Gifted and Talented

North Birmingham Academy prides itself in identifying our students’ talents and their ability to excel in different areas.

What does Gifted and Talented mean?

Gifted and Talented describes children and young people with an ability to develop to a level significantly ahead of their year group (or with the potential to develop those abilities):

• "Gifted" learners are those who have abilities in one or more academic subjects, like Maths and English.
• "Talented" learners are those who have practical skills in areas like sport, music, design or creative and performing arts.

Skills like leadership, decision-making and organisation are also taken into account when identifying and providing for Gifted and Talented children.

How are Gifted and Talented students nominated?

At North Birmingham Academy we use a number of different methods to recommend students being placed on the Gifted and Talented register, including: 

• Staff nominations
• Data information, such as National Curriculum levels and GCSE grades.
• Student/Parent nominations - extended activities in and out of school, such as clubs and teams.

What does it mean if your child is on NBA's Gifted and Talented register? 

North Birmingham Academy is also part of the North Birmingham Gifted and Talented Network which gives us access to expert knowledge and events run especially for students on the register.

Staff at the Academy understands the importance of personalised learning and plan activities to ensure that gifted and talented students in their lessons are encouraged to push their knowledge and understanding of the subject.

How can you support your children at home?

• Discuss your child’s progress with them.
• Celebrate their achievement and encourage them to push their boundaries
• Visit museums and galleries and talk together about the exhibitions you have seen.
• If your child has a particular interest in numbers and logical reasoning, encourage them to make and play games, solve puzzles, complete brainteasers etc. It’s even better if you can play these games together.
• Read and discuss newspaper articles; watch and talk about news stories or talk together about current events/issues.
• Gifted and Talented students often expect perfection of themselves and therefore struggle to cope when they get something wrong or stick to what they know so that they don’t make the mistake in the first place. Encourage your child to maintain a positive outlook when something goes wrong and try to learn from their mistake. Also, encourage them to take risks, be creative and try something new!

We at North Birmingham Academy will work with students, parents and outside agencies to ensure that all our students achieve and get the best life chances possible for the future.