Gifted and Talented primary school outreach programme
Sevenoaks School currently organises three distinct academic events annually as part of its outreach Gifted and Talented programme – a Science programme, a Maths programme and a Creative Writing workshop.
The aim of these programmes is to support academically-able students from local primary schools, and give them the opportunity to meet like-minded children, experience Sevenoaks School, and encourage their love of a subject. The school is also keen to create awareness of its bursary offer and encourage parents of these children to consider applying for a bursary if appropriate.
Aims
The aim of these programmes is to support academically-able students from local primary schools, and give them the opportunity to meet like-minded children, experience Sevenoaks School, and encourage their love of a subject.
The school is also keen to create awareness of its bursary offer and encourage parents of these children to consider applying for a bursary if appropriate.
The immediate beneficiaries are local schoolchildren (usually Year 4 and Year 5) from primary schools in Sevenoaks and the surrounding area.
The Science and Maths programmes are run each summer during the school holidays, and run for 4 and 2 days respectively. We invite pupils from 29 schools, and can accommodate 48 pupils for Science and 36 for Maths.
The Creative Writing workshop is hosted during the summer term and approximately 50 children from local primary and prep schools attend the workshop. This is a Saturday morning event, and focuses on English writing skills, role plays and using imagination in writing.
Background
The project was started by our former Senior Deputy Head, who had a particular passion for outreach and for ensuring the school was perceived as an asset and a contributor to the local community. The programmes are also an extension to our links through our extensive community service VSU programme, and our ongoing primary school outreach activity.
The Sevenoaks School Gifted and Talented Science programme has been running for 13 years, and the Maths programme for the last 3 years. Both are well established within the schools’ processes and calendar, and enjoyed by staff, students and participating schools alike.
Resources
The Governors of Sevenoaks School grant £10,000 per annum towards the cost of the Gifted and Talented summer schools, as well as providing the venue for the courses. This grant contributes to the costs of items such as staffing, refreshments and marketing. The attendees of both programmes are also asked to contribute a very nominal amount. The activities undertaken throughout the week utilise various school facilities and venues, and a variety of staff from the school are involved in the planning, set up and hosting.
The Creative Writing workshop is free to attend, and all costs of staff, facilities and refreshments are borne by Sevenoaks School.
Impact
Qualitative feedback is captured at the end of the week from all attending students. Anecdotal feedback from the attending schools is also good, and we are delighted with the number of schools that participate annually.
Pupil Involvement
The pupils attending are aged from 9-11 years and the programmes are fully co-educational.
Five of our Year 11 and Sixth Form students at Sevenoaks School act as helpers and ‘teaching assistants’ during the Maths and Science programmes, and 15 of our students assist with the Creative Writing workshop.
Some Sevenoaks School students are also involved in the setup, planning and logistics of the events.
Frequency
These programmes are annual events, and the school plans to continue to run them for the foreseeable future.