Gifted and Talented

[kcemum]

Yippee, My dd3 has just been given a place on the Gifted and Talented Science summer workshop!!

Really, Really pleased for her because she tries so hard in all her school subjects and now it is being recognised..all her hard work is paying off!!

How cool is that! Great stuff.

Just to bring you down, if you can bear to, maybe your dd could write a note to the govenors after the course saying what it was like? They would be completely thrilled to get it.

Can you tell I'm on a governing body myself

Will do that, but would that be the governors at her own school or the school where the summer school is taking place?

my DD1 went on a gifted and talented workshop last summer and really enjoyed it. im sure your DD will too..

kcemum, that is great to hear. How old is your dd3? Does the school run many of these workshops? Interested to know because my dd's school doesn't do anything like that!

Doh it's DD1 not DD3! She's 10years old and just finished year 5. Not sure but I think this is the first year that it's been held for our school. They chose 30 children from the county for the workshop, 4 of who go to DD1s school.

My dd has been on these Childrens University placements for gifted and talented kids since year 5 also kcemum. She did her last one a week ago and now she's going to Upper school in September, I'm not sure if she'll get to do them any more. She has done so many interesting and varied things over the last 4 years; she has had a wonderful time. I'm sure your dd will too.

Is it run through NAGTY? . My daughter has joined this (through school)but all the courses are so expensive! Apparently it looks good on UCAS apps etc if they belong!

Milliways, I have no idea who it's run by, the first we heard about Gifted and Talented was when she bought the letter home from school. QE I hope DD gets to go on more workshops in the future, did your daughter find that it helped/tied in with her school work?

Some of them did eg Drama workshops, creative writing, an art workshop.

Some though had no bearing at all eg Sports adventure programs and last week she did a crime scene investigation day which she though was brilliant.

Some have been one day workshops and others for six weeks. I think the most we have paid is £30 per course.

Wow crime scene investigation? I'd love to do that!

I'm not sure what other, if any workshops are being held, but DD is so looking forward to it, even if she is missing out on her lie-ins!

I agree there are some great things out there, but am I the only one who feels these should take place during the school week? Dd didn't want to give up her weekend commitments to travel 25 miles to extra school. They should have provision made during school time. Other special needs do.

Fabarooonie

I'm impressed that it's happening at primary school level - have just checked the NAGTY link (thanks, Milliways!) and their courses are for secondary school children, ie 11 and over.

Is your LEA particularly good at this kind of provision? Could I ask which LEA it is - or at least if it's in London? And yours, QueenEagle, Celia2 and lucylady? It would be great to share a bit of good practice on this - our LEA (in SW London) doesn't seem very good on it, and the school seems to be floundering. You'd think we'd be able to access workshops in London, wouldn't you?

Fauve, Our LEA is way outside London, The school where it is taking Place is a secondary school. As far as I know this is the first time that it's being run (but I may be wrong). Our school is pretty good, has very strong leadership and has good ties with the community.

Fauve. I am from Kent.My DD1 was in y3 when she went to summer school. She brought a letter home from school telling me that her school would like to put her forward for it. It was held during the school holidays at a school in our area. There was 4 themes for her to choose from. She chose Art and she studied the life of Leonardo davinci.
It was all done in a fun and enjoyable way. It lasted 5 days .I seem to recall being told that was the last year it would be run due to funding.

Celia2, I'm in Merton. It's interesting, because it feels like this kind of provision is both patchy and somewhat random! Dd will start Year 3 next Sept, and we asked some months ago if the school might consider setting up a G&T group in her class, as they did for ds' class, but we've heard nothing and are feeling a bit pessimistic - and also not sure whether we should push it. With ds, setting up the group was the school's initiative, so they kind of 'owned' it. This time, we're the ones saying 'how about it?'

TBH, the activities that ds' group did weren't that impressive it would seem, they were led and devised by classroom assistants according to their personal inclinations, and sometimes the teachers 'forgot' to send the kids to the sessions anyway. They certainly didn't do anything outside the school.

Fauve could you not get in touch with your LEA and see if they fund the workshops? TBH I think that I would push the school to see if they would hold them again but I would be concerned that as there being run in school time that they would just become school clubs iyswim (and i don't mean that in a deragatory(sp)way)

Fauve, head over to the 'changing baby's name' thread!

Thanks Celia2 will CAT you. It may be that I haven't dug deep enough yet; as I said, with ds it just fell into our laps tho with hindsight the actual provision could've been better.

Actually I've just had a friend round who pointed out that Year 3 is the start of Key Stage 2 (that had passed me by) so maybe that's when G&T provision kicks off.

Anyone else fall within Shropshire LEA? They seem to have NOTHING for gifted & talented... from my experience.