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Gifted and talented

Talk to other parents about parenting a gifted child on this forum.

Original poster

School haven't told us DD is G&T. Why?

115 replies

MaQueen · 05/11/2016 15:07

Apparently DD2 was G&T at primary school. We were never officially told, but a friend (who was also governor) told me in passing.

DD2 passed the 11+ with a really high score and is now in Yr 8 at a grammar school. She's really flying academically, with 7.9s virtually across the board in all subjects in her exams at the end of Yr 7.

Anyway, she came home yesterday and mentioned she'd seen her form register and next to her name was 'G&T'.

I just wondered if it's normal for schools to not officially notify you that your child is G&T?

OP posts:
ThatsNoWayToSayGoodbye · 05/11/2016 16:08

G&T is just about making sure that the higher attaining children are being stretched as much as the lower attaining ones are being supported. But it doesn't mean you've got a genius on your hands.

IME...

Sometimes a teacher will approach the G&T person/subject leader and say, "I want to speak with you about Mohammed in my class. He's showing a real affinity for art and wondered if there were any other opportunities we could identify for him." because you feel that child would benefit from something not offered within the standard curriculum.

But more often it'll be, "can you bring the names of the top 3 attaining children in X, Y and Z subjects to Thursday's staff meeting for the G&T register, thanks" and you spend ages trying to work out if Jacob or Amy should the be third child on the list for PE because they're both performing pretty similarly but which one might benefit more from having that extra enrichment opportunity...

IME...

Original poster
MaQueen · 05/11/2016 16:10

Ah, thanks for that explanation rockin I didn't realise it had shown up in the main feed. I was confuddled by such angsty replies on a thread which I thought would be full of parents with G&T kids, too.

Shame that...I will probably disembark from the thread, as looks like I'll get very helpful replies at the moment. All I wanted to know was if other parents had/hadn't officially been told their kid was G&T and did they know why.

I'm not interested in petty digs and snitty replies. I'll come back another time (when the site is busier, so hopefully won't appear in the main feed) as I have a few more questions and could do with some advice.

We've never made anything of DD2 being bright, and don't discuss it with friends/family. We've always been low key about it. But I think she could now benefit from us giving her a bit more input etc, so would like some advice on best ways to do it.

But, another time methinks Wink

OP posts:
KeemaNaanAndCurryOn · 05/11/2016 16:15

It depends on what level of G&T they mean.

DS is dual exceptional - gifted and asd. I know this as when the school suspected, they did the BAS II which scored him at 4y 5mos as ability of 8+ years, putting him in the top 98th centile overall, so he needs much more than someone else of his age. They called us in about him.

DD is classed as G&T as she's in the top few of her year, but its not the same as properly gifted like DS and they've not really discussed it with us and I wouldn't expect them to. It's obvious she'll do OK and probably will go to the local grammar, but that's not the same as being really exceptional. Your DD was probabably in the same category - clever, but not off the scale so not needing more than the school could provide.

SlottedSpoon · 05/11/2016 16:16

Well judging by the amount of people who have come on here to gush that 'the school has just told me my DC is on the G&T register for maths/literacy/dance/art/whatever, I knew he/she was bright but I had no idea I had spawned a genius' then I think MaQueen has a point. People do seem to be told, generally, so why wasn't she?

I agree that the G&T register is pretty meaningless and is nothing more than an indicator of the top 10% most able in that school rather than across the board, but that's not the point.

CarShare · 05/11/2016 16:16

She might have misread the entry by her name in the register. If you've not be notified by the school she may not actually be G&T

throwingpebbles · 05/11/2016 16:19

Love you are assuming those of us who replied in ways you didn't like dont have G&T kids Hmm

throwingpebbles · 05/11/2016 16:21

As for "what to do"...? Well, precisely the same as you would have done the day before you found out.

ThatsNoWayToSayGoodbye · 05/11/2016 16:22

MaQueen My replies aren't snippy. I have a child who was identified as G&T in four subject areas. The school did notify us, but only insofar as it sent a letter out to tell us, but it had no bearing on his GCSE results (sadly!) although he did get to take part in a special science event run by a local university, which he really enjoyed.

But I can tell you, as a teacher who has had to identify children, that it means nothing really and, as someone has already said, it isn't an absolute. It's relative. G&T children in one school would be average in another and lower attaining in another.

Mumoftwoyoungkids · 05/11/2016 16:25

Dd is 6 and last year her teacher mentioned something very offhand about her being "on the register" during parents evening. Unfortunately Dh was at that parents evening so said "oh, ok" rather than the appropriate "register!? What register?! What does that mean? What will you do? What should I do?" That I would have said.

But it has not been mentioned before or since. She has been described as a "high achiever" a couple of times.

On the one hand, it really bugs me that school presumably has info about our child that they are not sharing with us. Particularly in reception when she had a teacher who used the word "fine" for every bloody thing. (She's settled in fine, her behaviour is fine, her reading is fine, her maths is fine, the situation in the Middle East is fine....)

But on the other - she is happy at school, she is obviously learning well, I'm happy with our homelife and don't want to do anything different, she does seem to do occasional "extra activities" with the school - so what would the info actually mean?

So I am being "zen" about it.

GruochMacAlpin · 05/11/2016 16:25

Rockinhippy "non G&T parents" and you know this because...?

MaQueen if you think your DD might need some extension work or to discuss the implications of the G&T tag, then I would repeat my last comment - go and see the school to discuss.

Imperial Grin

noblegiraffe · 05/11/2016 16:26

I had to get together a group of G&T Y11s a couple of years ago and ask them about their experiences in school as G&T students, whether they'd felt challenged in lessons and so on. SLT wanted it as a 'student voice' sort of thing.

I started the meeting with 'so you're all on the gifted and talented register' and most of them went Confused and said they had no idea, even though they'd been on it for 5 years. So it's not uncommon.

ThatsNoWayToSayGoodbye · 05/11/2016 16:27

Oh and we were only notified in writing at secondary school.

I'm not aware of letters having been sent out from primary school. I haven't.

ThatsNoWayToSayGoodbye · 05/11/2016 16:29

It's really only for monitoring purposes within schools. Like when children will have PP next to their names (pupil premium). It just means that when the data is analysed, PP, SEN and G&T progress will be analysed as a subset to make sure that the children have made the required progress.

Which is why parents don't get told, I suppose...

Rafeontherun · 05/11/2016 16:30

Governor friend told me in passing.......bullshit. Did you pin them down and force it out of them?

And why the fuck would a governor know anyway? They aren't supposed to know anything about individual children

SaltyRock · 05/11/2016 16:31

G&T at my school just means you're fairly good at a particular subject. It isn't notified to parents because it doesn't actually mean anything. If a student is good at something, they will get stretched, just as if they need support they will get it.
Kids change, sometimes they will be very good at something and then may be caught up by the others, a label doesn't help.
If your child is good at something the teachers will work with them to keep them pushed, don't worry about labels.

Callmegeoff · 05/11/2016 16:31

I wasn't told at primary school. In fact the school was marked down by Ofsted for not stretching its most able pupils.

Like your dd she's flying at secondary , g+t in all subjects bar PE and drama. It doesn't seem to have done any harm and she seems to be stretched enough now.

Notso · 05/11/2016 16:31

First I heard with DC1 and DC2 in primary was when they were invited to attend enrichment sessions at a couple of grammar schools over the border (we are in Wales). Both were also invited to apply for those schools but we don't agree with grammar schools so declined.
In secondary we got letters in year 7 explaining DC were G&T and they attend/attended enrichment sessions quite regularly.

Middleagedmumoftwo · 05/11/2016 16:36

It's a load of bollocks really. All kids have different strengths and should all be encouraged. My son's school had a G&T program and took them on trips to Oxford uni etc (he wasn't in the G&T program) and I think it the opportunities should be there for any of them that are interested. Besides, kids develop at different rates and someone considered G&T at age ten might be pretty average by 16.

Smartleatherbag · 05/11/2016 16:40

Oh no, op. Don't go! Do stay and tell us all about your a max kid.

Floggingmolly · 05/11/2016 16:40

This post is attracting the non G & T parents as well.... Grin. Take your head out of your arse Rockinhippy, it isn't, actually. You're not alone in your non exclusive club, sorry about that.

dataandspot · 05/11/2016 16:41

I was informed in writing.

GloriaGaynor · 05/11/2016 16:42

It's a ridiculous label, but one you were entitled to be aware of.

BoffinMum · 05/11/2016 16:46

G and T just means they are in the top 5 or 10% of their age group in that school. In another school she might not be. So ignore it.

Rafeontherun · 05/11/2016 16:49

I was informed too.

The head teacher carried DD on her shoulders across the playground. She was feted with applause and offerings. Everyone bowed down to her and then shuffled their DC nearer to her so that they might soak up some of her brilliance.

Perhaps your child isn't properly G&T OP?

MatildaTheCat · 05/11/2016 16:49

When my boys were awarded G&T status the school held a special assembly for the whole school and all parents and then did an Oscars type ceremony with runners up etc. I will never forget my pride.

Not really, I can't remember if we were even told and can't recall any special benefit from being selected anyway. Most posters here have, like me, been on AIBU and clicked on the link without realising it was the G&T board is that even a thing?