Gifted & Talented

What does ‘gifted’ and ‘talented’ mean?

There are many definitions of gifted and talented. This guidance builds on the work of Excellence in Cities (EiC), which identifies:

'gifted' learners as those who have abilities in one or more subjects in the statutory school curriculum other than art and design, music and PE;

'talented' learners as those who have abilities in art and design, music, PE, or performing arts such as dance and drama.

This guidance uses the phrase 'gifted and talented' to describe all learners with gifts and talents.

EiC targets gifted and talented work at the top 5 to 10 per cent of pupils in any school, regardless of the overall ability profile of pupils. Many schools and local education authorities outside EiC have adopted similar criteria, while others use alternative benchmarks.

Gifted & Talented Learners at QK School

Gifted & Talented

Gifted and talented learners are defined those who have one or more abilities developed to a level significantly ahead of their year group (or with the potential to develop those abilities).

Gifted describes learners who have the ability to excel academically in one or more subjects such as English, drama, technology;

Talented describes learners who have the ability to excel in practical skills such as sport, leadership, artistic performance, or in an applied skill.

He or she may:

• be a good reader
• be very articulate or verbally fluent for their age
• give quick verbal responses (which can appear cheeky)
• have a wide general knowledge
• learn quickly
• be interested in topics which one might associate with an older child
• communicate well with adults - often better than with their peer group
• have a range of interests, some of which are almost obsessions
• show unusual and original responses to problem-solving activities
• prefer verbal to written activities
• be logical
• be self taught in their own interest areas
• have an ability to work things out in their head very quickly
• have a good memory that they can access easily
• be artistic
• be musical
• excel at sport
• have strong views and opinions
• have a lively and original imagination / sense of humour
• be very sensitive and aware
• focus on their own interests rather than on what is being taught
• be socially adept
• appear arrogant or socially inept
• be easily bored by what they perceive as routine tasks
• show a strong sense of leadership
• not necessarily be well-behaved or well liked by others

Bright Child	Gifted Learner
Knows the answers	Asks the questions
Is interested	Is highly curious
Has good Ideas	Is mentally and physically involved
Works hard	Has wild, silly ideas
Answers the question	Plays around, tests well
Listens with interest	Discusses in detail, elaborates
Learns with ease	Shows strong feelings and opinions
Understands ideas	1-2 repetitions for mastery
Enjoys peers	Constructs abstractions
Grasps the meaning	Prefers adults
Completes assignments	Draws inferences
Is receptive	Initiates projects
Copies accurately	Is intense
Enjoys school	Creates a new design
Absorbs information	Enjoys learning

Identification methods

1. Teacher nomination
2. Checklists
3. Testing- achievement, potential and curriculum ability
4. Assessment of children’s work
5. Discussions with children

For General information on what happens in subjects, please contact either the G&T co-ordinators Emma Stevens or Sharon Worthington, or Curriculum Leaders directly.