Bournville leads the way in G&T. We are very excited to let you know that Bournville has
been selected in the first ever group of schools to work with others as a Leading Edge Specialist
School in Gifted and Talented provision (HPSS G&T). This means we will work with other schools to
help support their development in Gifted and Talented provision, and share ideas and good practice
with other leading schools in the country to further enhance our own provision. This is clearly
another very positive sign that we are doing some great work here at Bournville with our most able
students.
Bournville Gifted Students Programme
The National push to ensure all aspects of support for our most able students comes hot on the heels of
Bournville’s exciting new programme to sharpen the focus on our many Gifted and Talented students.
The 3 main aims of our programme are Student Wellbeing and Aspiration, Extending Learning Opportunities
and Teaching and Learning in the classroom.
Now in our second year we are committed to improving the aspects of the programme launched last year and
consulting with students, parents and staff about other additions to improve the quality for our students.
The focus for this year:
- work with staff to develop the challenge in classrooms for all students
- Encouraging students to take responsibility for their own learning through target setting/action planning and self review
Identification
Students are selected in year 7 following a Cognitive Assessment Test (CAT) which all students undertake.
The measure used is called a “Non-Verbal” score which measures general intelligence and is not influenced
by English/Maths SATs coaching. The top 16 students per year group are automatically selected.
An additional 4 places are reserved for students who are widely recommended by teachers but may not have
taken the test or did not rank in the top 16. These are selected at the discretion of the Gifted Programme
staff group.
Once selected a student will usually participate in the programme throughout their Bournville career.
For more information on CATs tests follow this link:
www.satsguide.co.uk
Peer Mentoring/Coaching
This is our “core” activity to encourage students - with training and support - to engage with
their own learning, taking responsibility for target setting, action planning and self review.
Even more exciting is the role students play in supporting each other through this process - with
older students coaching and mentoring younger students as needed to complete those tasks.
Twice yearly students receive training to develop the skills needed to help them complete their
coaching conversations and to write up their targets and plans in their Independent Learning Plan.
Learning Plans are available for all staff to read. Staff are encouraged to be aware of targets to
support the students in meeting their goals. This whole process is overseen by the G&T staff team.
The Team Challenge
The Team Challenge is the highlight of the year. The students work in their mixed age teams to
produce a presentation based on a theme given to them (last year it was simply “Bournville’s Got Talent!”).
They have a time limit to make an impression on the judges and are competing for the prestigious G&T Shield
as well as a substantial cash prize! Students are given time within the curriculum to plan/create, a huge
selection of resources and a teacher mentor for additional support. The presentations are given to more
than 200 parents and peers in the school’s Performance Centre.
Teaching & Learning
Standards of Teaching and Learning at Bournville are consistently high with the use of a wide range of
learning tasks, which provide choice and challenge to all learners.
The focus of the Gifted Students Programme this year, is to consult our more able students on their
preferred learning experiences and share this with subject leaders, through the school’s continued
professional development sessions.
In addition, members of the G&T staff team will lead sessions with subject leaders on other
techniques for increasing challenge in lessons.
Extended Learning Opportunities
Many of the students on the programme will have opportunities to participate in the enrichment
activities offered by the Oaks Collegiate of Schools, of which Bournville is a leading member.
This provides free one-off sessions in all subjects, encouraging students from all schools to
interact with each other.
We also offer opportunities for some students to participate in short and long term programmes
with the University of Birmingham to experience Higher Education and further enthuse our young people.
