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Students recognised as Gifted and / or Talented
Beliefs and Values
We believe that all children are entitled to an education that will enable them to develop their full potential, be that intellectual, physical, aesthetic, creative, emotional, spiritual or social so that they should be able to live and develop as well-adjusted, autonomous and valued members of society. All children have particular and individual needs, which must be met if they are to achieve their goals. Therefore, it is important that, as far as possible, the education of every child should be individually planned.
Thurstable School is committed to providing a challenging curriculum for all its students. In addition, we will provide opportunities to identify and in turn nurture those students who are “Gifted and Talented” to fulfil their exceptional talents and abilities.
Definition of Gifted and/or Talented Students
In England the term “Gifted” refers to those students who are capable of excelling in academic subjects.
“Talented” refers to those students who may excel in areas requiring visio-spatial skills or practical abilities (games, PE, drama, art). This list is, of course, not exhaustive and students may display exceptional abilities in a wide number of areas.
Some gifted and talented students may be intellectually able but also appear on the SEN list for behavioural, literacy or physical difficulties.
Identification of Gifted and/or Talented Students
No one method of identification can be entirely accurate since specific subject criteria will vary. Therefore, Thurstable School endeavours to obtain as much information about the individual students as possible. The methods employed are as follows:
- Information from Primary Schools
- Internal and external assessment and testing
- Subject-specific criteria as developed within the subjects or their professional associations
- Teacher/parent/peer/self nomination
Gifted and Talented Provision in Sport
As a specialist Sports College, Thurstable School is committed to a programme which supports students who are identified as Gifted and Talented in sport. The programme provides support on a number of different levels, providing a mentor who will help students to plan effectively for the different demands placed upon them by school, home and their sporting environment. Talent workshops with top level coaches are held in selected sports throughout the year and students may receive sports science support from the High Performance Unit at Essex University. All work is done in conjunction with our partner Sports Colleges and there are strong ties with feeder primary schools to help talented students make the transition to secondary level a smooth one.