Does your child who is gifted and talented get free dinners?

[lijaco]

Just wondered if any children on here who have the gifted and talented label also are in reciept of free dinners? Just trying to work out if this label is actually a privileged children thing?

[pickyminx]

my daughter gets free school meals and is highly gifted and talented i do agree that it comes across that highly gifted children are from privaledged backgrounds but not always the case

[Overmydeadbody]

Having said that, although DS would be entitled to free school dinners now, he certainly doesn't represent children from disadvantaged or poor backgrounds, I just happen to be poor at the moment

[Overmydeadbody]

DS is a high achiever and labelled as G&T at his school (althouhg I see no actual advantages to this label but that's another story).

He is very clever. He would also be entitled to free school meals if he actually wanted them. As it happens, he prefers a packed lunch so that is what he gets.

I can see what you are tryong to find out, and sadly it is probably true that some very bright children form more disadvantaged backgrounds are not given the stimulation they need form a young age to properly utilise their brightness, and so they don't necessarily show this brightness at school, but a live in the hope that a good teacher could see through this and encourage and help ^all6 children to reach their potential regardless of background.

[lijaco]

Just for you dadatlarge!

[Oovavu]

In the dept that I work in (English and secondary) we were updating our G&T register and I was asked if I had any G&T nominations which was then followed up quickly with 'oh no you don't have top band at KS3 do you?' ....so the assumption there was that kids in the middle or lower tiers wouldn't be G&T. But in actual fact I added a couple of kids who are extremely talented at speaking and listening - not sure about rhe free school meals thing with them...

But I had a lad in Y8 last year who couldn't really spell very well but his creative writing was like nothing else on earth; it moved me to tears on a regular basis. I put him on the G&T register for this reason and it turned out he was on free school meals and his mum is a single parent. But I didn't know this when I nominated him and I would doubt many subject teachers know this either unless they check their register/PANDA details first, which I would think is unnecessary: all you need is the results the pupil has been getting in front of you.

[lou031205]

It isn't as simple as that. Free school meals are not available if you receive WTC, so by working more than 30 hours, even for a low income, you are disqualified.

[Tanith]

How many Mumsnet parents have children who are entitled to free dinners?
How many parents of school-aged children use Mumsnet?

When you realise the tiny sample of parents you are questioning, you begin to realise how pointless is the original question.

[lijaco]

prammymammy I think that not all people in those kind of situations have no chance. I am from a disadvantaged poor back ground and have had to work really hard to get where I am today. There is a minority who have the ability to help and support there children to achieve. At the end of the day though money will always get you further quicker. I had my first child when I was 20 and I always took him to the library, read to him, taught him his colours, shapes, numbers etc before he went to school. Some parents from disadvantaged backgrounds do not do this and there priorities are different. Your child has every chance because it is what you put in that counts. I never buy newspapers either!
My point really I believe a lot of labelled g & t are advantaged from parents with money, practise papers and extra tuition not to mention the ability to pay for music lessons or dance , drama etc etc & Private Education.
So these children will never achieve as they should or could!

[PrammyMammy]

This was actually brought up at college on Thursday. The point my lecturer was making was that g&t children have better advantages in life and would not receive free meals, because their parents have more money than others. Another point she brought up was a household that reads The Sun or Daily Record has less chance of having a g&t child than one that reads The Telegraph. And she went on and on about the size of houses, living in a flat, the age of the parents, all being things that make a gifted child.

I live in a 2 bedroomed flat, never buy newspapers and am quite a young mum, so ds has no chance in her opinion.

[TLESinChristmasStockings]

ds1 is in G&T for litracey, math and science and yes he gets free school meals..

[lljkk]

I think almost everyone on MN would agree with you lijaco, that the govt. 10% or 5% or whatever it might be, is only a measure of the quite bright, not the same as the truly 'exceptional' child.
BUT there is a point to the X% criteria, it makes SOME schools focus on making sure it meets the needs of that X%, rather than focus on the needs of the majority.

That, to my mind, is not necessarily a bad thing, schools should strive to meet the needs of extremes as well as the majority.

Gosh, my hat off to teachers. It would be so easy if most children were bright and cooperative, but with a class full of hugely mixed range ability, some of which are stroppy to say the least, it must be so hard to find time to address the needs of the 10% least or most able.

[lijaco]

The government have moved the target because they have realised that there are gifted and talented kids who are not always in the top 10%. The top 10% are test achievers and they can be taught how to do tests, not really a measure of true gifted and talented.

[lljkk]

Thanks, I managed to read some of it but some of the pdf refused to load. That said, there seems to be a definite bit in there still about 5% being identified....? I will try to look at it in html format later when I have more time.

[Loshad]

aargh sorry new shouldn't be underlined it's 894 underscore new underscore

[Loshad]

can't do links - but the "official" guidance is here, on p3 -
ygt.dcsf.gov.uk/FileLinks/894_new_guidance.pdf
yet another govt directive changed

[lljkk]

Is that true, Loshad? You're the first person I've heard say so.

[Loshad]

Goldilocks, the govt have removed the % target now, schools don't have to find 10%, but still have to identify any G+T pupils.

[Reallytired]

Lets be blunt, the more money you have the more opportunites you can give your children. Just look at the disportionate number of private school children who get into top universites. Being rich is an advantage in almost any area of life except love and friendships.

I would also be contraversal and say that it takes a fair amount of brains to make money. There is also truth in the expression "A fool and his money are easily parted." Intelligence is partly genetic and partly enviromnent. There is also a strange X factor and intelligence can arise where you least expect it.

[cory]

I think lijaco's is a perfectly fair question. Does this programme work the way it is meant to or not? I have no idea, but Mabanana's quote is suggestive. Have to say the G&T thing does very little about labelling people round my way, as it is kept low key and children are set for main subjects anyway.

[goldilocksandmylittlebear]

Having spent my Friday evening HAVING to find 10% of our school with a 'gift' or 'talent' this tread makes me smile!

Please don't think being G&T is about being a mini Einstein, its another govenmnent target.

[UnfortunatelyMurderedMe]

Seeker, paying for a tutor, or even the practice papers will be one thing with the 11 plus.
Some people will have oodles of money to throw at tutors(I know a tutor who earns £1400 per year per pupil).
My contribution to dds 11 tutoring was some 11plus papers from the bargain bin in WH Smiths and some from freecycle.
And also some from my Skillsplus Tutor.
Me and dd are about the same level in Maths and shes 10

[seeker]

At my dd's primary school nearly 14% of the children were on free school meals. At her state but selective grammar school, less than 3% are. As I refuse to believe there is any link between innate intelligence and poverty there must be something else happening here.

[mrsruffallo]

Agree watch the world. You don't need to be well off to instill confidence and an enthusiasm for learning

Saggers- I agree it isn't foolproof, and avoids giving a clear reflection of how well WC children are doing