Gifted & Talented

We believe that all individuals should have the opportunity to achieve their maximum potential. Through a curricular experience that nurtures all human gifts and talents all pupils have the entitlement to pursue excellence. The quality, breath and range of provision are central to our drive to raise standards and improve pupils’ outcomes for all.

Aims

1.    To promote the achievement by every individual – improving progression for learners.
2.    To support able pupils to develop the personal qualities that will help them make the
       best use of their talent for the benefit of themselves and the community.
3.    To create a learning environment which identifies, develops and celebrates success and
       achievement.
4.    To provide a range of opportunities and enrichment activities to meet the needs of the
       most able and talented pupils.
5.    To ensure provision will be flexible for pupils requiring enrichment and support in order
       to achieve their full potential and raise their aspirations, attainment and achievement by
       developing their:
       -    Ability to learn
       -    Range of knowledge
       -    Core skills such as problem solving
       -    Creativity
       -    Intellectual curiosity
       -    Individual talents

EXAMPLES OF ENRICHMENT ACTIVITY

Brunel University
Urban Scholars Programme

The Urban Scholars programme is an intervention programme designed to support young people aged 12-16 from state schools to enhance their academic achievement and educational aspirations.  The programme targets those higher ability students who are identified using information gathered from both traditional assessment and teacher observation of potential.

The programme components include:

• Critical thinking encouraging rational thinking
• Development of skills in English, Mathematics and Science
• Raising motivation
• Problem solving skills—both subject related and general
• Outside speakers and professional mentors as role models
• Personal research projects
• Training in Presentation Skills / Study Skills
• Undergraduate mentors for support

This is a multi faceted approach to tackling submerged gifts and talents.  Sessions have an interactive problem solving approach and are essential in raising the aspirations of the scholars through testimony of real life struggles and hurdles that have to be tackled in order to achieve success and fulfil dreams.

19 of our current Year 11 pupils benefit from the Urban Scholars Programme at Brunel
University. Every fourth Saturday from October to June the pupils are accompanied to the Brunel
University campus in Uxbridge to participate in a programme for Gifted and Talented students from Inner City areas.

Quotes from current scholars:

‘I think it is such a great opportunity and privilege to be on the programme because it gives us an extra push to help us achieve our goals.’

‘It is very enjoyable and a lot different to school.  It gives us more to think about and challenges us with different tasks.’

‘All of it is very beneficial I think it will definitely help me to fulfil my potential and succeed in the future.’

UK Schools Memory Championship

Some Year 9 students were very fortunate to participate in a workshop with an organisation called ‘Inspire’. The workshop prepares the group to participate in the ‘UK Schools Memory Championships’ and was led by Dominic O’Brien who was awarded the title ‘Grand Master of Memory’.  He is the eight times winner of the World Memory Championships and appears in the Guinness Book of Records.

In the past Dominic has committed to memory all of the following:

• 7,500 Trivial Pursuit questions and answers
• Every FA Cup Final result since the competition began, including goal scores, referee, venue and crowd attendance
• Every winner of the Grand National and the Derby this Century, including the jockey, trainer and starting price.
• The memorization of 2808 playing cards which have all been shuffled together with a single sighting of each card

The workshop was designed to promote the art and science of
memory, boost creativity and enhance thinking skills.  In addition, they were taught advanced thinking skills to enhance their self confidence and performance in their studies.

Year 9 Student Report

In December we took part in an ‘inspirational’ workshop which was led by a man called Dominic O’Brien.  He is one of the world’s greatest human beings with an incredible memory.  Dominic told us all about his education and how he found it extremely difficult to concentrate in school, even though he had setbacks throughout his schooling he trained himself to concentrate and work hard, gaining many memory skills.

The workshop was full of activities from memorising words and numbers to using our imaginations to picture objects and then remember them.  We found different techniques to memorise words with stories to compare them to familiar objects.  We were amazed at how good having an amazing memory could be.  Dominic shocked us because he could tell each and every one of us what day of the week we were born on from just knowing our date of birth.  The workshop was an unforgettable experience where we learnt so many new things, for example the left side of the brain is what makes you logical and mathematical, whereas the right side is what makes you rhythmic and artistic.

It was a brilliant workshop and it is something we should be proud to say we took part in.

Learning Performance Seminar - Year 11

A short while ago a group of Year 11 Aimhigher Pupils participated in a study skills workshop delivered by Learning Performance Seminars.  The workshop covered vital learning and revision strategies in preparation for GCSE examinations e.g. Mind Mapping, Note Taking and Association Mapping Techniques.

Year 11 Student Comment

‘I found the workshop really useful it has helped me to plan my revision better and mange my time in a more productive way’