11/7/2016

PotentialPlusUKSchools

WhatisgiftedandtalentedandwhydoesPotentialPlusUK
prefertousethetermHighLearningPotential?

Thereisnouniversalagreementonexactlywhatitmeanstobe'gifted'or'giftedandtalented'.
Inreality,thisterminologymeansdifferentthingstodifferentpeople:academics,psychologists,
teachers,parentsandchildrenthemselvesallhavetheirownperceptionofwhatitmeanstobe
'giftedandtalented'.
Historically, the word 'gifted' is associated high intelligence (IQ) and as such would seem to
require a formal measurement of this intelligence. However, Potential Plus UK does not, and
neverhas,requiredachildtohaveundergoneanIQassessmenttoaccessourservices.Thisis
because we have always maintained that we are not a high IQ society and that a child's
intelligence, talent, and abilities need distinct and proactive support in order to fully develop
andreachtheirpotential.
Within the school setting, 'gifted' tends to refer to higher abilities in academic subjects whilst
'talented'hasbeenintroducedtocoverhigherabilitiesinsport,theartsandleadership.
In England, the original definition of 'gifted and talented' provided by the Department for
Educationwas:
"Children and young people with one or more abilities developed significantly ahead of their
yeargrouporwiththepotentialtodeveloptheseabilities."
ThisisgenerallythedefinitionthatisstillinuseinschoolsinEngland.
ThetermusedinWalesis'moreableandtalented'.Whilstdifficultiesindefinitionareaccepted,
the Welsh Assembly Government does provide a detailed description of the pupils they would
expecttofallwithinthistermincluding:
Pupilswhorequireopportunitiesforenrichmentandextension
Pupilswhoaremoreableacrossthecurriculum
Pupilswithstrengthsinleadership,teamworkingandentrepreneurialskills
InNorthernIrelandtheterm'giftedandtalented'isusedtodescribe:
Pupilswhoareachieving
Pupilswhohavethepotentialtoachieveatalevelsubstantiallybeyondtherestoftheir
peergroupinsidetheirparticularschool
Theterm'exceptionallyable'inNorthernIrelandrefersto:
Students who demonstrate extremely high levels of ability compared to their peers
acrosstheentirepopulation
Students who have the potential to demonstrate, extremely high levels of ability,
comparedtotheirpeersacrosstheentirepopulation
In Scotland, guidance from the Scottish Network for Able Pupils states that the term 'highly
able'refersto:
Pupilswhoareworkingaheadoftheiragepeers
http://www.potentialplusuk.org/new_schools_main.php?contentid=435&webid=425#.WCETbdIrLIU

1/2

11/7/2016

PotentialPlusUKSchools

Pupilswhohavethepotentialtoworkaheadoftheiragepeers
SNAPalsousetheterm'highlyable'toincludepupilswhoare:
Highlyableacrossthecurriculum
Thosewhoarehighlyableinoneormoreparticulararea
WhyPotentialPlusUKusesthetermhighlearningpotential
Overtheyears,wehaveobservedthatintheUK,thereisadefinitesocialstigmaattachedto
the word 'gifted' and that parents, teachers and children themselves feel that the word is
limiting,exclusiveandattimesunnecessarytobestowuponachildwhohasasyettofulfiltheir
truepotential.
Whatdoesthetermhighlearningpotentialmean?
PotentialPlusUKhastakenthedecisiontousetheterm
high learning potential (HLP) to describe the children
who we support instead of the word 'gifted' or 'gifted
andtalented'or'moreable'or'veryable'whichareall
terms you may or may not have come across in
schools and the media in the past. These are all terms
which have been introduced by previous governments,
academicsandschools.
We hope that the term HLP encapsulates the ethos of
PotentialPlusUK.
Webelieve:
An HLP child will show signs of high learning
potential from a very early age and it is for
parents and schools to nurture this and help
them to succeed both personally and
educationally, and it is for Potential Plus UK to
supportyouindoingso
The HLP pupil needs opportunities, challenge,
resourcesandencouragementtotrulyfulfiltheir
uniquepotential.
HLP children thrive on learning and new experiences which Potential Plus UK is
committedtohelpingyoutoprovide
Highlearningpotentialistheverybeginningandnottheendproduct
HLPchildren,likeallchildren,arecapableofchange:nurturethemandtheywillflourish,
succeedandachieve.Ignoretheirpotentialandtheywillwither,underachieveandlose
their'spark'
HLP children have distinct social and emotional needs which must be recognised and
supported alongside providing the right challenge for their intellectual abilities and
potential
PotentialPlusUKremainstheonlyorganisationtosupporttheneedsofDualorMultiple
Exceptionalpupils(HLPchildrenwithoneormorespecialeducationalneeds)
Potential Plus UK believes in the process of developing talent and providing for abilities
inadditiontorecognisingandnurturingthetraitswhichmakeHLPchildrenunique

http://www.potentialplusuk.org/new_schools_main.php?contentid=435&webid=425#.WCETbdIrLIU

2/2