The School recognises the outstanding calibre of a great many of its students by providing opportunities to extend their learning through a variety of exercises both at school and at home. The school is keen for parents and students to create new learning opportunities through choosing courses, workshops and distance learning projects which are available to all able and gifted and talented students nationwide. The school has a detailed policy for the able and gifted and talented pupils which sets out its aims, methods of assessing students, suitable websites which parents, teachers and students can access, and there is a continually up-dated register of students. A member of the teaching staff, Mr. Bryanton, is the Co-ordinator for the Able, Gifted and Talented pupils. There is an international dimension to this work with opportunities for the most academically gifted students to meet other students from other countries at Warwick University for a two week residential summer school and during the winter term. Parents also have the opportunity to register with the National Association for Gifted Children with a view to extending further opportunities for their children. Mr. Bryanton would be happy to discuss the role of this charity-based organisation.

International Gateway for Gifted Youth

This is a new organisation which provides courses for the brightest and most creative youngsters around the world. Members become part of a global community that gives them increasing access to a wide range of opportunities unavailable elsewhere. With opportunities designed for the top 5% of young people in terms of ability and potential, IGGY offers members access to an increasingly diverse range of projects, challenges and learning opportunities that are stimulating, engaging and provide genuine opportunities for international engagement and collaboration. As IGGY develops it will provide opportunities for individual endeavour, international teamwork and collaboration, competition, expertise and input from leading professional, academic and creative experts.

The first courses took place in the form of a two-week residential summer school at Warwick University during July and August 2008. Saint Felix School was successful in securing a placement on one of the courses: using Mathematics to solve global issues.

Excellence Hub for the Eastern Region

This Hub is a regional provider for the government’s Young Gifted and Talented Learning Academy and provides non-residential courses based at various centres of excellence throughout the region, such as the University of East Anglia and Cambridge University. From 2008, pupils from Saint Felix School have secured placements on a one-week summer school on the theme of Science and Society at the campuses of UEA and Cambridge University. Parents  of pupils who are on the school’s Able, Gifted and Talented register, are able to form direct links with the Hub’s schools’ co-ordinator and Mr. Bryanton would be happy to supply you with the contact details.

Consortium of Schools’ Project for Year 7 and 8 Pupils

 

This is a partnership between Saint Felix School and five local LEA Middle Schools, formed by two parents who had children at Saint Felix School, and which formed one of several nation-wide projects that were encouraged by the former Labour government to develop further provision for the most able, gifted and talented pupils outside the classroom. The partnership has developed a project each term for three years on the theme of science and technology for Year 7 and 8 pupils.

The first project on the theme of Science and Maths in the Workplace, came to fruition with a Careers Fayre involving all the pupils from the six participating schools – Beccles Middle, Bungay Middle, Gisleham Middle, Halesworth Middle and Worlingham Middle Schools and Saint Felix School on Saturday 22nd November 2008. At the Fayre the pupils gave powerpoint presentations of their projects that involved interviews with employees of the participating companies, distributing leaflets and talking to members of the general public. Representatives of the companies were also present. The pupils of Saint Felix School had been allocated a visit to Adnams Brewery in Southwold in order to interview people in the brewing and human resources departments of the company. The group was given a tour of the brewery and admired the computer-controlled processes as well as the ultra-hygienic conditions of the brew house. They filmed key elements of the tour and used this as part of their presentation. Following the tour, a considerable amount of time outside normal curriculum time was devoted to producing slides for the powerpoint, flyers and posters, with the whole project being co-ordinated by two members of the team. Following the Careers Fayre, the team repeated their presentation to the entire school at an assembly, with each pupil having a particular role to ensure that the project conveyed the spirit of team effort.

During the Lent and Summer Terms the projects consisted of strategic thinking in Science and Maths and Science and Sport. The second project about Strategic Thinking was undertaken at the University of East Anglia. The third project was about the links between science and sport, and included students measuring the body’s biochemistry, collecting and disseminating data and investigating how science is used to develop sports equipment.

During the current academic year (2010/11), the first term’s event consisted of a day in London on the theme of structural engineering, with a visit to such notable sights such as St Paul’s Cathedral, various bridges, the Globe Theatre and Tate Modern from the deck of a boat trip along the Thames, followed by a presentation by some leading structural engineers at the Institute of Structural Engineering, as well as a group exercise on building a support. The day concluded with a visit to the Olympic site at Stratford.

Later this term, there was a ‘Go’ challenge – a mathematical event on strategic thinking – held at Bungay Middle School on Thursday 18 November. Following the results of this inter-school challenge, each of the five competing schools selected their 10 best players to participate in an extended challenge at Beccles Middle School on Wednesday 8 December.

During the Lent Term, 10 pupils from Years 7 and 8 were chosen to participate in an exciting project on ‘Technology and the Future’. These pupils are being trained into becoming ‘social reporters’ using a variety of media to document how technologies are used by local organisations/companies in order to assess sustainable/environmental solutions to climate change. The pupils have now been trained by an established organisation called Radio Waves on how to report a particular topic and how to upload film footage, reports and blog to a secure podcast/website. The school will be in possession of its own podcast kit. Uploaded information, data etc. will be accessed by registered users and this will enable the pupils in the various participating schools to share good practice, research and possible findings. An  information evening took place on Thursday 17^th February at Beccles Middle School where a guest speaker introduced the subject and explained how governments and large companies dealt with the demands to control climate change on a large scale, and how they used knowledge-sharing platforms to disseminate and collate information. The pupils have had a training day and workshop with Radio Waves on Friday 4^th March where they learned how to use technology to report, edit and upload materials. Work ing in small groups called production teams, the pupils will be defining their roles and responsibilities. before beginning the task of researching a local company on one aspect of environmental technology, such as sustainable energy, eco-building, carbon-neutral production of produce etc.

During the Summer term, the theme of the project will be sports and science and it is likely that it will take the form of a visit to either UEA or Essex University. We shall be exploring outreach from the Olympics, psychology and sport, the will to win and sport for disabled people and technology! It is hoped that there will be a closing event to mark the success and termination of the three-year phase of projects.

Please contact Mr. Derek Bryanton should you wish to seek further clarification.