Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)

The Gifted and Talented programme at our school is targeted provision, appropriate to the diverse needs of the students at any given time. This is flexible, and changes according to such needs. We identify our GATE learners and their needs, following clear principles. We have a commitment to equity in both the identification of and provision for our GATE students. We honour Te Tiriti o Waitangi by prioritising te ao Māori principles of giftedness in our identification criteria.

Identification

When teachers notice students with exceptional talents and abilities, this is always communicated to parents, and vice versa. We believe parents to be the best judge of their child’s gifts and talents.  Occasionally, referral to specialist services for a formal diagnosis of giftedness may be recommended. Qualitative and quantitative data is collected over time and recorded on Hero (our student management system). Together, the classroom teacher and parent establish ways to best meet the student’s needs in the classroom, as part of the regular programme. This is supported by the gifted coordinator.

Students who have been identified as gifted through such a process of a formal diagnosis usually have an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Annual goals are set with parents, teachers, GATE coordinator, and often the child themselves. Our SENco may also contribute to the IEP. The GATE coordinator supports both the classroom teacher and the student in meeting these goals.

Meeting Gifted Learners’ Needs

At our school, we prioritise catering for the needs of our gifted students within their classroom through targeted, differentiated teaching. We also offer MindPlus YourSchool to our Gifted learners. MindPlus YourSchool is a one day a week withdrawal programme based onsite. It runs for a half day and follows the MindPlus curriculum established by NZCGE. It is currently available for students in Years 3-6 who have been identified as gifted. There is a termly activity fee applied.

Enrichment

We offer enrichment activities at our school. These are for everyone to participate in. Through providing such opportunities, we believe anyone’s and everyone’s talents can be noticed. Enrichment activities may include: Lewis Eady music lessons, art/craft classes, chess club, various sports teams, cheerleading, kapa haka, choir, marimba, and science club. Some are run by class teachers, some by volunteer parents, and some are an additional cost, payable to an outside provider. Sometimes, there are competitions to enter. Our specialist teachers also enrich our curriculum.

Acceleration

Occasionally, students may be disadvantaged if they are kept in the year group they are born into. We work with whānau to decide if skipping a year (or more) is advantageous.

External Provision

Gifted students may also choose to attend the one-day school options of Mindplus (offsite, full day) and Forest School or opt into independent study through Te Kura. At Point Chevalier School | Rangi-mata rau we support our students’ involvement in any of these.