Has anyone heard of "Gifted & Talented " government run club within schools? if so what do you think about it?

Question

Has anyone heard of "Gifted & Talented " government run club within schools? if so what do you think about it?

Answer 1

I do not know of any government club such as that, when you exclude the school from the category of government./

Answer 2

All state schools in England and Wales are now required to make provision for Gifted and Talented pupils. In most schools this is in the form of specific lessons although some may implement it as an after school club.

Personally I think its a good thing, for many years in education there has been an emphasis on providing extra educational opportunities and support for pupils with learning/behavioural problems. While such pupils obviously deserve such assistance; it has often been at the expense of the more able pupils. It is also an effective way of channelling the talents of pupils who may excel at a particular subject, but are not necessarily universally skilled academics.

Answer 3

Well, when I went to school there was a class known as GT (short for gifted and talented).  It was not a government, just a class within school.  I loved it because it gives students the opportunity to be with other children like them.  I am not sure if we are speaking of the same thing though.  

Answer 4

Yeah. They had it at my elementary school when I was younger. We called it GATE (Gifted and Talented Education). I was in it.

Overall, I think it is a bad idea. I don't think that you should isolate children's natural abilities at such a young age. It really creates a rift between the students. While it is not supposed to be symbolic of aptitude, am eight-year-old still understands that the kids in GATE were the smart kids, and if you weren't in it, you weren't one of them.

I think that if you want to nurture a child's natural abilities, there are better ways to do it than by social isolation. Enroll him in other courses, have them take music lessons, or join a club, but the physical and mental separation from their peers is unnecessary.