We have produced a policy and guidance for gifted and
talented pupils within North Somerset.
This has recently been updated to reflect the national agenda for
Gifted and Talented Children.
Guidance
Resources
- Optimus Publishing have recently launched a new resource for
gifted and talented co-ordinators entitled Gifted and Talented
Update. To obtain a copy, telephone Optimus Publishing on 020
7251 6579 or fax 020 7251 9045
- The North Somerset Children and Young People's Services
Directorate Literacy and Numeracy Team have created an INSET pack
for schools, available in the literacy section of the website, to
use to help access the QCA publication: Working with Gifted and
Talented Children.
- OfSTED have recently produced a report on Provision for Gifted
Talented Pupils in PE
- The Happy Puzzle Company Ltd has a range of logic puzzles,
wooden puzzles, games, teasers and puzzle books, including Tantrix,
Rush Hour, Magnetic Poetry and Magnetic Paint, Binary Arts and
Ravensburger Games, the Happy Cube and Wikki Stix. The
Schools Puzzle Challenge Days are suitable for students at Key
Stages 1 to 4 and are often used as part of a maths week in primary
and secondary schools. They also supply puzzles to help
children and adults with specific learning difficulties such as
Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, ADD, ADHD, autism, Asperger Syndrom, Hearing
Impairment and others. Contact The Happy Puzzle Company
telephone 0870 873 8989, email
sales@happypuzzle.co.uk
website
www.happypuzzle.com
- Effective Resources for Able and Talented Children, Barry
Teare, ISBN: 1-85539-050-7
- More Effective Resources for Able and Talented Children, Barry
Teare, ISBN: 1-85539-063-9
- Teaching Thinking Skills Across the Early Years, Belle Wallace,
ISBN: 1-85346-842-8
- Teaching Thinking Skills Across the Primary Curriculum, Belle
Wallace, ISBN: 1-85346-766-9
- Teaching Young Gifted Children in the Regular Classroom, J.F.
Smith, S.Y. Walker & E.A. Meckstroth, ISBN: 1-57542-017-1
- Able Children in Ordinary Schools, Deborah Eyre, ISBN:
1-85346-441-4
- Brain Teasers, Susan Petreshene, ISBN: 087628-123-4
- The Best of Brain Teasers, Teacher Created Materials, ISBN:
1-57690-465-2
- Let'sThink, S. Baudet and P. Cleghorn, ISBN:1-900818-13-2
- Thinking Through Philosophy 2, Paul Cleghorn,
ISBN:1-904374-41-7
- Thinking Through Philosophy 3, Paul Cleghorn, ISBN:
1-904374-2-5
- Thinking Skills Ages 4 - 5, Georgie Beasley (Scholastic), ISBN:
0-439-98339-8
- Thinking Skills Ages 5 - 7, Georgie Beasley (Scholastic), ISBN:
0-439-98339-8
- Thinking Skills Ages 7 - 9, Georgie Bealsey (Scholastic), ISBN:
0-439-09340-1
- Thinking Skills Ages 9 - 11,Georgie Beasley (Scholastic), ISBN:
0-439-98341-x
- Starting Points for Science, Keogh and Naylor (Concept Cartoon
Publications), ISBN: 0-9527506-1-9
- Concept Cartoons in Science Eduction, Keogh and Naylor (Concept
Cartoon Publications), ISBN: 0-9527506-2-7
- Thinking About Science 1 (set of 8 posters), Keogh and Naylor
(Concept Cartoon Publications)
- The Snowman's Cost Big Book, Keogh and Naylor (Concept Cartoon
Publications), ISBN: 0340-77925X
- Concept Cartoons in Science Education (PC Site Licence for
Interactive Whiteboards), Keogh and Naylor (Concept Cartoon
Publications)
- The ALPS Approach, Alistair Smith and Nicola Call
- The ALPS Resource Book, Alistair Smith and Nicola Call
- The DfES-funded Gifted and Talented Academy at Warwick
University has been set up to develop, implement, promote and
support educational opportunities for gifted and talented children
and young people up to the age of 19, as well as providing support
for parents and educators. Services will include residential summer
schools, online distance learning, outreach activities, research,
evaluation and professional development.
- The Gabbitas, Truman and Thring Educational Trust runs a
programme of masterclasses for exceptionally able children,
entitled 'Tomorrow's Achievers'. See website for details
www.masterclasses.co.uk
(financial help is available for families not able to cover the
costs).
- NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the
Arts) run the 'Ignite' programme. They 'recruit'
exceptionally creative young people to participate. For 10 – 15
year olds they aim to stimulate creativity through a series of
workshops and two creativity labs. The intention is to nurture
creative impulses and enhance the young people's educational
experience and open their minds to new ways of thinking. For 16-21
year olds they aim to unlock latent creativity through partnerships
with a NESTA Fellow or another high profile creative adult. Each
participating young person will develop projects in partnership
with the adult over six to twelve months. See website for further
details www.nesta.org.uk
.
Links to useful websites
Oxford Brookes University offers a range of continuing
professional development opportunities for co-ordinators of able,
gifted and talented pupils as follows:
- Provision for able and gifted in the primary school, visit the
website
on www.brookes.ac.uk
- Oxford Brookes University/DfES Gifted and Talented professional
development website:
www.brookes.ac.uk
- Consultancy, Training and Development Services:
www.brookes.ac.uk
- Certificate in Advanced Professional Practice in Adult Learning
and Development for those involved in the professional development
of teachers in the education of able, gifted and talented pupils -
contact Jenny Heaton, CPD Administrator on email
jheaton@brookes.ac.uk
Potential External Funding Sources
The following is a list of possible sources of funding which could
be accessed for work with Gifted and Talented pupils.
Funds for which schools may apply are included, as well as those
intended for individual students to access directly.
The list includes funding from private charitable trusts, as well
as company trusts and some lottery-funded schemes.
DfES funding streams channelled to schools via the Children's
Services Authority are not covered here.
Although some funders may be happy to fund work related to the
national curriculum taking place during the school day, generally
the types of activities which can be covered by these funds are
'additional', e.g. out of school hours, extra-curricular
activities.
Most funders want to be reassured that they are not being asked to
replace statutory funding.
The majority of the following funding sources are not specifically
intended for Gifted and Talented work, but rather are available for
a range of work areas, of which Gifted and Talented could be
one.
Those included here are funds which seem the most applicable for
Gifted and Talented work, but it is not an exhaustive
list.
Funding criteria tend to change frequently, established funding
sources are discontinued and new funds spring up.
For those schools buying into the External Funding Service,
contact our External Funding Officer for Schools who will
be happy to look into the appropriate funding sources for your
specific projects.
