Provision for gifted and talented pupils has never been more in the spotlight than now. For all the work that has been going on for years, many schools are still at the early stages of identification, guidelines and general provision rather than very specific subject-based approaches. Guidance from the National Strategies has been helpful but does not go far enough. The NAGTY report of 2005 (still the best we have in 2013) went far deeper but still did not offer hard-pressed history teachers enough practical support. This section of the site moves the ground from the general to the particular, so that specific case studies are cited.
I often think that teaching able pupils history at KS3 has to take account of two factors, both of which draw on a swimming pool analogy. Far too often in my opinion able pupils spend too long tin the shallow end in lessons, rarely experiencing what it is like to be challenged to think at a level that is almost out of their depth. So whenever planning any lesson with more able pupils try to think of the time they spend struggling rather than coasting. Secondly think of high-board diving. How
