Yateley School Dance Department Policy for identifying and nurturing talent Introduction:

This document has been produced by the HOD and will need to be updated and amended by the Dance staff. It includes a rationale, how talent is identified and how students talented can be developed in curriculum time and beyond the classroom.

Rationale: Yateley School will have, at any time, a number of extremely able and/or talented students. Some of whom may perform at a level that well exceeds the level of others in their class o that expected for children in their age group.

Aims:  All class teachers to know who is ‘Gifted’ or ‘Talented’ in their class and provide suitable learning for them  To ensure all talented dancers make progress in line with their starting point  Identify talent as soon as possible and inform ENS (Gifted and Talented Coordinator) so that she can update her talented register  Collate Talented register starting with Year 8,9+10 students from Sept 2017, then begin to collate year 7 students, (this should be completed by November)  Create a climate of learning throughout curriculum and enrichment opportunities  To establish more links in partnership with the wider community, professional artists and higher education institutes to enhance learning opportunities

What are the indicators for identifying talent in dance? Students with talent in dance may show evidence of a particular ability in one or more of the following areas:

Creating and composing:  Respond imaginatively to a range of stimuli  Experiment freely and confidently with movement and makes appropriate decisions on suitable choices of movement to suit style/theme  Using space and relationships meaningfully, to express the intention of the dance idea  Able to manipulate movement and show structure  Enters choreographic competitions e.g. ‘Young Creative’s’ run by Youth Dance England

Performing:  Control and co-ordination of the body whilst successfully combining timing, action, spatial and dynamic content  Expressing the meaning of the dance and or stylistic features of the dance style  Strong performer/audience communication  Responds to music with sensitivity and rhythmic awareness  Performs outside of school in National Dance Competitions and/or County Youth Dance Groups  Awarded with Distinction levels in ISTD, RAD etc examinations at Grade 6 and beyond

 Performs outside of school at a high level in Musicals, Pantomimes, County Dance Company etc

Appreciating:  Apply critical thinking to their own work and that of others, able to make constructive judgements to shape and develop their ideas

NB: A Talented register list is kept centrally on X Drive in the Dance Section in a folder called Gifted and Talented. This is a list of students who demonstrate a talent in performing dance. It is expected that students should make 3 levels of progress between Year 7 to 11, G&T SHOULD BE 4! Catering for students that are ‘Gifted’: We aim to provide for those students who have identified as being gifted by:  Developing an effective learning environment, where students feel supported and valued  Teaching at a faster pace / greater depth / wider breadth  Employing a range of questioning techniques (Blooms Taxonomy – Higher level or open ended questions)  Differentiated homework (KS4)  Individual target setting  Curriculum planning (SOW)  Organisational strategies, such as groupings, roles

Catering for students that are ‘Talented’ in Dance:  Classroom activities and resources provide opportunities for students to express and develop their special abilities. Tasks engage the students in creatively exploring and developing their own ideas • Lessons are effectively differentiated to ensure that different learning styles are catered for • Practical work is differentiated by outcome; giving students the opportunity to explore a wider range of skills, e.g. technical, expressive and mental skills. Tasks may be open ended • Student progression is monitored closely and in line with the school policy • A wide range of extension and enrichment activities are set, in and out of curriculum time  Where finances allow, we organise Professional Dance Artists to work with GCSE and BTEC Dance classes to target talented dancers, as well as a fantastic opportunity for all to be inspired  Schemes of work encourage students to take more ownership of choreographic developments and extend or make ‘set phrases’ more complex

Enrichment… looking beyond the curriculum: A wide range of enrichment activities are made available or advertised in the Parents Bulletin to stimulate interest, challenge and inspire our talented students:  Annual entry to Rock Challenge and have maintained ‘Premier’ league status since winning National Champions in 2015!  Perform as Soloists in the House Dance Show  Perform in the Main School Production if keen to pursue Performing Arts  Invite students to attend ‘Masterclasses’ in Summer Term led by Ex-Students who are currently studying in Higher Education e.g. , Creative Academy,  Ensure students who have a keen interest to study dance at Higher education know about Scholarships and DADA Awards available to them e.g. 16-23 year olds who show talent and are likely to succeed in the industry The following schools offer DaDAs for the 2017 to 2018 academic year: https://www.gov.uk/dance-drama-awards  ALRA (Academy of Live and Recorded Arts)  Arts.Ed, London  Bird College - Dance and Drama Theatre Performance  Bodywork Company  School   Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts   Liverpool Theatre School  Millennium Performing Arts  Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts  School  The  SLP College Leeds  Stella Mann College  Tring Park School for the Performing Arts  Urdang Academy

Inspire and encourage individuals to take on a CAT scheme (Centre for Advanced Training) Centre for Advanced Training https://www.nationaldancecats.co.uk/ Funded by the Music and Dance Scheme, exist to help identify, and assist, children with exceptional potential, regardless of their personal circumstances, to benefit from world-class specialist training as part of a broad and balanced education. This will enable them, if they choose to proceed towards self-sustaining careers in music and dance. The CATs courses nearest to Yateley are: The Place  http://www.theplace.org.uk/centre-advanced-training Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance  https://www.nationaldancecats.co.uk/cat-locations/trinity-laban-conservatoire-of-music- and-dance-centre-for-advanced-training/ Swindon Dance

 https://www.nationaldancecats.co.uk/cat-locations/youth-dance-academy-centre-for- advanced-training-at-swindon-dance/

 Encourage students to audition for Hampshire Youth Dance Company or Berkshire Dance Company Youth to extend their technique, creativity and work with professional dance artists  Encourage students to audition for Zambesi Dance Company directed by Hannah Batley (Part time Teacher at Yateley), opportunity to perform in Elite Dance Group and compete in Dance Competitions  Invite students to attend London Theatre Tour Trips to have a professional workshop at Pineapple Dance Studios and see a West End Show (Summer Term)  Invite KS3 students to perform in GCSE Dance Choreography  Invite individuals with a particular creative flair for Choreography to enter ‘Young Creatives’ led by Youth Dance England  Organise a dance trip to see BBC Young Dancer of the year Award

Compiled and Updated by H.WEARING

JULY 2017