Able, Gifted and Talented Policy

ABLE, GIFTED AND TALENTED POLICY

Aims

·  To recognise that more able students have specific needs that need to be met within the context of Devizes School, a comprehensive school which recognises that all its students have individual needs.

·  To extend and challenge all pupils, but to specifically meet the needs of students who have been identified as needing a higher level of cognitive challenge and to support the needs of AGAT students.

·  To identify more able or talented students, provide targeted support and challenge.

·  To monitor progress and provide appropriate support to ensure that students achieve their potential

Rationale

Able, Gifted and Talented (AGAT) students require specialised support in order to meet their potential. All students are entitled to a personalised curriculum, therefore students who are able or have a gift or talent should have their learning needs met as part of an entitlement curriculum.

Definitions of Able, Gifted and Talented at Devizes School.

·  An “Able” student is one who achieves within the top 10% of the students within the school in academic subjects such as English, Maths and Science.

·  A “Gifted “ student is one who achieves within the top 2% of the students within the school In academic subjects such as English, Maths and Science.

·  A “Talented” student is one who is very able within a practical subject such as PE, Dance and Drama.

Identification of students on the AGAT Registers at Devizes School.

Identification of students occurs in two ways:-

At KS3 and KS4 identification of AGAT students is based on their ability and potential.

1.  Core Register:

This identifies students based on their potential. CATs (Cognitive Ability Tests) scores are used to identify students in two categories.

Gifted students are identified where they have at least one SAS (Standard Assessed Score) of 125 in the three tests and a mean SAS of not less than 118.

Able students are identified where they have at least one score SAS score of 120 in the three tests and a mean SAS of not less than 112. In addition they should not have any scores below 100.

Students may also be placed onto this register if they appear on a number of subject registers.

In the sixth form students are identified on the basis of their achievement. AKS4 APS ( Average Points Score) of 52 or above will place the students on the Core Register.

Students and Parents are reminded annually about their placement on this register as part of the monitoring process.

2.  Subject Registers:

Each curriculum area identifies students who meet their subject based criteria. These criteria are agreed within curriculum areas.

These may take into account a number of factors including:-

·  KS2/3 data

·  Internal assessment data

·  Subject teacher nominations

·  Primary school recognition

Students within practical subjects such as PE and Drama will be identified as Talented students. This register is reviewed annually by subject teachers. “The “Core Register” is usually about 10% of a year group but is dependent on meeting the criteria. The “Subject Register” is usually about the 10% of students in a year group who meet the subject criteria.

Communication with Parents

Parents of students who are identified on the AGAT register are informed by letter during the first term in each academic year. The letter explains whether students have been identified on the core or subject registers and what their son/daughter can expect as a result of this identification.

Provision

Teaching and learning in the classroom.

It is the responsibility of all staff to ensure that the needs of their most able students are met within the classroom. This is the primary and fundamental form of provision available to our students. Lessons will take account of the needs of this targeted group. Appropriate provision will ensure challenge, pace and encourage higher order thinking.

Curriculum

We are committed to developing a flexible and differentiated curriculum which offers learning pathways and a broad learning experience. This includes introducing challenge through:

·  breadth -enriching learning through additional material beyond the core curriculum;

·  depth – extending learning by asking students to delve deeper into a certain topic;

·  Pace – accelerated learning ahead of their peers

In addition to the above AGAT students will have the opportunity to opt for different pathways within some subject areas. This will result in AGAT students gaining different qualifications at a higher level or gaining qualifications earlier than their peers.

Grouping

In order to meet the needs of all students at Devizes school students are taught in a variety of groupings. Broadly there are two types of subject groupings

Ability Groupings: Students are put into groups according to their ability in that subject area . This provides students with the opportunity to work with others of a similar ability. This enables the provision of appropriate enrichment and extension activities.

Mixed Ability Groupings: This enables full participation of all students within a differentiated classroom. It provides opportunities for academically more able students to develop leadership skills to work with other students to clarify and solidify their own learning as well as develop their confidence and self -esteem. This approach should be used in a measured way.

Vertical Tutor Grouping allows for AGAT students to be more active “leaders” within the tutor group and the wider context of the house system

Enrichment opportunities

In School.

·  Curriculum areas organise enrichment activities for cohorts of AGAT students usually by year group. These are usually based upon subject AGAT registers. Enrichment activities are also offered via the after- school activities programme. A provision map for each curriculum area is updated annually. This also helps to identify where areas of need might be.

·  The AGAT Co-ordinator co-ordinates a number of activities annually for each KS3 core cohort to participate in. These activities develop higher order thinking skills and support the development of these skills across subject areas. The enrichment activities also provide opportunities for core AGAT students to meet as a group and form a sense of community to share common experiences.

Out of School.

·  The school is invited to nominate students who would benefit from a variety of activities from time to time. These opportunities are then highlighted to parents who decide whether their son/daughter engages with the activities. Examples include activities organised through Braeside and Kilve Court.

Roles and responsibilities

Role of AGAT Co-ordinator

•  To act as an advocate for AGAT students

•  The identification of Core AGAT students and to co-ordinate Departmental Identification

•  Disseminate information on students identified as AGAT by feeder schools

•  Co-ordinating Enrichment activities both in and out of school

•  Advise on generic classroom strategies and seek advice for subject specific support

•  Advise on Government Policy.

•  Liaise with subject leaders and/or department based representatives in order to share good practice

•  Facilitate sharing of information, via AGAT standing committee, VLE, Website etc

•  Arrange the monitoring and mentoring of AGAT students to ensure good progress

•  Develop provision map from previous year to be sent to parents

•  Collect feedback three times each year from Subject Leaders re. students and work covered

•  Involved in evaluating provision

•  Lead the programme for Core AGAT students.

•  Liaise with parents

•  Manage the AGAT budget

Role of Leadership group

·  Circulate the policy to staff and governors

·  Maintain an inclusive ethos in the school’s identification and provision for AGAT students

Role of Subject Leader:

·  To ensure that subject specific criteria for identification is reviewed by all staff.

·  To ensure at least annual updates of subject AGAT lists

·  Ensure that AGAT students are given more challenging work

·  Through the annual provision mapping exercise identify areas to address in schemes of work or opportunities for enrichment outside the classroom

·  Monitor provision for AGAT students through departmental self-evaluation

Role of Classroom teacher:

·  Differentiate specifically for AGAT pupils in lesson planning and homework

·  Show awareness of characteristics of AGAT pupils within subject area

·  Know which pupils in each class have been identified as AGAT students

·  Provide a range of teaching and learning strategies which extend, enrich and challenge AGAT students (e.g. critical thinking, open-ended, problem solving)

·  Target command words which extend very able using Bloom’s Taxonomy, for example

·  Marking and feedback to students should offer further challenges

1