Why do I need to know about Quality Standards?
What is talent development in PE?
What are Quality Standards?
How do I provide for excellence and quality?
How do we define PE?
How can I use Quality Standards?
Who are the talented pupils in PE?
What is High Quality Talent Development?
What is High Quality Policy?
Why do I need to know about Quality Standards?
This website offers guidance on how schools might improve the quality of talent development practices to meet the needs of their pupils in PE.
Every school has talented pupils, and these pupils once identified, require high quality teaching and support to help them fully realise their talents.
What is talent development in PE?
Talent development in PE is the process of identifying, selecting, providing for and supporting talented pupils. As an integral part of PE, talent development should reflect the aims, content and outcomes of the school’s overall PE programme.
High quality talent development draws on, and extends the knowledge and skills that underpin effective PE teaching. Talent development should prove an exciting challenge for teachers, and have a positive impact on the learning of all pupils, not just those identified at talented.
What are Quality Standards?
Quality Standards, or measures of high quality practice, is the identification, selection, teaching and support of talented pupils, as well as the professional development of teachers involved and associated school policy. These are supported by Quality Steps, which offer suggestions of processes and practical activities which will allow the Quality Standards to be addressed.
The Quality Standards are an important part of the PE & Sport Strategy for Young People, run jointly by the Department of Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). The Strategy’s Gifted and Talented strand is dedicated to improving the range and quality of teaching, coaching and learning for talented pupils in order to raise their attainment, aspirations, motivation and self-esteem.
How do I provide for excellence and quality?
High Quality Talent Development is characterised by the principles of excellence and equity. The principle of excellence demands that we celebrate and develop all pupils’ achievements. The principal of equity demands that any talent development process is fair, transparent and rigorous.
How do we define PE?
PE refers to activities taught as part of the National Curriculum for Physical Education, or structures supervised physical activities that take place at school.
How can I use Quality Standards?
The following information has been designed to help schools evaluate and improve the quality of their talent development practices in PE. It should be used alongside the National Curriculum, QCA guidance and the OfSTED framework, as well as schools’ own self-evaluation processes.
Due to the diverse ways in which talent development and general Gifted and Talented education are organised in schools, this information does not prescribe who should lead the implementation. Instead it offers sufficient flexibility to allow for different school management systems and suggests a set of responsibilities that are crucial for the effective development of talent in PE.
This information can be used as:
1. A framework for self evaluation
The Quality Standards are specific structures that allow schools to make judgements about their current performance and obstacles to progression, professional development requirements, opportunities to work with other agencies and actions moving forward.
2. A framework for development
The Quality Standards can also be used as the basis of improving the quality of talent development practices. Each set of Quality Standards is supported by Quality Steps, which are practical strategies for facilitating development.
Identifying and Developing Talent
Who are the talented pupils in PE?
Pupils are recognised as talented when they demonstrate high-level ability within the range of PE contexts or have the potential to do so. Specifically it is suggested that talented pupils excel in one or more of the following abilities that reflect the full range of PE:
Physical ability is revealed through pupil’s competence and fitness to perform a range of physical abilities.
Social ability is exhibited in social contexts, and is the basis of leadership, teamwork and similar concepts.
Personal ability underpins an individual’s capacity for self-regulation, self belief and commitment to mastery.
Cognitive ability is shown in planning and compositional settings, as well as knowledge and understanding of central physical educational concepts.
Creative ability is evidenced when learners respond to challenges and tasks with fluency, originality and sensitivity to problems.
What is High Quality Talent Development?
High quality talent development is characterised by high quality identification and selection, teaching and professional development and policy.
High Quality identification and selection:
- Reflect inclusive educational practices;
- Recognise the full range of abilities inherent within PE;
- Reflect whole-school Gifted and Talented practices;
- Recognise pupils who are currently achieving, underachieving or have potential to achieve a high level of ability.
High Quality Teaching and Support:
- Relates to identification and selection criteria and process;
- Consider progression across key stages, activity areas, core strands and other subject areas;
- Focus on the educational, social and personal needs of individual children;
- Involves positive working relationships between relevant internal and external groups.
What is High Quality Policy?
High quality policy is an integral part of general education policy and practice and is characterised by principles of excellence and equity. It also requires the involvement of relevant groups.
What is High Quality Professional Development?
Requires sufficient time and resources to ensure the implementation of successful policy and practice.
Visit the Quality Standards for teachers
Visit the Quality Standards for pupils