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For the first time a national register is being established to help teachers to identify and stretch some of the brightest children whose true potential may in the past have gone unrealised or have been masked by social disadvantage. There will also be an onus on schools to ensure that the background of their gifted and talented children should be broadly representative of the whole school population. 

The new register will cover all children identified as gifted and talented by their schools and provide data to encourage schools to consider children they have not so far identified. It will mean that these children are identified earlier and given the right opportunities for their talents to be nurtured.

Schools are also being encouraged to identify the top 5% of 11-19 year-olds nationally, for registration at the National Academy for Gifted and Talented (NAGTY). There are some 200,000 of these - part of the wider gifted and talented population - and 100,000 have been registered with NAGTY to date.

Schools Minister Andrew Adonis said: “We must stop the terrible waste of talent when children don't reach their full potential. This register will ensure they are identified early and don't lose out because they come from a deprived background. Our brightest children should be helped to reach the top and use their gifts. The pursuit of excellence which benefits the whole country should be open to children of all backgrounds, not just a privileged minority."

This week letters will be sent to every secondary school outlining the purpose of the national register and encouraging those that have not done so to register eligible students with NAGTY. The Department is revising and updating its guidance on identification of gifted and talented learners for release early in the new academic year.

Further information

• Supporting gifted and talented children (education and learning section)

• TeacherNet Opens new window