Could someone please explain this whole G&T malarky to me?

[SheDancesTheFlamingo]

Hi,
I've recently been told that my DD (7) has been placed on her school's G&T register for Art.
Feeling a bit guilty because I had no idea she had a comparable talent in this area - I don't really know what standard of artwork is expected of a 7yr old. But her class and art teacher rave about her work, and I trust their judgement.
So what exactly does this mean? And how do the school and I encourage this?
Ta!

[TwoScrambled]

thats great! What a lovely subject to do. I would spend the summer going places to inspire her, and taking a big pad of paper and some charchol with me. Big sketchets of Stonehenge or the beach or Battersea Power Station etc. Great fun! I would also make sure its never a pressure, always fun. I might also make sure she has other media like clay etc.

[DadAtLarge]

First, my congratulations to your DD.

To answer your question...

G&T is a scheme started by the government circa 1999. Purpose: to find, cater for and encourage the more able in academic subjects and sports. At first the top 5% of pupils were meant to be identified and put on the register. After a few years the government's own review found that G&T was a shambles and wasn't achieving anything. So in a brilliant move to demonstrate that they were serious about G&T, they raised the 5% to 10% and considered the problem solved.

Today, this is how it works: The government emphasises how important the more able children are, how these children are our future etc. Very serious noises are made about how they will be provided for, how many millions will be devoted to them and how they will shine.

The government instructs local authorities as to what is expected of the LAs including that up to 10% of pupils must go on. LAs have to do something. So they do. They draw up guidelines, advice, paperwork. They do studies, collect stats. And they pass the buck. They ask individual schools to maintain a G&T register, have a G&T policy, appoint a G&T coordinator, decide how they are going to identify which pupils go on the G&T etc.

Schools then further water it down. They draw up a policy saying that it's entirely left to teachers to choose. Or that a child has to be 3 years above his age. Or 10. Whatever they want. Policy done. Box ticked. They'll go on to say that they'll aim to do this and attempt to do that. If they use words like "ensure" it will be in the form "we'll ensure we try...". All the LA's requirements are now met.

Then the implementation. The school finds someone morally/ideologically oppossed to the G&T principle and makes them the G&T coord. The G&T coord privately discourages teachers from putting anyone on the G&T. Or puts them on for the annual school census and then takes them off (that's why some coords don't tell the parents the kids have been put on). Even those that are on end up getting zero extra resources/attention.

So many millions end up getting spent. The children who are meant to benefit get nothing at all.

Schools vary, of course, in how they approach G&T so I wish you all the best. You'll be well armed by getting a copy of your LA's guidelines on G&T and the school's policy in the matter.

[DadAtLarge]

Oh, I forgot. The government also spent hundred thousand pounds on a website for YG&T. Don't get excited. Despite all the hype it's little more than a collection of links. All the activities on the site are actually not on the site - they are from other independent sites. The YG&T site just frames it within their own colours to make it appear it's their content which, in all likelihood, is copyright violation.

Register your child at the site and they'll confirm it with the school before giving you a discounts on various educational material and courses. Do a little digging and you'll find cheaper prices ordering directly from the manufacturer's sites rather than using the YG&T.

[minxthemanx]

Well done to your daughter! Don't know where you are but the National Gallery do fab free workshops every Sunday (maybe Sat, not sure) - my DS has done a couple aged 6 & 7 and loved them. Look on their website. Tate and Portrait Gallery also have good stuff for kids.

[DadAtLarge]

"a discounts" = discounts
manufacturer's = manufacturers'
Sorry for the typos.

[feelingfrazzled]

Good for her As a teacher and a parent, I would say you should just feel very proud of her. Don't feel you need to DO anything to teach her/ push her- it's a natural talent, and if she enjoys it she will take her learning in her own direction.

[SVioletcanrunfor20minutes]

in defence of the original G&T scheme DadatLarge, when it was NAGTY it was pretty good (that was when it was aimed the top 5% in the country, rather than the top 10% in each school) - lots of children benefited from the summer schools and the discussion forums. Now though, it's a shambles, I agree.

[lljkk]

Who is spending what money, I thought that there was no allocated money to G&T programmes (not even websites).

I Agree it's a box-ticking exercise, though.