funding

[helena99]

Can someone tell me what funding is available for G&T? Do schools get a budget and can I insist on my 'slice' for DD? Or are there other things (charities?) out there that I can apply for?

AFAIK schools get some funding which they can use for G&T if they wish, but it's not ring-fenced. Have't heard of any charities which help, although it would depend on exactly what you wanted funded (e.g. there are some schools which might suit a particular child, and have generous bursaries etc). Govt puts some money into Young Gifted & Talented, but not nearly as much as they put into NAGTY . NAGC might be a charity, but certainly put on low(ish) cost activities in many areas - never had any contact with them, so can't be sure though.

Schools don't get any extra funding for G&T. The G&T co-ordinator at the school may be given £100 as a one off to buy resources (but that would not be a regular occurance).
Sorry but the cake's already been eaten.
What kind of charity do you expect?

What do you need? Schools do have funding and up to a point it's up to them what they use it for. I'm a governor, so I could probably tell yo whether what you're looking for would be a goer in our school - which might help you a bit.

How old is your dd? What sort of support do you think she needs?

I am becoming increasingly sceptical of many "attracting-G&T-funding workshops" and other initiatives that take students out of the classroom. I think the key is the boring day-to-day stuff that goes on with the regular teacher in the regular classroom.

ds1 (11) is exceptionally able in traditional academic subjects. (I have various evidence, assessment statistics etc. I could bore you with but won't.) We've been very pleased with his (state) schooling in primary, but he has just had the best term of his school career so far in yr7 at the new school. He is constantly being challenged and stimulated, encouraged to take things to a different level, use higher level thinking skills; and comes home buzzing with excitement about what he has been learning.

What is this amazing, innovative setting in which he is flourishing so well?
He is in a mixed ability form group, in a non-selective school and all subjects this year are taught in this mixed ability class. I understand from him that in core subjects there are students working from level 3 up to level 7 and 8, which is a huge ability range. But what matters is the classroom teacher, and their skill/ability/training at delivering a differentiated lesson which enables all children to thrive and make progress appropriate to them.

You can usually tell how serious the Government is about a subject by looking at how much money they give it. I was wondering how much money G&T gets, and whether I would actually see any of it being applied to my child.

You would have no automatic right to a share. If your child is selected as one fo the top 5% at that school at that time then she may benefit from whatever schemes and resources are available .

You have no automatic right anymore than any child with SEN (unless there is a statement, which mean that the provision has to be put in place).

SEN money is not ringfenced. It is up to the school to decide how best to deploy their finances.

I completely agree with Roisin about it being down to the ability and skill of the teacher. I also find that mixed age classes are particularly effective at supporting both SEN and G&T. It takes a particular type of teacher to be flexible enough to teach mixed age classes, so you find that those teachers are also good at extending/broadening the provision for children who are either SEN or G&T.

As I said, helena - what so you need?

roisin I agree completely!

Thanks, Seeker, I'll come back to this thread when the kids go back to school.

I think also the only funding is if you are well off then you can expand potential. If not then you will have to have the imagination to stretch your child with your own time and resources