Supporting gifted and talented children
If you have noticed that your child develops skills much quicker than children of a similar age or excels in a particular area, they may be regarded as 'gifted and talented'.
What 'gifted and talented' means
'Gifted and talented' describes children with the ability or potential to develop significantly ahead of their peers:
- 'gifted' learners are those with abilities in one or more academic subjects, such as maths or English
- 'talented' learners are those who have practical skills in areas such as sport, music, design or creative and performing arts
Skills and attributes such as leadership, decision-making and organisation may also be taken into account.
Recognising your child is gifted or talented
If you think your child is gifted or talented, you should discuss their abilities and needs with their teacher or the school principal.
School support for your child
Your child's school has a responsibility to meet the educational needs of all their pupils, and teachers should set tasks that take account of the varying abilities of children.
If your child is considered to be gifted and talented, their teachers should provide greater challenges in lessons, and perhaps offer further opportunities for them to develop their gifts or talents outside of the normal timetable.
If your child is in primary school and shows that they have the abilities to fully take part in the next school year group, the principal may consider moving your child into that group. Your child’s emotional and social development levels and needs should be considered as well as their academic progress.
The board of governors of a primary school can decide if your child should transfer to a post-primary school a year earlier than normal. This is done on the advice of the principal and you must agree that your child should transfer early.
To read about working with gifted and talented children, go to