retired_princesspouty

Well it wouldn't if you weren't in it.

We didn't have these kind of things in the Good Old Days™

My Comprehensive school was divided into Upper and Lower school - that was it.

retired_leverne

im on the able and talented register (for some reason we are called a different name ) it just means we get monitered more and get to go on more trips etc etc

retired_the gizmo

yeah - much better keeping all kids together so the brightest and most adept get pulled down into the rest of you mediocrity.

retired_princesspouty

I don't know what the system is like now but at my comprehensive, classes were split by ability.

If you were in the Upper School you were put into classes A (best) to C (worst) and lower school (D to F).

Occasionally people in the upper school went into lower school classes and vice versa - not often though.

retired_tryingfitness

I'm gifted and talented, or was, apparently. Doesn't seem to have made any difference tbh, I got taken on a maths trip once and that was it.

I was also in the NAGTY thing (National Academy of Gifted and Talented Youth) which was rubbish.

retired_stlcardsgirl

I'm meant to be in both, but all we do in our school is have occasional meetings about nothing in particular pointless unless we actually do something, not just get labelled imo.

retired_Angela Adams

I was part of this

Don't really see how it could do harm, it just gives more oppurtunities for students who are above average. I didn't actually use of any of the oppurtunities as I was always far too cool to be amongst that lot but yeah, it never went to my head, I always knew I was pretty special before these guys coming in and making it obvious.

retired_jnc021

ever since year 2 i was told i was gifted/talented, and going to get straight a's before going onto a top uni course... it just made me lazy, and a couple of days ago i actually went to my old high school (invited in) to talk to some of the a-level students about how its vital to put the effort in and how it wont be all plain sailing - basically, telling them to learn from my mistake

retired_klefurgy

really surprises me this seeing as Gordon Brown was one of the first pupils to go through a programme like this in the 60's and enter Uni at 16.

He has spoken out in the past about the effects it had on the others who were his friends at school and how they suffered due to the pressures. Some even went on to have nervous breakdowns due to the pressures.

marynot

I was part of this!!

I was specially selected and i think we went on a trip to a university in year 9, apart from that nothing else happened.