At Freemans Bay School students are taught in ILE classrooms. We recognise the diversity within our school and strive to provide various learning programmes to extend our Gifted and Talented learners.

The Gifted and Talented Students at Freemans Bay School are those who have the potential and/or demonstrate exceptional ability in relation to their peers of the same age, in one or more of the following areas: 

• Intellectual/Academic.
• Innovative/ technological.
• Social/Leadership.
• Cultural
• Physical/Sport
• Creativity/Artistic.

What is Gifted or Talented?

Giftedness: Describes the outstanding natural abilities, called aptitudes, in at least one ability domain, to a degree that places an individual at least among the top 10% of their peers.

Talented:  Describes the outstanding mastery of systematically developed abilities, called competencies (knowledge and skills), in at least one field of human activity to a degree that places an individual at least among the top 10% of their peers who are or have been active in that area.

How are students identified as Gifted and/or Talented?

Students are identified in several ways – teacher nomination, observations, assessment of students work and parent nomination. Students who meet the definition of the gifted or talented are then included on our school’s GATE register.

What programmes do we offer for Extension & Enrichment?

Class Based Learning

Class based learning is planned and designed to both challenge and stimulate gifted and talented students. Gifted and talented learning includes: choice, flexibility, relevance, acceleration, integrated curricula activities, stimulation, complex and in-depth thinking.  

 The New Zealand Curriculum (Ministry of Education, 2007, p.8) indicates that learning needs to reflect the trend toward student-centred learning and create students who are “confident, connected and lifelong learners.   School Based Programmes

Outside School Programmes

Freemans Bay school offers interschool competitions and events such as; E-Pro8 Challenge, GRIP, Writers festival, Peace foundation, Mathlex, Mind Plus, Mind Lab and Tournament of the Minds. 

Online Programmes

Enrichment via online programmes, for example Matific, and Reading Eggs is where the teacher sets learning tasks specific to the individual’s needs. This allows the student to progress at their own rate, separate to the rest of the class. 

Who do I contact at Freemans Bay School for more information about the GATE programme?

Larissa Goebel is the GATE leader.

For further information email her on: larissag@whanauata.freemansbay.school.nz