Information for Parents
Parents play an essential role in the development of their gifted
and talented children, a role which the school supports but cannot
displace. There are a variety of ways in which parents can facilitate
the development of their children but as each child is unique then
factors which help one child to develop will not always be appropriate
for facilitating the development of other gifted and talented children.
Nor will it always be the case that a gifted child is developing
in every cognitive respect at the pace that would normally be expected.
A child may well develop in some respects 'faster' than expected
and in other respects 'slower' than is expected.
Below are a few general principles about how parents can support
the development of their child in respect of:
General Cognitive Development
There is increasing evidence that the intellectual development
of children is supported particularly well when they are regularly
exposed to intellectual stimulation which promotes a growth of
knowledge and problem solving skills. But as equally important
as the stimulation is the opportunity to experience unstructured
'free time' where children have the responsibility to amuse themselves
and so typically develop their imagination and creativity skills.
Parents can support their children by helping them to encounter
intellectual stimulation in reading and in new experiences through
visiting museums, galleries or through interacting with other
venues and situations with which they are less familiar. Some
parents arrange additional formal studies for their children and
that too can be helpful, although it is important to ensure that
the children do not become intellectually exhausted. Sometimes
the most effective support that a parent can provide may be actually
limiting the number of engagements and formal activities that
their child is exposed to, in order to ensure that the child has
the intellectual space and 'free time' in which to play, experiment
and develop hobbies and interests of his/her own.
Language Development
Some gifted and talented children manifest a particular love
of, and aptitude with, language. They enjoy learning new words
and phrases and perhaps like to use unusual forms of expression.
Parents can support their children in the development of their
language skills by reading with them and in particular by talking
about and discussing what they are reading.
Some children respond particularly well to different types of
literature and schools and libraries are usually only too pleased
to offer advice about how a child's reading can be broadened and
varied. Some children enjoy and show an aptitude with oral language
but are less interested in formal reading. Where this is the case
the most effective support can be helping the child to gain in
confidence with material he or she feels comfortable with, rather
than in trying to move the child onto more complex material than
he or she is ready for.
Logic and Numerical Development
Some pupils have a particular interest in numbers and logical
reasoning. They will typically enjoy exercises involving these
aspects and may well enjoy talking about problems involving calculations
and conversions.
Parents can support their children by trying to ensure that they
enjoy any additional logic and numerical work that they are doing
at home. Making games and playing games are good examples of ways
in which children can do this. It is also important to balance
activities which acquire new knowledge and new skills with activities
which provide an opportunity to strengthen already existing skills
by focusing on ways of applying logical and numerical
Development at School
Schools aim to support the intellectual development of children
in a holistic framework which takes account of intellectual needs
as well as PSHE (Personal Social and Health Education) needs.
Some gifted children have developed intellectually in terms of
knowledge and understanding which would normally be expected of
much older pupils. Other gifted children can show significant
reading or numerical abilities in circumscribed aspects of the
subject whilst others can seem to be making significant process
through curriculum materials but are doing so in terms of learning
to perform functions and activities rather than actually understanding
the material and its application.
As every child is unique there can be no single way of meeting
the needs of a gifted child, but in determining provision that
is appropriate for your son or daughter a school will typically
aim to ensure that the pupil is intellectually challenged and
making progress in terms of understanding as well as knowledge
whilst also working in an environment which meets their PSHE needs.
All schools will use differentiation with gifted and talented
pupils and parents should be able to see evidence of challenging
activities in their childrens' exercise books. All schools should
have monitoring procedures to ensure that gifted and talented
pupils continue to make appropriate progress. In some schools
gifted and talented pupils are supported through the use of an
IEP (Individual Education Plan) especially where they are working
through materials or at a level which requires significantly different
planning from the class teacher. At present there is no additional
funding available for gifted and talented pupils.
Concerns about School
Sometimes parents may feel unsure of whether a particular teacher
or school is really pushing their child forward at a pace that
they feel is appropriate. Where this is the case it often arises
because the school is trying to meet the pupil's intellectual
needs for a growth in understanding rather than merely an increase
in knowledge. Sometimes it arises because a school is trying to
support a pupil with PSHE needs as well as academic ones, encouraging
the pupil to work in groups to develop communication skills, imagination
and creativity.
Where parents are concerned about the provision for their children
it is very important to communicate immediately with the school
so that any misunderstandings can be addressed and resolved. In
communicating with the school the most effective approach is to:
-
Contact the class teacher first to register concerns and
ask for the rationale underpinning the current classroom
approaches.
If as a result of discussion teacher and parents feel that
a slightly different approach would be useful then agree
the
precise format of the new approach and the time frame in
which it will happen. It can sometimes be worth agreeing
a formal
review meeting later in the term at which progress with the
new format can be discussed.
-
If contact with the class teacher does not resolve parental
concerns then the next step would be to contact the school's
'gifted and talented co-ordinator. In some smaller schools
that do not have a separate gifted and talented co-ordinator,
it would be appropriate to contact the headteacher in order
to discuss the situation
-
Discussing the situation with the headteacher is absolutely
crucial as the headteacher will have a strategic overview
of matters relating to staff allocation and curriculum planning.
It is important to bring to the meeting any concerns that
you have as well as results of discussions with the class
teacher. As a result of discussions with the headteacher it
should become clear either why the school is doing what it
is doing and why it will continue doing so; or instead a different
course of action may be proposed.
- If subsequently there are still concerns, and a further meeting
with the headteacher fails to resolve those concerns, then a
parent may feel that it is appropriate to submit a formal complaint
to the governing body. Procedures outlining how to do this are
available at reception upon request in each school.
Further support for parents is also available from National
Associations:
Parents Guide
The Eastern Region Gifted and Talented Partnership has produced a useful guide for parents:
Useful Websites for Parents
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