Advice for gifted and talented strategy co-ordinators in local authorities

Strategy guide Meeting strategic education goals in England through study support Advice for gifted and talented strategy co-ordinators in local authorities Local authorities are under increasing pressure to deliver the five outcomes of Every Child Matters, extended services in and around schools, and other initiatives designed to raise standards, such as healthy schools and personalised learning. Study support (also known as out-of-school-hours learning – oshl) can help to address many of these initiatives simultaneously. Study support offers children the opportunity to take part in a range of informal and imaginative activities and projects outside normal lesson time, and has been shown to offer a range of benefits – for example, improving pupils’ attendance and levels of achievement. The government recognises the important contribution study support can make to a range of educational strategies. It is, therefore, working with key partners to embed study support within strategy documents and planning at both local authority and school level. This strategy guide highlights how: • study support can assist the delivery of the gifted and talented strategy • study support can be built into the support you, as a strategy co-ordinator, already offer to schools • schools can use study support to benefit pupils, schools and communities. About study support What is study support? ‘Study support is learning activity outside normal lessons which young people take part in voluntarily. Study support is, accordingly, an inclusive term, embracing many activities – with many names and guises. Its purpose is to improve young people’s motivation, build their self-esteem and help them become more effective learners. Above all it aims to raise achievement.’ (DfES, 1998; quoted in Study support: a national framework for extending learning opportunities, DfES, 2006) ‘Study support’ is a broad term that includes almost all activities that happen outside normal lesson time, including: • breakfast clubs • creative/performing arts and crafts • design technology and ICT • special interest groups or clubs • homework, revision and drop-in sessions • activities linked to the curriculum • peer mentoring and peer tutoring schemes • summer schools • residential experiences • visits to museums, galleries and heritage sites • modern foreign languages • environmental projects • volunteering. This is not an exhaustive list, and a key factor should be what engages and interests children and young people. There should be scope for the members to suggest, run or lead particular activities. The Study Support ETC pages of the ContinYou website provide more information on how to develop and sustain study support activities (www. continyou.org.uk/studysupportetc). The benefits of study support Study support is recognised as a key contributor to school improvement and the development of the whole child/young person. The greatest impact is seen when study support is strategically rooted, valued, planned and evaluated at both school and local authority level. For more information about study support and evidence of its impact, visit www.continyou.org.uk/studysupportetc and www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/studysupport. Study support has been shown to help to: • raise standards • improve behaviour and attendance • encourage parental and community involvement • ease transition • improve motivation, and attitudes towards, and engagement in, learning • increase self-esteem and confidence • tackle social exclusion. The grid on the next page, showing the key elements of the gifted and talented strategy, gives more information on how study support links to its delivery and implementation. Funding study support programmes Although there is not one ring-fenced source of funding for study support, money can be used from a number of sources to support the delivery of activities. These include the core budget, the school standards grant (SSG), and money attributed to personalised learning. Schools that apply for designation as specialist schools are now required, as part of their strategic planning, to show how their activities contribute to the achievement of Every Child Matters and the core offer of extended services – thereby enabling the money associated with this designation to be used to support extended learning opportunities. How study support can help gifted and talented strategy co-ordinators As a gifted and talented strategy co-ordinator, you can help develop and sustain study support activities that will contribute towards achieving your targets. You might support activities aimed at particular groups of children, or you may find ways to incorporate study support into your mainstream strategy. How does study support help the gifted and talented strategy? Key elements of the G and T Institutional Quality Standards How study support fits with these elements or complements them Developing effective teaching and learning strategies Study support is offered in out-of-school-hours settings, typically with a high adult-to-pupil ratio. This allows staff the time and flexibility to experiment with fun, innovative models of learning, and to find the appropriate breadth, depth and pace to meet individual needs. Because it takes place in an informal context, study support can help strengthen pupil–teacher relationships. This helps enable staff to work with young people, to create opportunities to identify and develop their gifts and talents, and to discover the most effective ways of engaging with them. Bringing in expertise from other places, for example, higher education, can also provide opportunities for teachers to develop their subject knowledge and to expose them to new ways of approaching similar tasks. Enabling curriculum entitlement and choice Study support complements and extends opportunities for enrichment and increases diversity in subject/topic choice, which are key elements of personalisation. This complements the drive for flexibility in the curriculum. Study support offers pupils the opportunity to develop expertise in new areas, and supports work to maximise individual potential through personalised learning pathways. As student voice becomes increasingly important in shaping core education, study support is also an ideal opportunity for involving young people in decision making, by offering students their say in what activities they want and how they would like them run. Tracking the engagement of students in study support, and enabling their classroom teachers to coach and support their choices and participation, is important if these wider opportunities are to benefit their day-to-day learning. Building the school or college as an organisation All schools have distinctive strengths. If study support is planned strategically, with clear objectives and outcomes and regular monitoring and evaluation, it can boost the quality of teaching and learning. Importantly, it should help the school build and exemplify its distinctive strengths or, for example, its particular specialism. Study support can help meet a range of strategic objectives across a school’s remit. It can boost student behaviour, motivation and engagement with the school. It can also encourage experimental and innovative practice, offering opportunities for teaching and support staff to develop their skills in a particularly rewarding area of work. Ensuring a strong partnership beyond the school Schools should be encouraged to think creatively about the range of partners and resources that may be available (including online) and not to limit their scope to existing partnerships. By working in wider partnerships, schools can offer students the chance to develop their ideas and skills with professionals in fields that interest them, with higher education students and with other specialists, offering benefits to all involved. Study support can also be planned to involve parents and carers as co-educators. This encourages home–school partnerships, which are recognised as being of particular benefit to gifted and talented pupils. A key aspect of this objective is ‘learning beyond the classroom’, in which study support plays a pivotal role. Targeted activities can bring gifted and talented students together with peers of equal ability from other schools and age groups. This is highly motivating – especially for those in transition – and enables schools to network and share resources so that they can extend and enrich their provision for these young people. Providing education tailored to the individual, including more stretching lessons for gifted and talented pupils* Study support is a key tool for helping to ensure that every pupil reaches their potential and improves their ability, irrespective of socio-economic circumstances. It offers the ideal situation in which to develop effective tailored learning, with opportunities to develop flexible provision targeted at meeting the needs of the learner. Study support offers a unique opportunity to try challenging activities and innovative ideas that can be specifically aimed at groups or individuals. This enables them to develop better relationships with staff and to showcase their ideas and plans without any inhibiting factors from other people. It also gives them a chance to shine without feeling self-conscious or ‘different’ from their classmates. It gives them the opportunity to take risks, make mistakes, and push their expectations. * DfES (2005) Higher standards, better schools for all: more choice for parents and pupils, White Paper, London, DfES. Case studies Sharing expertise All Saints Catholic High School Young people in Sheffield have had access to a broad range of sports provision for many years, but there was a tendency to specialise in one particular sport relatively early on. The local authority became aware of research showing that early specialisation in specific sports can limit pupils’ ability to transfer skills between different sports. It also became aware that non-specialist PE teachers at Key Stage 2 lacked the confidence and skills to meet the needs of talented pupils within specific sports. To tackle this, the local authority worked with Sheffield Leisure Services to identify 25 gifted and talented children in Years 5 and 6 from twenty schools and, through the Excellence in Cities Programme, set up an Easter Sports Academy. The programme involved parents, sports development officers and university PE students as coaches, which provided broad community links. Over time, the principles behind this first Academy have successfully developed into a thriving gifted and talented programme. All Saints Catholic High School, a specialist sports school, now runs the programme and acts as a hub of expertise, providing resources and training to local primary and secondary schools. The school still holds an Academy for pupils from across the area at least once a year. Today, the model has been adopted by other schools and is now used across the country. ‘We offer holistic, multi-skilled delivery, catering for a number of competencies,’ explains Director of Sports, Steve McKeown. ‘We try to look at a connected curriculum, where we teach principles of movement and ball awareness that cross a range of sports activities; we teach through that rather than specific sports. The programme also helps pupils develop learning, health and well-being, and lifestyle skills. Self-assessment is a particularly important part of the scheme.’ All Saints is tackling these gifted and talented strategic objectives: • develop effective teaching and learning strategies • strengthen the school or college as an organisation • ensure a strong partnership beyond the school • provide education tailored to the individual. The effect Following involvement in the Academy, pupils tend to show marked improvements in speed and agility, which are recorded on video. Excellent attendance rates, positive self-assessment, and input from parents and students at evaluation meetings demonstrate the high motivation level among Academy pupils, which has a positive impact on their individual sports. Easing students into Key Stage 3 Whitton School Enrichment opportunities can make a huge difference to gifted and talented students by helping them to make smoother transitions to secondary school. In the London Borough of Richmond, co-ordinators felt that these activities were not being offered early enough to make the impact that they could. Working with the Specialist Schools Trust, Advanced Skills Teacher Carole Portman Smith designed a programme aiming to address this through a project based at Whitton School. The programme, which was later rolled out to two partner schools, comprised eight weekly after-school sessions, targeting students already identified as gifted and talented. Through the sessions, students develop a range of thinking, analysis, synthesis and evaluation skills. In one activity, students discussed what they felt was holding them back and came up with ideas about perseverance and positive thinking. They then designed posters to be put up around the school encouraging a positive approach to study for other students. Because the programme focuses on skills rather than content, they can use what they learn across the curriculum. ‘Some gifted and talented children can have social issues,’ explains Carole, ‘so we focus on being able to work as part of a team, and being tolerant of other people. We also encourage the students to go that one step further – not doing the minimum just because they find it easy. Teachers also have responsibility to push themselves in order to support these students. It’s all about making the most of opportunities.’ Whitton School is tackling these gifted and talented strategic objectives: • develop effective teaching and learning strategies • ensure a strong partnership beyond the school • offer education tailored to the individual, including more stretching lessons for gifted and talented pupils. The effect Students on the programme have become more confident, more willing to attempt answers and are less self-conscious. As part of the evaluation, students log the situations in which they have used their new skills and results show that they are using their new skills across the curriculum. They are pleased to be included, and feel valued. The programme has also helped make contact with their parents early on, which has reassured them that their children are receiving opportunities that meet their needs. Study support and government policy on children and young people Study support plays a key role in a range of national policies and initiatives, including: • extended schools – study support contributes extensively to the delivery of the ‘core offer’ of extended services in and around schools to which every community should have access by 2010. The ‘varied menu of study support activities’ can also contribute to the delivery of the other four areas: childcare; community access, including adult learning; parenting support, including family learning; swift and easy referral; and shared use of facilities (www.teachernet.gov.uk/extended schools) • Every Child Matters (www.everychildmatters.gov.uk) • Personalised Learning (www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/personalisedlearning) • Department for Culture, Media and Sport strategies (www.culture.gov.uk) • DfES Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners (www.dfes.gov.uk/publications) • Healthy Schools (www.healthyschools.gov.uk) • Learning Outside the Classroom (www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/resourcematerials/museums/ outsideclassroom) • Ofsted (www.ofsted.gov.uk) • PESSCL (www.youthsporttrust.org/page/pesscl/index.html) • Youth Matters (www.dfes.giv.uk/publications/youth) • 14–19 Strategy (www.teachernet.gov.uk/teachingandlearning/14to19) • Playing for Success (www.dfes.gov.uk/playingforsuccess). More information on how study support meets the challenges and targets presented by other initiatives can be found at www.continyou.org.uk/studysupportetc. Using languages for real-life situations Cowley Language College A summer school in St Helens involved gifted and talented foreign language students in an exciting scheme to produce leaflets and web information for overseas visitors to the city’s World of Glass museum. The scheme was set up to improve Year 8 pupils’ written skills in modern foreign languages (MFL) as well as their ICT skills, to raise awareness of how foreign languages can be used in the workplace, and to offer them an insight into higher education. The scheme also aimed to work with other schools in the area, and to share good practice. During the summer holiday, 35 pupils from linked secondary and five primary schools, selected by their class teachers as having a ‘keen interest or aptitude for languages’, came together for the project. They researched leaflet design and how language is used in tourist information, and visited the Liverpool Tourist Office. At the World of Glass, they worked to a brief to produce leaflets and web material in French and German. ‘Using a successful local museum with which the pupils were familiar gave the project an authentic context and purpose,’ explains Wendy Hale, project co-ordinator and head of MFL at Cowley Language College. ‘The pupils were delighted to see their work being used by the museum.’ In the second year, the scheme was rolled out as a cross-phase venture, using lottery funding. Activities were expanded to include visits to the Beatles Museum and the Northern Tate. Cowley Language College is tackling these gifted and talented strategic objectives: • develop effective teaching and learning strategies • ensure a strong partnership beyond the school • enable curriculum entitlement and choice • provide education tailored to the individual. The effect Students developed a strong awareness of the importance of providing tourist information in foreign languages, which boosted their motivation for language study. All the students who attended the summer school attained Level 6 in ICT and all achieved Level 6/7 in Year 9 assessments – well above average. The pupils’ confidence and motivation was also boosted as a result of developing less formal relationships with staff, and from the experience of working within a group of other gifted and talented children. Where to now... What you can do next • Contact your study support (out-of-school-hours learning) or extended services co-ordinator. • Include study support activities in your gifted and talented plans both in terms of opportunities for students but also for development staff. • Find out what study support activities the schools in your area already provide and how these can complement and enhance your gifted and talented strategy plans. • Consider how working with a wide range of national, regional and community partners could add value to your gifted and talented strategy. • Support schools in embedding study support by including it your INSET provision and ensure that there is a focus on gifted and talented pupils. Encourage staff to visit other wider schooling opportunities in action. • Host a workshop for headteachers to discuss how to develop study support and best practice that supports the learning needs of gifted and talented pupils. Useful resources Websites DfES National Gifted and Talented Programme www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/giftedandtalented DfES Study Support Team www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/studysupport G & T Wise www.teachernet.gov.uk/gtwise The National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth www.nagty.ac.uk The National Association for Gifted Children www.nagcbritain.org.uk Oxford Brookes University www.brookes.ac.uk/schools/education/rescon/cpdgifted/cpdresources.html Qualifications and Curriculum Authority www.nc.uk.net/gt/index.html Quality in Study Support (QiSS) www.canterbury.ac.uk/education/departments/professional-development/ centres/quality-in-study-support/ teachernet www.teachernet.gov.uk Training and Development Agency for Schools www.tda.gov.uk University of the First Age (UFA) www.ufa.org.uk Publications 14–19 curriculum and qualifications reform, DfES, 2004 A third space for learning: the future of study support/out-of-school-hours learning, A Demos report, 2005 Building the future of learning, Big Lottery Fund, 2004 The study support code of practice (England), DfES, 2004 For information about useful resources for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, see www.continyou.org.uk/strategyguides. Acknowledgements Extra Time Strategy Guides are published by ContinYou, 17 Old Ford Road, London E2 9PJ. Tel: 020 8709 9900 Fax: 020 8709 9933 Email: info.london@continyou.org.uk Website: www.continyou.org.uk Copyright © ContinYou 2007 Edition 2. First published 2006. Revised 2007. ContinYou uses learning to tackle inequality and build social inclusion. ContinYou is one of the UK’s leading community learning organisations. Registered charity 1097596 ContinYou supports the strategic development of study support activities in schools, local authorities and their communities. There is a wide range of information and advice available at www.continyou.org.uk/extratime – or phone 020 8709 9900.