Able Child Policy
Rationale
All children should experience an education matched to their intellectual abilities which is broad, relevant and challenging and leads to the achievement of the highest possible standards.
Purposes
To ensure that we fulfil the rationale:
- The National Curriculum, together with personal, social and
health education, citizenship, and religious education, will provide a framework through which children thinking, knowledge and skills can be extended and enriched
- Specific aptitudes in a particular area of the curriculum, as well as generally across all subjects, will be recognised and nurtured
- Identification of high ability or talent will be through continuous assessment of progress and attainment in a wide range of contexts, and will not depend solely on tests or occur at a single point in a child's development
- able and talented will be provided with extension and enrichment work within the curriculum to develop higher-level thinking skills. This will often be achieved through adapting the curriculum offered to all children; occasionally separate work will be set, either in school, for homework, or both
- teachers will offer a flexible and varied range of challenging opportunities to able and talented children to promote a sense of enjoyment and excitement in learning
- able and talented children will be actively involved by their teachers, both in understanding how they learn and in the negotiation of their targets for success
- acceleration, involving a permanent move to work with an older age group for all lessons, should only be considered after full consultation between all parties, including the child, and where it can be shown that the child's progress would otherwise be severely prejudiced
- able and talented children have the right to leisure and any additional demands will be balanced with the need for time to pursue leisure activities
- as part of our work to promote a culture of high achievement, we will work actively to eliminate negative peer-group pressure on more-able children.
Guidelines
Definitions
Able Children
Up to 50% of our children are above national average in academic and non academic areas.
Gifted and Talented Children
Up to 10% of our children are gifted and talented. (Gifted - academically able in more than one subject)
(Talented - Able in non-academic areas such as music, PE, drama)
Identification
Identification is used to ensure effective provision.
By identifying the able pupil, teachers can assess their needs which should inform planning of work to ensure appropriate pace, vigour and challenge.
See attached identification grid for guidance.
Methods used: Foundation Stage Profile
Teacher assessment Teacher's Observation Background knowledge and information Information from parents Discussions with children Referrals from community resources e.g. Sports Coaches Gifted and Talented Register
A register of up to 10% of gifted and talented children will be kept inline with the DCSF guidance and these children will be indicated on the termly School Census return.
Able Child Register
The school will keep an able child register which will be reviewed termly.
Notifying Parents
Parents will be informed at Parents evenings and by letter in the Autumn Term if their child is included on the registers. We recognise that children may change and progress differently over time and may move on and off the registers. Parents will be notified at parents evenings accordingly.
Provision
The needs of able and talented children will be met primarily through an appropriately challenging curriculum:
Differentiated work
Enhancement activities
Challenging activities within subject areas
Problem solving and investigation to develop reasoning and thinking skills
Use and model open-ended questions and tasks
Opportunities for creative and productive thinking
Differentiated homework
Out of class activities
Enrichment activities
School Clubs
Visits/workshops from writers, artists etc.
Use of additional support, TA’s & other adults
Cluster activities with other schools e.g. mini Olympics,
Musical and Sporting Opportunities
Additional resources will be acquired if appropriate subject to budget restrictions.
Use will be made of opportunities from outside agencies if appropriate.
Personal and Social Education
Due consideration will be given to the personal, social, and emotional development of able and talented children.
Roles/Responsibility for Able Child
ABCO/Head Teacher
· The ABCO/Head Teacher will be responsible for monitoring and reviewing implementation of policy.
· Organise appropriate staff training.
· Investigate opportunities for enriching provision.
· Liaise with staff to identify, assess and provide provision.
· Liaise with parents as appropriate.
Professional Development
· Attendance at Able child Training Courses as appropriate
· Attendance at Swanmore Pyramid Gifted and Talented Group
Class Teacher
· The class teacher is responsible for identification, providing enrichment work and assessment.
Assessment
See Assessment Policy
Equal Opportunities
See Equal Opportunities Policy
The school promotes an inclusive society. We celebrate the uniqueness of the individual and their contribution to our school. All children regardless of ability, disability, gender, race, religion and culture will be given equal access to a full range of opportunities for able and talented children.
Monitoring and Evaluation
There will be a termly staff meeting to review the needs and provision for the Able Child.
Provision and progress will be monitored and evaluated by the Head Teacher/ABCO who will report to the Governing Body annually.
The governing body will in their overview of provision and results, provide explicit
information on the ways in which the school meets the needs of able and talented
children and the progress they make.
Autumn 2008
Review Date Autumn 2010