Growing Up Gifted- 9pm BBC2 tonight

[Olympicfan]

This series is back for a 3rd series. It follows a group of young people who were deemed gifted (in different curricular areas- science, art, English) but were growing up in poverty.

The first series showed how able they were (age 13ish). The second series made grim viewing. All that potential, but so many distractions due to their individual situations/circumstances made them all look distinctly average, if not below. They were just about to sit their GCSEs.

Tonight, it follows them post GCSEs.

I will be watching. Really enjoyed the first series.

Ooh thanks. I think it was only the first series I saw.

I'm watching. I really like Kian he seems so clever but under confident

I’m watching. In absolute bits. These kids have got it so tough. Liam has done so well.

Less 'Growing Up Gifted' and more 'Being Quite Bright but working class'

Although maybe I've missed something because I didn't see the first series.

DS has similar interests and aspirations to Kian, but educational opportunities are so much easier for him to access. For a start, there are several schools in our area offering maths & physics A-levels, so he doesn't have to face an hour's bus journey each way to reach the nearest one.

FreakStar I agree. They’re quite bright but in no way would I call them gifted. It’s an unfair title because the viewer will expect so much more from them. In my DDs school virtually every kid In her year got 10 A*s or As. Only a handful were what you would call gifted though. They honestly didn’t even need to go to school really. If you’d have given them the textbooks they’d have worked through them on their own and got the same grades. None of them had to work particularly hard to get those grades either. It was just so easy for them. DD is bright but she had to slog hard to get similar grades.

I think they were identified as being gifted and talented by their schools but for some this would be in just one subject rather than across the board. I thought that last nights episode was positive overall. I was pleased to see them all able to take the next steps they wanted

Quiz that makes sense it being gifted in one area . It was so good that they all got what they needed to take their courses even if most were a bit disappointed in their grades. It is so much harder when the odds are stacked against you for various reasons. They are all such great kids.

Is this the same programme that had the boy from port talbot with a miserable pushy dad. And the boy whose family through a coming out party and he visited ox or cam uni one day? Wanted to be a dr

Or is it the one with a lovely girl living near Heathrow who had to take French a year early as there were no teachers to continue the subject .

The gifted and talented label that schools use is meaningless. It is defined as the top 10% of the cohort usually, and therefore it's all relative. Gifted and talented will vary hugely on the school, the cohort, the area etc. A child can stand out from their peers for being 'gifted' at music or sport or art because they are the best in their class. In reality though, when compared to the population as a whole they could be decidedly mediocre.

Bigoldwimp yes it’s the one with the boy with the miserable, critical dad and the lad that was encouraged to aim higher than being a chef and try for medicine at Oxbridge.

The thing that struck me was the lack of good advice and pushing for the really top grades. It all seemed to be about getting enough for the next step of A-levels rather than getting the best possible grades across the board. No-one at top schools would bat at eyelid at Liam’s grades but for his school he really did excel being in the top 4%. I’d hope he’s done enough for medicine but he will be ruled out of some faculties. This is where you’d hope he’s given guidance to apply to the places he’d have the best chance. You realise how much easier it is for professional parents to get relevant work experience etc and that is always going to be a barrier for something like medicine.

Similarly for Kian, hopefully he’d get good input at college to develop his interests but his grade in maths could hold him back if he wants to do physics. The career advice lady didn’t really seem to know anything helpful.

Basically, you can’t fail to watch something like this and realise there isn’t a level playing field.

@Crembrule I agree, the careers adviser didn't seem knowledgeable enough at all. She seemed completely inexperienced and out of her depth in advising Kian in the field he was interested in.

Yes I thought that about the careers advisor too. The boy could have googled the same thing!

The episode tonight was powerful. I felt devastated for Anne-Marie. Throughout the series, she has shown she is incredibly talented young lady. I’m glad she did enough to get to college and hope she is given special consideration for future university applications as given the circs she did so well to even take them. I do wonder about what effect the filming might have had on her mental health.

It was lovey to see Jada do so well and get into the Grammar and for Shakira to get it together and to be doing well at college.

Totally agree. It was lovely to see Shakira turn her life around and show her true potential. Her school were very supportive of her.

I was pleased to see Jada get such great results and get her Grammar School place. I was nervous for her when she opened her results.

Anne-Marie's MH has taken a blow. It was good to hear her say, 'I am glad I am still here.' Fingers crossed she continue to recover and do well.

Can anyone remember what happened between Anne Marie and her mother that caused her to have to leave?
This was a very powerful episode and really showed what these kids have to contend with.