At Townsend Church of England School we believe in treating all pupils as individuals and so catering for their individual needs. All pupils including the most able are entitled to a challenging and stimulating curriculum that develops their full potential. Within the school’s general policy of inclusion, provision for able, gifted and talented pupils is a matter of equal opportunity and we must ensure that the most able have the opportunity to nurture their ability, stimulate their desire for life- long learning and to achieve and excel.
What is Able, Gifted and Talented (AG&T)
A Gifted student shows high ability in one or more subjects but also shows characteristics such as good leadership skills, creative thinking and problem solving.
A Talented student shows particular ability in practical subjects such as Art, Music, Sport, Performing Arts or Drama. They will often take place in extracurricular activities in this subject.
A more Able pupil will perform above the classroom average in one or more curriculum area.
How do we identify students as AG&T
At Townsend the AG&T register is compiled using CATs score, Key Stage 2 and SATs results and Key Stage 3 data. We use this data to identify the top 5 to 10% of the year group.
Teachers then have the chance to nominate pupils who may be gifted and talented in their subject areas using the criteria detailed in the “subject specific criteria” area.
What provision does Townsend deliver for AG&T students?
Within lessons
There are many ways that we challenge and extend the learning of the AG&T pupils within the classroom. These include access to extension tasks that work on higher level thinking skills and using challenge corner. We also encourage pupils to take leadership roles in group activities. Homework is set according to ability and extension tasks or projects are set in order to challenge our most able.
Extra-curricular
A number of activities are available outside the classroom to support and challenge our learners. These include clubs, guest speakers, workshops and activity days.