Overview

At Charles Darwin School we have students who have a wide range of abilities and talents. Our most able students take part in enrichment activities to develop thinking, aspiration, and fostering an enquiring mind so to gain experiences to shape  bright futures. Parents may have been familiar with the term 'gifted and talented' in the past. We refer to students as Potential High Achievers (PHA) as we believe that to be gifted or talented is not acquired, it is earned through hard work, excellent effort and risk taking through learning. All students have the potential to be high achievers with the right attitude and hard work.

Using a range of data and information, students are identified, monitored and tracked,  in terms of academic performance across all subjects, as well as the participation in extra curricular activies, both within school and outside. Whilst the choice of subjects at options for GCSE  is ultimately the family responsibility, we would guide our highest achieving students to a broad academic pathway that provides the firm foundation at GCSE to aspire to our excellent sixth form and beyond to University. Of course, our work at school needs the support from home, as  stretch and challenge outside of school comes from the range of experiences that families share together, both intellectually and culturally. In lessons, expertise from our teaching staff helps to drive the standards of our more able students; widening perceptions and challenging students to develop their skill set to aim for the highest academic grades, whilst developing a passion for the subject.

We recognise that some students upon entry have come with disadvantages and therefore potentially slightly lower grades upon entry. These students are welcomed and supported through the same programme of activities as outline below.

Enrichment for PHA students can take many forms. Year 11 GCSE students each have an academic mentor who they meet on a regualr basis for 'tutorial-style' coaching sessions. Year 7 PHA students take part in a weekly extra-curricular enrichment programme that has visiting alumni and subject specialists in curriculum areas around the school to broaden subject knowledge beyond the learning at key stage 3.  Enrichment allows students to experience and workshop teachers' specialisms and interests. Year 8 PHA students are invited to begin studying a GCSE; The Higher Project Qualification, an extra-curricular project.  Year 10  have an parents interview and academic review day and some students begin with academic mentors in preparation for year 11. Year 9 have a  STEM science drop-day to develop their talents in problem solving and engineering solutions and last year all PHA students take part in a communication skills workshop.. Many of our most able take part in regional Maths Challenges, competitions, master classes and aspirational/intellectual visits to places such as the houses of parliament. Year 7 and 8 students are currently interviewing celebrities and the local community for the BBC school report to develop their journalism and media skills. Our year 11 students appeared on BBC Radio 4's 'Any Questions' recently. We offer immersion experiences at universities such as Oxford in addition to visits to our London universities.

All disadvantaged students who are potential high achievers will make at least two visits to university, firstly in year 8 at around options time, then again, to Oxford University in the spring term of year 10.

Able, Gifted & talented policy