Gifted and Talented

Students gifted or talented in a specific field or subject will be provided with opportunities within and beyond the classroom to achieve their own personal excellence. They will be consistently challenged to push themselves further and given opportunities to share their ability with others through leadership and challenging learning tasks. The success of our students will be widely celebrated as we celebrate a culture where gifts and talents are nurtured and appreciated.

Extra-curricular opportunities, visits, competitions, exhibitions, events, concerts, productions, will be widely available and students will be encouraged to take part with as many as possible to extend their skills further and to broaden their learning.

Gifted and Talented students in Key Stage 3 will complete a programme within Tutor Time which is focused on developing key learning strategies which will support their ability to push and challenge themselves in lessons and become the most confident learners possible. Students in Key Stage 4 will be given the opportunity to complete the Extended Project Qualification. This GCSE course provides the students with an opportunity to research into a topic of personal interest and complete an academic piece of writing about it. Whilst completing the project they develop a range of transferrable skills including research, organisation, problem-solving and communication. Students in Year 11 will be supported to develop the strategies required to achieve the highest possible grades in their GCSE examination through effective learning and revision strategies. We plan for students to be given the opportunity to be part of the ‘Brilliant Club’ scheme which gives them the opportunity to work with a PhD graduate to complete a series of tutorials and finally produce their own academic piece of writing.

It is planned that Barton Manor will work closely with Barton Court Grammar School and very closely with local universities to support our Gifted and Talented students. These opportunities push students to take their gifts and talents to a higher level and have experiences to support their passion for life-long learning.

The school has a large multi-purpose sports hall and extensive playing fields to encourage participation, enjoyment and progression to elite performance in Physical Education and Sports. Students will be inspired and encouraged to engage in physical activity and in sport for the longer term to support both healthy life styles and enjoyment. All students in the school will access compulsory core PE. Classes will be separate for boys and girls and include a wide variety of team and individual sports and exercise options.

It is expected that sports teams and individual athletes will compete at local, regional and national level as the opportunities arise. There will be a wide range of extra-curricular activities offered both after school and lunchtime which will change as per the seasons throughout the year.

We believe that BMS’s outstanding PE and Sports curriculum and state-of-art sports facilities will be a strength of the school and we intend to offer a wide range of sports for all to participate, but also ensure we have progression for our most talented students. At KS4 students will be able to study options such as Level 2 BTEC Sport and GCSE PE in addition to participation in core PE. At KS5 students will be able to study options such as Level 3 BTEC Sport or A Level PE. This will ensure we have the right support for those with the aptitude and desire for careers in PE and/or Sport and Sport Science.

In addition to our own facilities, we will work in collaboration with local elite sport groups and clubs to make use of local sports facilities in Canterbury and the surrounding area which will support wider engagement, participation and progression in sports within the School.

To support our vision of delivering excellence in creative, vocational and performance education the School offers excellent facilities in Art, Technology, Music, Drama and Dance. We believe having opportunities to develop the creative, applied and performance aspirations and talents of our students enhances children’s educational experience and for many it raises confidence and self-esteem. Whether they wish to pursue these areas as a future career or take part in them for the sheer enjoyment.

Art has 3 classrooms on the north side of the School to aid perfect lighting for the subject with views of the city to inspire the study of Art, 3D Art and Photography. Students will be able to study GCSE and A Level Art as well as BTEC Art and Photography. There will be a range of extra –curricular opportunities, links with Further Education and Higher Education, local and national competitions.

Music has excellent facilities that will support Music and Music Technology both in the curriculum and by offering wider opportunities. Music rooms and facilities are all based around the main hall and drama studio with 2 classrooms, multiple practice rooms and a sound/lighting/recording booth to support joint work between the departments and extra-curricular projects such as school productions, concerts and recording. Students will be able to study GCSE and A Level Music as well as BTEC Music and Music Technology. Music lessons will be available as well as a range of extra-curricular opportunities, links with BCGS to expand current provision and ensure talented musicians have clear progression routes to develop across a diverse range of music genres. There will be access to a calendar of competitions such as “Battle of the Bands” as well as opportunities for collaboration for joint concerts and performances.

Drama has its own bespoke Drama Studio with a bi-folding wall, linked to the main hall and music, for school productions and larger dramatic events. This allows Drama to be taught in a variety of different spaces as a discrete subject and through cross-curricular links to other subjects. To ensure Drama can flourish from its opening BMS pupils will be able to access Drama at BCGS to give them opportunities for collaboration such as joint productions, trips and theatre visits and workshops with Further and Higher Education.

The Dance Studio, with sprung dance floor and floor to ceiling mirrors, is located in the Sports hall on the second floor with its own learning space and resources. This will be led by a Dance specialist and delivered as a separate subject. The vision is that all of the creative and performance subjects can thrive individually in their own right but also collectively as a Performance Suite where students can work together on joint projects, concerts and performances.

At BMS Technology and skills-based learning will be of the highest standards and expectations so that courses are of high quality. All pupils will study technology at KS3 and will be able to choose from a wide variety of vocational options at KS4 and KS5 such as Hospitality & Catering or Engineering or more traditional GCSE or A Level in Product Design and Food Technology. Technology has 3 separate classrooms to offer Hospitality & Catering, Design Technology and Engineering and in addition to ensure students have as wide a range of opportunities as possible. BMS will work in collaboration with local colleges and FE providers to support progression for those students wishing to access Apprenticeships and Vocational training.

Links with other STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects in the School and across the Trust will be encouraged and the Trust Lead for Technology will oversee provision in all 3 schools, competitions, collaboration and links with industry, Further and Higher Education.