I'm interested in peoples ideas and experiences regarding Gifted and Talented programmes

My son is 8 and has been on the Gifted and Talented register at his school since Reception. This is unusual as our school doesn' normally compile a G and T list until KS2. He was put on the register for musical ability and all round academic ability. He has since been put on a county Gifted and Talented programme for music, which means he gets a half hour individual lesson. He also takes part in lots of musical activities outside of school so I feel that this part of his gifting is well taken care of.

It's the academic ability I'm more concerned about, hence my posting this in Forums Cafe. He is in a class with a larger than average number of children with SEN (very few of whom would be high academic achievers - I know some children with SEN can perform extremely well). Class teachers, understandably to a point, focus on these children. My son has a very easy going temperament and is quite happy to help those less able than him, and over the past couple of years has done more and more of this. However, he is in Year 4, and the frustration has just kicked in - he's come home from school twice since start of term in tears because he is fed up with the repetition of learning and the fact that he doesn't feel challenged in any areas at school at the moment. His new teacher is an NQT and so it's an even bigger challenge for them to provide for all abilities effectively.

My concerns are that as we approach secondary school he is not being given the opportunities that perhaps other children are. I will be meeting with management regarding this in the near future - I have always found them to be very helpful and supportive, but I've not discussed this particular issue before, more often than not I am speaking to them on Governors business as I'm a school Governor.

I guess this is a bit of a rant - apologies for that! But if anyone has any useful experiences or ideas they can share with me, that would be great!

Sounds familiar. Isn't this basically a resource issue? In an ideal world, schools should be able to provide exactly the right amount of attention to each pupil in order that they are working to their potential. Mixed ability classes do not allow this. Streaming is the only way to achieve this, but ity's more expensive. Someone has to decide how much support each group or student receives. Unfortunately for the more able, the view (when I was at school) was that you need less support as you're pretty bright already. Let's all be mediocre. Independent schools will provide more support, but of course you have to pay.....

Cannot say that its been true in our case. Our daughter is in a selective, fee-paying school and although its set-based according to ability, she's constantly frustrated with the pace and bored. It has got to a stage that she doesn't like going to school anymore. The support with music is anyway non-existent!

We had just the same. I wish now we'd made more fuss as our son was turned off school for a long time and developed the attitude that if they weren't going to teach him anything then he wasn't going to do any work. He never really changed that attitude except for subjects which he likes. I swore we wouldn't make the same mistake with our youngest and are now thinking of educating him at home, in large part because he's bored at school. He's not unusually bright, just normally inquisitive and quick to pick things up - disaster in modern primary education as far as I can see!

We used to get a lot of reassurance that 'things' were being done. They never were, so make sure anything that's promised actually happens, and remember, your son is entitled to an appropriate education for his abilities, which doesn't mean half an hour a week of extra maths with a TA (not that this was my experience...).

What's the school? It doesn't sound typical for independent. Given you are paying, I'd be kicking up an almighty fuss, and in the end moving your daughter to another school.

For state, you can kick up a fuss, but ultimately they can just say, it's a resource issue. The independent sector can't really use this argument, at least nowhere near to the same extent.

If your education authority run a music program for gifted and talented you may find they run ones for other subjects.

When my eldest was at primary school the head teacher did not believe in gifted and talented, so I contacted my local education authority and they were really helpful, she was able to attend and after school club which ran at the local high school for one night a week not a lot but it was something she looked forward to and kept her going, they focused mainly on maths ad English.

My son situation is different kettle of fish he is a very bright child but lacks social skills and has slow motor ticks, often switches off in class and can become disruptive. I have spoken to the school on a number of occasions and they never wanted to listen. In the end I had to contact the SEN department for help in communicating with the school and have my son independently assessed just to get them to step back. So far this is the only year I have not been called in within a week of term starting and I was fully prepared to start home education this year, but he’s currently enjoying school. I think the change of head teacher has helped and his report form his doctor. I know he’s not being stretched in class, but he’s enjoying school for now.

The things I use to keep myself from getting annoyed are think school as place where I send my children to socialise not learn and then im not disappointed when they don’t.
We use plenty of work books to stretch them, discuss things, and give them other areas of interest. When my son was having a very bad time I kept him home and he did work in books I had brought and we explored other things of interest to him. Its not ideal, but its all I can do for now.

Margaret, I'm sorry you have this problem with your son. I don't know what our local primaries are like now, but when my son was going through they were marvellous. The children were grouped on tables of 5 or 6 within the class (effectively, setted), and given work appropriate to their ability. All the children were encouraged to produce the best work they could. It's unacceptable for a bright lad like your son to be bored in school.

I can't remember which part of the country you're in (i.e. whether you're rural and don't have much choice of school), but I'd seriously consider looking at other schools in the area and asking what their policies are.

It's good that your son qualifies for an individual music lesson. I've never found any benefit at all from having a child on the G&A register here; it's just another list the school is required to keep.

Thanks for all your responses so far, it's encouraging to at least there are others who have been through/are going through this same scenario. I live in a semi-rural location, with a reasonable choice of schools, although they are much of a muchness. We chose this particular school as it has a very individual approach and is small enough to maintain this, whilst another local school tends to produce clones and the bright children suffer in the same way, but more because the focus is on those who could do slightly better and therefore make the league tables look a little better. I think this is the crux of the problem ie my son achieved level 3's and above in all relevant areas in KS1 with very little effort on the part of the school.

Independent education may be better for a child like this, but realistically is not affordable - even scholarships at local schools offer little real financial benefit. Also, I'm keen to keep him in the state sector as I like the fact that he is able to mix with children from a very wide range of backgrounds - down side of this is of course that so many children have so little home support.

I firmly believe that state primary and secondary schools can provide better for G and T children, with a little thought and preparation. I will be challenging my school to provide more appropriate homework and more opportunities in class time to be setted. One new educational initiative, which is being introduced in our school, is Critical Skills, which appears to have emphasis on mixed groups working together, rather than setting. My son was definately better off when setting was used more.

Thanks for all your ideas/experiences, keep them coming!

I've been through exactly the scenario you describe. Bright child, finished work quickly, told to sit in the corner and copy out poems while the others catch up. I really couldn't see why they couldn't let them do something more interesting, (a music theory workbook, or learn to touch type, anything slightly more stimulating). I've been through the bored son starts misbehaving bit, and the bored, but placid daughter starts to complain about school when she's always loved it. I didn't find at primary level anything much got done no matter how often I spoke to the staff. Some years they would have a good teacher who taught to the various levels in the class and some years a dreadful one whose attitude was that if your child could do the work you had nothing to complain about. They make you feel that you are being a pushy parent, when all you really want is for your child not to be bored stiff!

We've found things much better at secondary level, but have grammar schools (it does mean a 16 mile commute, but is worth it), so the whole class is working at a higher level and they set them as well. We were informed last year that our eldest had been put on the Gand T register, but I can't say that it has meant any change at all and they didn't say if it was for music or maths or what.