Deputy head wants son to be on g&t

[my3sons]

My eldest (age 14, yr 10)has always performed well in academic tests in school but has never reached his potential as unfortunatley he has some emotional & behavioural issues.
he was permanantly excluded from school last year and this has thankfully allowed him to access the help he has so badly needed for the past 10yrs
his new school (mainstream comp) is fantastic they are supportive and inclusive, he has been there for 3 months & despite being on a completely diferent sylabus etc he is already coming in top of the top sets in most subjects (the ones he likes!) despite missing months of schooling following his exclusion.
When I went to the parents evening last week the deputy head asked to see me & says she wants him on the g&t and is going to 'make arrangements' about this.
What arrangements are usually made does anyone know?
It all seems a bit mysterious to me, I always assumed g&t was for younger kids?
Any information appreciated, thanks.

How great for you and your son to find a school he is doing so well in and you must be so pleased.

G&T goes right through the exam years, and can be a real boost to confidence, he may be offered summer schools especially for the G&T in whatever subject/subjects he is excelling in.

Also they may get nominated for awards / prizes - my niece won £100 for an RS essay at her school and went on a week's long summer school for english where she met several well known authors she had a fabulous time and it spurred her on in her exams.

G&T pupils also get different work and are put in for the high grade exam papers - especially Maths and Sciences so they can aim for As and A*.

how exciting for you and him!

"G&T pupils also get different work and are put in for the high grade exam papers - especially Maths and Sciences so they can aim for As and A*." - um, depends very much on the school. It is not necessary to be on the G&T list to be put in for higher exam papers.

From what I understand, OP, being recognised as G&T means that the school is aware of your DS's abilities - obviously this is excellent, and can indeed be a massive confidence boost. It could also mean that opportunities are opened up for him in terms of being guided towards appropriate options for after GCSEs, as well as the possibilities of extra trips and so on.

I would suggest you keep on top of it - call the school (maybe after Easter hols) and speak to the Deputy Head in question to see if she/he followed through after your conversation. If so, then DS's teachers will have been made aware that he has been identified as G&T. Might also be worth checking if he's been identified as G&T in any particular areas. I teach Drama, and therefore can identify the students in my classes who are gifted, but that may not mean that they are also top of the class in maths. Ask about the G&T programme, and make sure that any opportunities within the school are open to DS.

Lovely for you and him though!