Greenway School – More Able & Talented Policy

The term ‘more able’ denotes a child who has outstanding potential or ability in any one area or in several areas so that she/he needs more than the teacher usually provides in the way of extension activities and resources.

All children have abilities, personal qualities and talents which parents and teachers need to identify, nurture and develop. Certain children may display exceptional abilities. These pupils frequently demonstrate specific needs which arise either from their intellectual or other skills or from the difficulties which they may face in relating their capabilities to those of the majority of children.

Aims:

to involve children in a wide range of curriculum and extra-curriculum experiences so that there are many and diverse opportunities for children to discover latent abilities and talents
to discover and maximise the potential of each child who is felt to be able or talented
to ensure that such children make continuous emotional and social development appropriate to their chronological age rather than their specific capability
to support adults, both teachers and parents, in delivering appropriate care, supervision and instruction.

Identification

A child who is showing outstanding ability in relation to its peer group in one or more of the following:

specific academic ability
creative thinking
visual and performing arts
verbal/linguistic
logical/mathematics
physical and sporting skills
inter-personal skill
intra-personal skills
environmental issues

Some children are identified early through their contact with Health Visitors and Doctors. Gifts and talents can emerge at any time through good teaching, the introduction of new subjects, extra curricular activities and sometimes chance opportunities.

In the identification process a combination of methods will be used both to reveal gifts and talents and also areas for further development. A clear profile will ensure that an appropriate programme of work is designed.

Methods will include:

classroom checklists
knowledge of interest and hobbies (background)
medical/social information
standardised assessment tests
child observations
parent observations/feedback
individualised tests
teacher observation and assessment
outside agencies

The profile will guide future teaching and learning for an individual child/groups of children.

School Organisation

The children are grouped on academic ability for Language, Mathematics & Spelling throughout the school. The children are also grouped for Science in Years 5 & 6.

The school has entered into a partnership with Horsham Leisure Link to provide increased extra curricular activities for both Greenway children and other children in the local community.

Opportunities and Entitlements

differentiation within the classroom through extension tasks and acceleration within the subject

extend breadth pace depth

largely dependent upon:

the quality of teacher’s questioning
the quality and complexity of the pupil’s activity
the removal of unnecessary repetitive practice
the availability of adequate resources

individualised learning programmes
extension groups – by reorganising teacher time, utilising support staff, parents, other
extra curriculum courses/activities
priority access to advanced teaching aids
links with other schools
visits by experts

Role of Co-ordinator

A named person will:

keep and update a register of more able pupils
co-ordinate resources
support staff, parents and children
liaise with the Headteacher
review and update the aims, objectives and identification criteria in the light of new developments.

Governing Body

The Co-ordinator will submit a written report to the Governing Body each year detailing progress made and future plans for the more able and talented pupils.