19/10/2004 - Conference on gifted children

Educating gifted and talented children will be the topic for discussion at a special Cumbria County Council conference at the Rheged Discovery Centre near Penrith on Thursday, 21 October.

Gifted and talented children are those who show outstanding achievement or potential ability in a wide range of educational contexts. They may have specific academic aptitude or may be particularly creative, good at sport or show outstanding leadership qualities.

Keynote speakers at Cumbria County Council's first Gifted and Talented Education conference will be:

Professor Deborah Eyre from the National Academy of Gifted and Talented Youth will speak on the role of the academy, professional and student support and future developments in gifted and talented provision.

Barry Teare, a consultant on gifted and talented education, will speak about practical differentiation activities and techniques when making classroom provision.

Douglas Thorburn, an OFSTED inspector, will offer OFSTED’s view on the type and level of provision and evaluation techniques expected of schools.

The event will be hosted by Martyn Worrall, School Improvement Officer for Inclusive Education, and Joanne Steele, Development Officer for Gifted and Talented Provision. 

Mr Worrall said: "Addressing the curricular and welfare needs of our most able pupils is high on the local and national political agendas. All schools should be making provision for their brightest children and the Local Education Authority wants to work with schools to ensure good practice is shared and that all provision is of a consistently high standard. This conference is just one of the ways we aim to do that."

County councillor Joan Stocker, cabinet spokeswoman for education, said: "It’s absolutely essential that we cater properly for the very brightest children in our schools, that's what this conference is all about. The LEA has recently issued Gifted and Talented County Policy and Guidance and this is a chance for head teachers and teachers to listen to and ask questions of some renowned figures in the field."

The conference begins at 9.30am with an introduction to delegates and programme for the day.