Gifted and talented children and levels

[ButtonMoon]

Hi
my ds is in yr 3 and has been described as a high attainer, which I am very pleased with. What level would a year 3pupil have to be working at in order to be classed as gifted and talented?

Gifted and talented really, or counted as such in school? Because the latter is just the top 10% of that group, so it varies wildly.

It is only dependent on the group of children he is with. It is not about the levels he is working at, it is only relative.

Gifted and talented only describes the top 10% of that group at that time. So if he was in a very able class/year group it may not include him,iyswim.

As others have said, the G&T register is a movable feast. But, levels-wise, your child would be at the top end of year 3 with 3As or above.

But it's not just academic; you can be G&T for being a good leader, or great at sport. Depends on each school to set their own criteria.

At our school most G&T children are on the register for music, sport or art rather than academic ability. I'm not sure how you can tell that a child is genuinely academically gifted rather than bright (unless doing GCSE maths at age 7 etc).

Levels are also easier to measure in some subjects than others. Maths is fairly easy as you are dealing with pretty factual stuff, but I think many children gifted in literacy don't get recognised untill later, at secondary, when vocabulary catches up with ability.
My ds is classed as gifted for maths - he finished Year 2 on a level4 and school have had trouble assessing hsi level at the end of year 3. He works above level 5 and can manage some GCSE work, so is currently working with a secondary school teacher so the school are able to plan for the rest of his primary education.

DC are nowhere as bright as Kammy's. But they managed to get marks like 4b/4c for maths and English in Yr3 -- which was good enough to make the G&T register at our school.

My son got 3's at the end of yr 2 and 4's at the end of yr 3 for all subjects, he is not on the G and T list (no one is his class is), however, there are at least 4 children in his class achieving 4's in Maths, therefore it must be based on the level you are working amongst rather than the level you are. Any ideas?

My DS just finished year 3 he is considered G&T and achieved a level 5.

What exactly does he get for being G& T? Extra lessons, taught separately?

Gifted is used to describe somebody who is achieving much higher than the expected level for their age, in academic subjects. talented is used to describe somebodies ability in sport, art, drama, dance etc.

in our school, gifted children are placed on the G&T register if they are in the top 5% of the ability range within their year group. So, what is classed as gifted in one school may be average in another and vice versa.

the 'talented' part is more difficult to determine, because it is so subjective. We therefore ask for evidence of ability in terms of exam certificates etc and generally we are looking for distinction or levels higher than we would expect for the age of the child.

It is so hard. How do you tell a parent that little Johnny's ability to bash out twinkle twinkle little star on the piano at 11 years old doesn't really compare with the year 3 child who is playing Beethovens 5th?

I think the problems with the idea of "gifted" being the top 5% or top 10% of a particular class (government model) is that they may be the most able in that class but in another class or another school they could just be average children and to me it devalues to idea of being truly gifted

Surely it's the 'distance' between a child and others in their class which creates the problem G&T must be trying to solve?
So if a child is a year ahead of others in their class that's the problem, even if they wouldn't be ahead in another class.

If a school has to identify the top 5% there may not be a significant "distance" between these children and the majority of the class. One child with a 3C while the rest of the class are 2A isn't a problem but using the criteria the child should be considered gifted

It depends on the school -

My child is top 95% from an Ed Psy report and senco acknowledges he's one of brightest on paper in the school and has been in the West End so technically qualifies on both counts.
HOWEVER - he is also dyslexic.
School just treat him as average so he's bored in lessons and doesn't get recognised for his abilities. So frustrating.