1. © Crown copyright 2008 The National Rural Network Conference September 2008 The National Strategies Gifted and Talented Education Programme – an all-round perspective Carol Singh Senior Adviser, G&T Programme Lead National Strategies

2. © Crown copyright 2008 The role of the National Strategies Raising standards – focus on the quality of teaching and learning Raising aspirations and expectations Improving progression Personalising learning Engaging hearts and minds

3. © Crown copyright 2008 The National Gifted and Talented Programme A tailored education means addressing the needs of the most gifted and talented, just as much as those who are struggling (White Paper, paragraph 4.21). Establishing a secure basis for improving mainstream provision for gifted and talented pupils is a key task for many schools (HMCI Annual Report, 2005)

4. © Crown copyright 2008 The aims ‘ …to raise standards and improve opportunities and outcomes for identified and potential gifted and talented pupils …’ ‘ …to improve the attainment and/or performance, aspirations, motivation and self-esteem of G&T learners …’

5. © Crown copyright 2008 The means ‘... through improving provision, pedagogy and personalisation for G&T pupils in and across all key stages including EYFS.’

6. © Crown copyright 2008 National Programme Objectives To prioritise these outcomes for underachieving groups To help schools and colleges improve identification, provision and support for G&T learners, especially the quality of teaching and learning To improve the quality and quantity of out-of- school opportunities for learners and the support available for teachers

7. © Crown copyright 2008 NS G&T programme Key messages: -Establish and support leading teachers -self-evaluation, improvement and action planning, supported by the Quality Standards -analysis and use of data to identify underachievement followed by actions to ensure progress and achievement -mainstreaming G&T education - quality first teaching is the key to effective provision -identification for the National Register -sharing and learning from What Works Well

8. © Crown copyright 2008 The rationale?

9. © Crown copyright 2008

10. Gifted and talented education is about making exceptional performance a reality for those children and young people who have the ability to excel. This ‘really works’ when schools realise that encouraging and expecting exceptional performance is an on-going concern that pervades the whole school, its structures and its culture. It is an approach applied to all pupils but realised in its most complete form by the most gifted and talented.

11. © Crown copyright 2008 ‘G&T really works when the school leadership understands the G&T agenda and plays a key role in driving it forward.’ ‘The Leading Teacher or School G&T Co- ordinator is a key player in schools where this really works. Their role is clearly defined, wide ranging and linked to pedagogy. But they cannot achieve miracles alone; this is a team effort involving the whole school community.’

12. © Crown copyright 2008 ‘Gifted and talented pupils are simply the most effective learners not a specific, clearly defined, sub-set of the population with learning needs so unique that they cannot be accommodated through normal, recognised teaching approaches. Therefore every teacher should see themselves as a teacher of the gifted.’

13. © Crown copyright 2008 An article by Polly Curtis in The Guardian of 23 rd February 2008: Headline: Free school meal pupils lose out in race for top A-Levels Only 176 of the nearly 30,000 pupils who got three As at A-Level last year were eligible for free school meals, according to figures which show that household income is the biggest single predictor of a child’s chance of academic success.

14. © Crown copyright 2008 Every teacher knows that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds do not achieve as highly in our education system as their more wealthy peers. The gap starts to be evidenced very early and continues to grow. (Schwartz et al 2004). So it is not possible to separate ideas around the nature of giftedness and talent from the conditions that allow it to flourish.

15. © Crown copyright 2008 The keys Quality Standards Leading teachers

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17. IQS and CQS reflect the key principles for the National Strategy Recognising the rights of able pupils is not elitism, it is entitlement Provision for the ablest pupils is a whole-school responsibility Pedagogy matters more than school structures Excellence needs to be encouraged Teachers have the right to be learners too

18. © Crown copyright 2008 Underpinning principles The quality of provision and approaches needed to challenge the most able will be of benefit to all pupils Provision should counteract disadvantage and prevent underachievement All schools have gifted and talented learners

19. © Crown copyright 2008 The evidence The House of Commons report 1999 It is getting the teaching right that is the key to it. That is our experience over and over again.

20. © Crown copyright 2008 Dylan Wiliam It comes down to the quality of the teaching Value-added is more powerful at classroom level than at school level There is a fourfold difference in the speed of learning between the most and least effective classrooms Learning power is developed through pedagogy rather than curriculum content

21. © Crown copyright 2008 Leading teachers Complement and build on work already being done in both the field of G&T and teaching and learning Key role in developing: -effective classroom practice -whole-school self-evaluation and improvement planning for G&T provision and outcomes All schools to have access to and work with a leading teacher for G&T

22. © Crown copyright 2008 So … This is the rhetoric … What is the reality?

23. © Crown copyright 2008 In the rural context ‘Those schools …where geographical location and sparse population can make networking and the delivery of effective provision problematic.’

24. © Crown copyright 2008 Considerations What is the context for gifted and talented provision in your school? What is your school’s approach to personalising learning? What is the key driver/development for improving learning and teaching in your school? How might a G&T dimension be built into this for all teachers?

25. © Crown copyright 2008 The levers Data School improvement AfL and APP The Frameworks

26. © Crown copyright 2008 What do you feel are your main achievements in supporting improvements in G&T provision in your school? What factors have supported these achievements?

27. © Crown copyright 2008 What are the issues for you that are particular to rural settings (top 2)? What might help address these?

28. © Crown copyright 2008 Role of YG&T? Opportunities for on-line networking and support?

29. © Crown copyright 2008 Use the three Rs to support colleagues: Recognition of what they do well already Research into the key barriers to learning for G&T pupils in your own school or locality Re-affirmation of good practice in terms of pedagogy for the most able

30. © Crown copyright 2008 Stick with the key concepts Extension in depth Enrichment in breadth Acceleration in pace (But accelerating the learning, not the learners) And remember … Every child is a miracle

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