18th March 2015 1:00
By Blue Tutors
A recent report from education watchdog Ofsted has concluded that state schools are not doing enough to help gifted students. Ofsted said that gifted students are not keeping up with their counterparts in independent and grammar schools, and are being denied the opportunity to reach their full potential. The report examined the progression of gifted students from primary to secondary level, and concluded that those who went to state schools ran the risk of “not realising their early promise”. The report also stated that even though they did find some groups of excellently performing students in state schools, these students were not being adequately challenged.
Education charities have responded by saying that the findings show that there is an urgent need to support gifted students in state secondaries. The Sutton Trust warned that England compares poorly with other countries in the provisions made for gifted students, and said that bright students were being failed by the state sector. The department for education responded to the report by saying that the changes they were making to the school rewards system would encourage schools to nurture their top talent, rather than simply focussing on maintaining their average. They said schools would be recognised for pushing bright students.
The response to the report from head teachers has been critical, with heads saying that the report did not give an accurate picture of the role of schools in working with gifted students. The National Association of Head Teachers said that the number of significant changes that had been made to the exam system and curriculum were holding all students back, and preventing teachers from being able to give special attention to struggling students or gifted children. They concluded that the changes made by the government had been so volatile as to be a key element holding students back. Shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt said that Labour would introduce a gifted and talented fund to ensure that state schools were able to encourage gifted students to reach their potential.