Summary - This case study shows how one cluster of Sefton secondary schools has by working in partnership provided study support for groups of Gifted and Talented pupils across a wide age range.

Factual Details

Seven 11-18 secondary schools located in the Crosby-Maghull area of Sefton have since 2001 operated as a Cluster to provide additional opportunities – including study support activities – for identified Gifted and Talented pupils.

Each school has identified 10% of its population to establish a formal Gifted and Talented cohort in accordance with DfES/ Excellence in Cities guidelines. Additionally, schools have identified post-16 Gifted and Talented students as part of the Aimhigher initiative.  Numbers of pupils participating in study support activities relating to Gifted and Talented therefore vary according to the Year Group(s) involved.

Activity

Before the schools worked in partnership, study support fro Gifted and Talented pupils was provided by individual schools, but the extent of provision was variable across the schools.  One school had appointed a Co-ordinator for Gifted and Talented provision prior to Excellence in Cities, but this was exceptional.    There was no systematic and thorough co-ordination of provision for Gifted and Talented across the cluster or even between pairs of schools.  There was no additional earmarked funding or co-ordinated pooling of resources, human or otherwise.

When secondary schools in the north of Sefton came into Excellence in Cities (Phase 2, 2001), the seven secondary schools in the Crosby-Maghull area formed a Gifted and Talented Cluster.  Their intention was to improve the quality and extent of provision mainly for an identified cohort of Gifted and Talented pupils.  Effective co-ordination, mutual support for professional and curriculum development, and pooling of resources particularly for study support, would enhance the provision within individual schools and would enable Gifted and Talented pupils from all the schools to meet and to work collaboratively in appropriately challenging activities.

Resources Used

Study support for Gifted and Talented pupils in the 11-16 age range  provided through partnership working include in a typical year:

• Visit to the Catalyst Museum (Widnes) for Y7, with preparation and follow-up
• Residential including team-building and outdoor pursuits for Y8
• National Space Centre visit and workshops for Y8
• Performance poetry workshops for Y9
• Twilight classes in Russian language for Y10
• AS Taster sessions for Y11
• Recording studio and video production sessions for different Year groups

This is not an exhaustive list, but it indicates the range of activity.

The year’s programme involves a range of providers and personnel.  At school level, though Co-ordinators play a significant part, typically subject staff whose specialisms relate to the particular study support activity will accompany the children and become involved in the actual delivery.

Most study support activities provided through partnership working take place on Saturdays or in twilight time.  Where they take place outside directed time, staff involved are paid at a rate agreed by the partnership.  For some activities which take place during a normal school day, Supply costs are usually met from devolved Gifted and Talented funding.   If a teacher actually delivers the activity (e.g. the after-school Russian classes), an additional preparation fee is paid –as the teacher in this case is actually employed as a Science teacher and the preparation and delivery of the lessons was not part of her usual work.

Co-ordination

Essential to the success of the study support programme have been the parts played by the G & T Cluster Co-ordinator and the School G & T Co-ordinators.    They have scheduled meetings in school time once every half term, and these are also attended by the Sefton G & T Strand Co-ordinator.  Meetings, though informal, are conducted in a businesslike way.  There are clear agendas and minutes are kept.

Each School Co-ordinator has undertaken the organisation of at least one study support activity on behalf of the whole Cluster, and this “division of labour” has been agreed in advance at the start of the year.  This way of working has been very effective and has ensured that no one Co-ordinator has been over-burdened with administrative tasks.

Using EiC funding, School G & T Co-ordinators have a Management point enhancement and approximately half a day per week additional non-contact time.  The Cluster Co-ordinator, who is also the G & T Co-ordinator in her school, has two Management points enhancement and an additional half-day non-contact time.

Protocols were agreed by the Headteachers of the Sefton secondary schools. The Gifted and Talented Strand of Excellence in Cities has had its “non-negotiables” and its guidelines, and there has been a tremendous amount of sharing of good practice within clusters and partnerships and between cluster and partnerships.  The strengths of partnership working in Sefton were recognised in the  recent LEA OFSTED inspection and EiC review.

Funding

The bulk of the EiC  funding for Gifted and Talented provision in Sefton has been devolved to the individual schools.  Moreover, though a relatively small amount for activities has been held centrally for G & T activities across the borough, no specific amount has been allocated at Cluster level.  For these reasons, study support activities provided by the Crosby-Maghull G & T Cluster have involved the pooling of resources for each activity.  In practice this arrangement has worked very well.  Typically, the contribution made from each school’s devolved G & T funds depends on the proportion of pupils from that school who participate in a particular activity.  Since the programme is planned for the year ahead, School Co-ordinators are able to budget for all Cluster-based activities.

As the schools share the planning and organisation of the activities, typically one school will pay all the bills for a particular activity in the first instance.  When an activity has taken place it has been relatively easy for the G & T Strand Co-ordinator to arrange journal transfers from the other schools’ devolved G & T budgets to the G & T account of the organising school.

Outcome

Through working in partnership, the seven secondary schools in the Crosby-Maghull Cluster have been able to provide additional study support for Gifted and Talented pupils across the age range.  More able pupils have been able to meet and work with pupils of similar ability in other schools.  Study support activities which are planned, well organised, related to the curriculum and are appropriately challenging have provided enrichment and extension.  Pupil, teacher and parent evaluations have been very positive overall, and in the odd case when a particular activity has not been successful, the programme for the following year has been amended.  Good value for money has come from careful planning and the pooling of resources, and from acting on the findings of evaluations.  Importantly, the workload for individual school Co-ordinators and other staff has been recognised and managed.

John Shemilt
Co-ordinator, Gifted & Talented Strand
Excellence in Cities
Sefton