By Jaimie Kaffash
11 December 2009
Education inspectorate Ofsted has said that focusing on the most gifted students would raise overall school standards.
In its report, Gifted and talented pupils in schools, released today, the watchdog said it was ‘not elitist’ to provide separate programmes for students who achieved high marks. However, thinking about pupils’ needs helped to ‘add rigour to lesson planning and teaching for all pupils throughout the school’.
High achieving pupils had told the inspectorate that they had not been taken into account in curriculum planning and they often had to ask for more challenging work. The report said that providing for these pupils was not a major priority in most schools.
Patrick Leeson, Ofsted’s director of education and care, said: 'Gifted and talented pupils need to be stretched so they can develop and progress appropriately. Schools should focus on matching teaching to the individual learning needs of all pupils, including gifted and talented pupils. In that way the whole school will benefit.'
This followed a review by the Department for Children, Schools and Families in June this year, launched by John Stannard, the government’s national champion for gifted and talented learners.
11 December 2009
Education inspectorate Ofsted has said that focusing on the most gifted students would raise overall school standards.
In its report, Gifted and talented pupils in schools, released today, the watchdog said it was ‘not elitist’ to provide separate programmes for students who achieved high marks. However, thinking about pupils’ needs helped to ‘add rigour to lesson planning and teaching for all pupils throughout the school’.
High achieving pupils had told the inspectorate that they had not been taken into account in curriculum planning and they often had to ask for more challenging work. The report said that providing for these pupils was not a major priority in most schools.
Patrick Leeson, Ofsted’s director of education and care, said: 'Gifted and talented pupils need to be stretched so they can develop and progress appropriately. Schools should focus on matching teaching to the individual learning needs of all pupils, including gifted and talented pupils. In that way the whole school will benefit.'
This followed a review by the Department for Children, Schools and Families in June this year, launched by John Stannard, the government’s national champion for gifted and talented learners.
