Able Gifted & Talented

The national strategy to improve the identification, education and support of able, gifted and talented children was introduced in September 1999. It currently operates in over1000 secondary schools and about 400 primary schools and provides an intensive support programme across 59 partnerships to help able children, many of whom are underachieving, to reach their full potential. The strand operates in LEA’s all over the country and it is estimated that over 200,000 students benefit from the programme.

The main elements of the gifted and talented strand are:

• Identifying the gifted and talented cohort - the 5-10% of pupils identified by each school as eligible for the teaching and learning programme
• Introducing a whole school policy for the gifted and talented cohort;
• Introducing a distinct in-school teaching and learning programme for the gifted and talented cohort
• Introducing an extensive programme of out of hours study support opportunities for those pupils, provided through local networks.

Each of the EiC areas has appointed a gifted and talented Strand Co-ordinator, as well as a School Co-ordinator for each secondary school. The schools within each partnership are normally grouped together into 'clusters' of 3 to 8 schools with a Lead Co-ordinator who is responsible for gifted and talented provision within each cluster. Each cluster of schools has formed a network with a range of external partners such as higher education institutions, libraries, museums and businesses to support the provision of out of school hours activities.

We are proud of the provision at Harton Technology College, we have a wide range of in and out of school activities to support students. Staff at Harton work with all of the secondary schools in the Borough but in particular they with St Wilfrids, Mortimer and Brinkburn Schools.

The following list offers a sample of the types of activities available to more able students.

• Visits to Universities
• Masterclass Programmes
  Special Programmes of Study
  Trips and Activities for individual development
• Support in applying for membership to the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth
• Summer Schools
• Financial Support for Talented Students (Speak to Co-ordinator for further information)

Classroom Practice

Staff at Harton work hard to ensure that the learning that takes place in the classroom challenges all students including the very able.  With this in mind, staff constantly review their teaching strategies to develop materials and activities that suit all levels of ability. 

The following contact details and web links may be useful for you:

http://www.nagty.ac.uk
The National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth

http://www.nagcbritain.org.uk/
National Association of Gifted Children

http://www.nace.co.uk
National association for Able Children in Education

http://www.nc.uk.net/gt/general/index.htm
Guidance on G&T issues

http://www.thegrid.org.uk/learning/gifted/parents
An interesting site on G&T from Hertfordshire LA

School Co-ordinator – Miss Talbot cta@harton-tc.co.uk
LA More Able and Talented Co-ordinator – Ms J McShane 0191 5191909

Tom was selected to play for the Newcastle Eagles Under 13 team in Sept 2010. Since then he has had a fantastic season. The team topped their Midlands & North East division winning all 16 games. They then made it to the National Play Off Quarter Finals sadly losing to a strong Ipswich team.

The success of the team was recognised at the Newcastle Eagles School of Excellence Awards evening in April. I have attached a photograph of Tom receiving his England Basketball League certificate (for being a member of the division winning team) from Paul Blake, owner of the Newcastle Eagles and chairman of the British Basketball League.

Some of the achievements of our students

Andrew, a Year 9 student has been selected for the Newcastle Eagles School of Excellence under 14 National League team. The Gifted and Talented fund was able to contribute towards the cost of training sessions which run from September-April, home and away kit, transport to away fixtures and fees for home games which help to cover facility, referee costs.

Tom, a Year 8 student has been a keen member of the South Tyneside Basketball Club based at Harton’s own Sports Centre. Following trials for the Newcastle Eagles School of Excellence under 13 team, he was selected to train over the summer and played his first game as part of the national league in October. The Gifted and Talented fund was able to contribute towards the cost of training sessions.

Luke, a Year 10 student ran in the South Tyneside Cross Country in January at Temple Park and won! He will now go down to Birmingham in March to represent the county. The Gifted and Talented fund was able to contribute towards the cost of specialist running spikes. Good Luck in March!

Conor, a Year 9 student qualified for the final of the English School’s Athletic Association Combined Events Championships in September which were held at Northwood Stadium, Stoke. The team came second to a strong Northampton side but performed beyond expectations. Conor set new best times in three of the disciplines. The Gifted and Talented fund was able to contribute towards the cost of taking part in this event.

Congratulations to all our students on these fantastic achievements!