Gifted and Talented - Headmistress published in the national press

Mrs Wilkinson's response to the Governments decision to scrap the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth was published in the Guardian on 10 February, as follows.
 
'As headmistress of an independent school for girls, I believe the government's decision to scrap the National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth (Nagty) is completely misguided (And so farewell, 2 February).

While I welcome the fact that additional funding is being made available to support pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds as well as pupils with learning differences, is it not of equal importance to support those pupils who are either academically gifted or talented in music, drama or sport?

Here at Gateways school, we introduced our own scheme in 2006. Pupils identified as gifted or talented are set more challenging tasks, monitored by staff, and given extra independent learning opportunities. Pupils are also encouraged to participate in relevant extra-curricular or enrichment activities.

The Nagty was often described as elitist but that is not the case – in our experience, pupils aspire to participate in the programme and work harder as a result. Just as we should always commit to supporting those with learning differences, we should never be embarrassed about encouraging ­academic excellence'.

Yvonne Wilkinson
Headmistress, Gateways school
Harewood, Leeds