomination (based on classroom observation, FFT target grades, discussions withstudents, work scrutiny and performances)• parental communication2

3. The Gifted and Talented Registera) Before students join Friern Barnet School in Year 7 staff liaise closely with local primary schoolsand request information about gifted and talented students transferring to the school.b) Year 7 students who achieve level 5s in all their KS2 SATs are automatically added to the wholeschool register.c) Additional gifted and talented students are identified by subject teachers in consultation withHeads of Faculty, using the subject specific gifted and talented identification forms.d) All gifted and talented students identified are placed on the whole school gifted and talentedregister which is disseminated to all staff.e) Heads of Faculties and subject teachers annually review their provision for gifted and talentedstudents and the register is updated accordingly.4. Provisiona) Within FacultiesStrategies that class teachers will employ to meet the needs of the gifted and talented include:• differentiation within subject areas to develop students’ resilience and resourcefulness• the development of independent learning by allowing students to organise their own work,carry out tasks unaided, evaluate their work and become self-critical• the coherent management of student groupings (whether mixed ability groups or ability sets)and recognition that, whilst there may be a higher concentration of gifted and talented studentsin some groups, there will be students who have gifts and talents in all groups• the provision of enrichment/extension activities and tasks• mentoring and additional provision for students of exceptional ability (including opportunitiesprovided by external agencies)b) Across Key StagesThe pastoral teams at Friern Barnet School will provide opportunities and support for gifted andtalented students including:• motivational assemblies to support the achievement of gifted and talented students• Aim High Evenings for parents• specific materials to support learning• mentoring opportunities• regular Key Stage Manager challenges• enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities• devising specific student action plans and encouraging parental involvementc) Through Extra-Curricular ActivitiesWe encourage all subjects to offer extra-curricular activities on a regular basis and, although thesebenefit all students, they are particularly apt for ensuring that students who have potential in theseareas are given opportunities to practise and extend their skills. These activities include:• enrichment days• residential experiences• school clubs• musical and sporting activities.• performing arts events3

d) Through Partnership with ParentsTo maximise the effectiveness of the gifted and talented programme parents will be fully informed ofstudent data and staff recommendations for their children to be added to the whole school gifted andtalented register.They will be also be informed of the school’s strategies and opportunities for gifted and talentedstudents.Parents can request for their children not to be included on the whole school gifted and talentedregister if they so wish.5. Coordination and MonitoringThe Gifted and Talented Coordinator has overall responsibility for ensuring that:• the policy is implemented• effective monitoring of the progress of gifted and talented students takes place• the professional development programme for staff includes relevant aspects of gifted andtalented provision• the provision is reviewed and reported to SLT and Governors on an annual basisGovernorsThe Governing Body will ensure that gifted and talented provision within the school is monitoredregularly by the Student Achievement Committee.Appendix 1:Example of subject specific identification criteria for Gifted and Talented students – English and DanceAppendix 2:Example of proformas that Heads of Faculty have completed outlining their existing provision andongoing vision for Gifted and Talented students – English and Dance4

G & T Identification FormName:Form:Subject: ENGLISHName of Subject Teacher:Date of Referral:Evidence of Departmental Criteria Met;Speaking and Listening: This Gifted and Talented Student:uses complex language structuresappreciates subtleties such as nuance or implicationutilises a repertoire of language greater than those of their peersexplores using a variety of language purely for enjoymentis a persuasive debateruses language to manipulate people and situationslistens, responding to and building upon the contributions of othersReading: This Gifted and Talented Student:selects texts to read in advance of their age, and persists with difficult textsrefers to dictionaries and thesauruses to confirm ideasuses high order thinking skills such as evaluation or synthesisrecognises, analyses and questions ambiguities within a textutilises styles they have read in their own writinghas curiosity and the desire to explore textsreads for enjoymentWriting: This Gifted and Talented Student:utilises a variety of structures within their own writingis prepared to experiment with a variety of writing styleswrites conciselymanipulates the emotions of the readershows creativity and originality in their ideasReferred to HoFTo be tracked by: ……………………………………………………………………5

G & T Identification FormName:Form:Subject: DANCEName of Subject Teacher:Date of Referral:Evidence of Departmental Criteria Met;A Gifted and Talented student may:Performing• Perform techniques and skills with consistent precision, control and fluency• Show an understanding of projection and sensitivity towards other dancers and the audience• When leading others in rehearsal practices they can apply basic health and safety rules, rehearsal techniques and compositionalideas consistently• They plan ways to improve their own and others’ performance and act on these decisions in order to bring about theimprovements• When adapting and responding to changing circumstances and other performers, they maintain the quality of a performanceChoreographing• When planning their own and others’ work they use imaginative ways to solve problems, overcome challenges and entertainaudiences• They draw on what they know about composition in response to a stimulus to create original and interesting movements anddances• When working in a group they can use what they know about their own and others’ strengths and weaknesses to create asuccessful outcomeAnalysing• They can show that they understand the elements of dance by comparing and commenting on skills, techniques and ideas usedin their own and others’ work• They can use this understanding to improve their own and others performance• They are able to analyse a professional work and point out the features and elements of dance• They take on different roles within an activity, showing an ability to organise and communicate effectively, and applying rulesfairly and consistently or adhering to the conventions and codes of conduct for activities, e.g. Warm-up, teaching a sequence,leading a dance club• They can show that they understand the elements of dance by comparing and commenting on skills, techniques and ideas usedin their own and others’ work• They can use this understanding to improve their own and others performance• They are able to analyse a professional work and point out the features and elements of danceThey take on different roles within an activity, showing an ability to organise and communicate effectively, and applying rules fairly andconsistently or adhering to the conventions and codes of conduct for activities. eg. Warm-up, teaching a sequence, leading a dance club.Referred to HoFTo be tracked by: ………………………………………………………………….6

Gifted and TalentedEnglish DepartmentWhat is done at the moment for G&T students in terms of thecurriculum?• In class, G&T students are provided for through differentiation, both with regards tomaterials provided and expectations.• Extension activities are built into lessons and targets both verbally and on written workare designed to stretch more able pupils.• We now set Year 9 in the same way we set for key stage 4, with two top sets and 4mixed ability – this enables staff to focus more on challenging G&T students withinthese sets.How G&T students are tracked and monitored?• Names are provided by subject teachers and the list is updated on an annual basis.• G&T students are tracked and monitored using the same rigorous assessmentprocedures that are applied to all other students.• Half-termly levels are inputted into a central spreadsheet that all department memberhave access to.What is done for G&T students in terms of extracurricular activities?• Year 7 G&T students will be invited to participate in an after school writer’s project inthe Autumn term. The outcome is a published book of their best pieces of work.• A team of Year 7 G&T spellers will again be entered for The Times Spelling Bee laterthis year.• A Year 11 poetry trip targeting students predicted a B or above is to take place laterthis year.• A reading club will once again take place later in the year where G and T students fromall year groups will have the opportunity to read and evaluate novels nominated for theCarnegie award.What is your vision for the provision for G&T students in the comingyear?• Continue to ensure teacher awareness of G&T students in their classes to informdifferentiation• Setting at Year 9 to target the more able.• Continued extra-curricular provision in the form of appropriate trips.7

Gifted and TalentedDance DepartmentDance Extension Task StrategiesThe following strategies are used to provide G & T students opportunity to continue to developskills:• teaching and choreographing others• assessing others• challenging movement vocabulary• challenging choreographic devices• preparing a warm-up or a sequence of dance to teach the class• teaching a year group lower or even higher than their own• helping an SEN or less able student in the class.How G&T students are tracked and monitored?• students are identified based on 3 elements: performance skill, choreographic skills andtheoretical understanding• at the end of each term the dance teachers will review the G&T Dance register and addany students identified as G&TWhat is done for G&T students in terms of extracurricular activities?G&T students are encouraged to take part in performance opportunities throughout the yearand are given leadership roles in these performance opportunities. In addition, the followingextra-curricular activities take place:Enhanced Arts Programme (EAPs)• Parents/Carers complete an application form for students to join this programme andstudents are invited to audition• Dance run a 30 minute session for EAPS at lunch-time once a week. The purpose is todevelop their dance skills and work towards a performanceFriern Barnet School Dance Company• termly audition• students on the G&T list are invited to audition to join the FBS Dance Company• the company rehearses every Tuesday evening and perform at Friern Barnet School’seventsStep into Dance break dance group.• a 2 hour session is run every Tuesday after-school by a break dance specialist• the session is open to all students, however dance teachers identify G&T students whowould benefit from this dance style and invite them to attend• the session is free for students and open to boys and girls• the group performs at Friern Barnet School and Step into Dance eventsThe Pixl Club Partners in Excellence dance project.• G&T dance students were invited to attend an audition and form a dance group led byone of the dance teaching staff at a weekend performance project and performing atthe PIXL Celebration Event at the Queen Elizabeth Hall8

What is your vision for the provision for G&T students in the comingyear?• create a formal G&T link with the partner schools and run a joint project/opportunity;this could be a workshop or sharing of performance work• look for a project that allows G&T to relate to the professional world of dance• link with other schools e.g. several Junior schools have asked for dance leaders to runsessions at their school.• each G&T students has a 15 minute meeting with a dance teacher to write their G&TDance plan with targets to meet and achieve in class or through extra- curricular• provide an early entry GCSE or BTEC dance provision• run a dance leaders course or be part of a Sports Leaders course with the PEdepartment• build on the partnership with Woodhouse A level course to ensure G&T students canaspire to auditioning for the course at KS5• identify funding opportunities to support the G&T provision for dance at FBS• student voice input to improve the department9