Supplementary guidance: more able and talented learners

The Welsh Government aims for all learners to have the best start in life with opportunities and encouragement to achieve their full learning potential. In May, 2008, the Welsh Assembly Government published a set of Quality Standards to support schools and local authorities to meet the needs of more able and talented learners. These aims and standards supported the Welsh Government’s commitment to the UNCRC Rights of the Child in 2004. More recently, the Wellbeing and Future Generations (Wales) Act sets out seven clear goals for wellbeing. One
of these goals – ‘a more equal Wales’ – aims for ‘a society that enables people to fulfil their potential no matter what their background or circumstances’. Furthermore, Welsh Government’s acceptance of the four purposes outlined in ‘Successful Futures’ confirms its commitment to developing all learners as ‘ambitious, capable learners’, ‘enterprising, creative contributors’, ‘ethical, informed citizens’ and ‘healthy, confident individuals’.

In 2016, the Welsh Government published guidance on More able and talented learners for the further education sector in Wales.

There is no universally-agreed definition of learners who generally would be recognised as more able. For example, the term ‘more able and talented’ encompasses approximately 20% of the total school population, and is used to describe learners who require opportunities for enrichment and extension that go beyond those provided for the general cohort of learners.

The term ‘more able and talented’ includes learners who possess more developed skills and understanding across subjects within the curriculum as well as those who show talent in one or more specific areas, which could include practical, creative and social fields of human activity.

The identification of more able and talented learners is linked to their context, regardless of how these learners compare to more able and talented learners in other providers. In every provider therefore, you should expect to find a group of learners identified as more able and talented, as well as suitable provision for their development through the breadth and depth of their learning experiences and activities. Providing an enriched curriculum can improve the quality of learning and raise standards for learners of all abilities and talents, giving them opportunities and encouragement to achieve their full learning potential.

This supplementary guidance links to Estyn’s common inspection framework and the guidance handbooks for each sector