G&T - Should all Schools have a Policy?

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My DS's Teacher told us almost 2 years ago (then aged 6) that she considered him G&T. Since then, I have instigated discussions with his teachers and the head about what G&T means in terms of his education but no one seems to know. They seem unwilling to discuss this with me.

Our School is 'fully inclusive' and accepts children that, frankly, other schools won't take. They do fantastic work with under-achievers and those with social and personal issues - these are all brilliant aspects of the school (and reasons why I send my DCs there). However, as an inclusive school I expect them to recognise that the children that excel need to be nurtured as well.

I had a meeting with the Head recently who stated that they were looking at developing a G&T Policy as a new teacher to the school has experience in this area.

Can anyone recommend anything else I can do? I completely understand that if my DS isn't G&T then I won't pursue it further but he is consistently top of the class and first in tests. I just want to do the best for my DS.

Many thanks in advance.

My experience is similar to DAL's with levels I'm afraid. Ds is early on in his school career but I'm convinced there's fiddling the figures going on to show progress which actually isn't there at our school. Which incidentally is one which has had poor value added figures in recent years so it'd fit that they are up to something.

The fiddling starts with what's called the "baseline assessment" in reception. It's done intentionally by reception teachers who want to show EYFS progress in Y0 and with an unintentional element caused by limitations in the assessment process.

"That wouldn't happen with a child with SEN. They have a statement, their needs are met."

Try telling that to the parents on the SN board!

Every child with SEN does not automatically get a statement. Our LEA does not statement at all if the child's disability is physical (however much it impacts on education), statements are horrendously difficult to get even for learning difficulties, many statements do not meet the needs of the child, statemented money is often diverted for use for the whole class (e.g. the TA used as a teacher's assistant rather than for the child whose money is paying for her). Trying to get support for a child with SN is often a nightmare.

I have a dd who is both disabled and g&t. It has been an awful lot easier getting the school to meet her g&t needs than the needs arising from her disability. And even if this had not been the case, dd could have done something about her g&t needs herself- by getting books out of the library or finding work online- but she could not make herself walk or hold a pen when her body would not cooperate.

We are talking of the difference between a child whose maths teaching is not challenging enough and a child who was left alone in a classroom for a whole term without any maths teaching at all because there was no disabled access to the maths room. We are talking about the difference of learning less than you could and not learning anything. And in the case of many SEN children we are talking issues of safety as well.

I have every sympathy for a child who is bored and not stimulated at lessons. But I get terribly tired of hearing that "of course if my child only had SN all their needs would be met". Those lucky kids with SN...

But I get terribly tired of hearing that "of course if my child only had SN all their needs would be met".
They are far more likely to be met if you have needs at a certain end of the spectrum especially if you're academically behind and extra teacher attention/resources can help you catch up. Or do you disagree with that?

To me SN covers everyone from the child in a wheelchair to the otherwise able bodied child from an uncaring background who gets no help or encouragement at home or even a decent breakfast before coming to school.

Able bodied children from caring, "middle class" families who are doing well are the lowest priority. It's hard for me to argue that this should be any other way. I sympathise with those children who have SENs or are otherwise disadvantaged in the learning environment and fully support them getting more resources, but the other side of the coin is that intelligent children who just get on with it are being failed by our state system. There was a G&T programme that schools routinely ignored and now even that doesn't exist!

I have a dd who is both disabled and g&t. It has been an awful lot easier getting the school to meet her g&t needs than the needs arising from her disability.
I don't think that paints a fair picture, cory. Her particular G&T needs are easily satisfied - give her an extra book & sit her in the corner (which you and she seem to be happy with) - whereas catering properly for her physical disability requires considerable capital investment. I should think it's an awful lot easier to find a book than it is to, for example, install a lift.

Cory I am sorry if my post rankled you. I did not mean to cause offense and accept that perhaps I could have phrased it better. Maybe what I should have said was that children with SEN should have a statement and there are laws to back that up. Those laws and rules mean that SEN kids should have a statement that reflects their individual needs so would be the same regardless of which school or LEA they are in. If there is no statement, the parents have the right to demand one. The same does not apply to G&T kids, although their needs are just as varied and valid.

FWIW, my DS1 has ASD and Dyspraxia and doesn't have a statement, so I do empathise that it can be frustrating to have to fight for what your child is entitled to, but my point was that if I chose to fight for it, a statement should me made. As it happens, his school are very on the ball and his IEP covers all the bases (and he isn't deemed 'severe' enough to get funding anyway) so there is no need for a statement in his case. But given DS1's SEN and DS2 G&T needs, I can see both sides of the argument here, and my view is that G&T kids are left rudderless because there is no legal need for schools to have a uniform G&T programme, so many simply don't.

I would never say that SEN kids have it easy. Even if I didn't have DS1, I don't think I would be that naive or selfish so while I understand and accept that my post could have been worded in a more appropriate manner, I would ask that you please don't put words in my mouth.

"I have a dd who is both disabled and g&t. It has been an awful lot easier getting the school to meet her g&t needs than the needs arising from her disability.
I don't think that paints a fair picture, cory. Her particular G&T needs are easily satisfied - give her an extra book & sit her in the corner (which you and she seem to be happy with) - whereas catering properly for her physical disability requires considerable capital investment.

I should think it's an awful lot easier to find a book than it is to, for example, install a lift."

No need to install a lift, just to change the sets so that hers is on the bottom floor. And accept that you can't keep the disabled loo nice for visitors but have to let it be used by a pupil. That is the kind of attitude that you have to fight against if you have a disabled child. Dd's needs could have been met without any extra cost.

What those of you who do not have disabled/chronically ill children do not realise is that lots of schools actually want them out of there because they cause extra work, they skew the attendance statistics, people feel uncomfortable when they look at them... Mainstream schools are forced to take them, doesn't mean they wouldn't be happy if the parent took them out. Dd's headteacher made this quite clear. In his case, it was about attendance statistics: he did not want children with lots of hospital appointments in his school because that counts at Ofsted.

Of course I am not happy with dd being understimulated. I'm just saying you can't compare that to having to crawl on your hands and knees to access the toilet or to not getting any tuition at all.

Of course, I do realise that our situation was a little extreme. But if you follow the SN board reguarly, you will find how many parents find it hard a)to get a statement b)got get the schools to implement the statement in any meaningful way

Dd's needs could have been met without any extra cost.
Are her G&T needs being met at "extra cost"?

Schools aren't providing for G&T needs at the expense of providing for SEN.