Summary

The gifted education package is part of the Learning Support Action Plan (LSAP) and was implemented in 2019 with a focus on direct provision to learners. Priority 5 of LSAP, ‘Meeting the learning needs of gifted children and young people’, involves a range of different activities including some new approaches in early learning, identification of gifted learners, community-based projects, access to One Day Schools or similar and awards for gifted learners and teachers of gifted learners.

The focus of this evaluation was to provide insights relating to the four new components of the Gifted Education Package that were developed at the beginning of the LSAP. The evaluation paid special attention to the impacts for diverse ākonga/learners, including those who identify as Māori or Pasifika. The four components focused on were:

1. Pito Mata (professional learning and development for early childhood kaiako/teachers);
2. the awards for teachers of gifted learners;
3. the awards for gifted learners;
4. Events and Opportunities for gifted ākonga/learners.

The evaluation found that Pito Mata had the potential to support change in practice and positive impact on gifted learners and their whānau. It also pointed out barriers to its success. One of the biggest of these was the small number of participants.  The evaluation suggested continuing to develop Pito Mata to address giftedness in early childhood. The Ministry has addressed this by reusing a lot of the content of Pito Mata in the recently developed Mānawatia te iho pūmanawa (Acknowledging and supporting gifted tamariki in intentional ways) tool. This tool is accessed online and is a series of self-paced modules designed to support kaiako to work in a holistic way with gifted learners.

The awards for teachers of gifted learners were not functioning as planned during the evaluation period according to the evaluation findings. The awards for teachers promotes progress towards the intended outcome to increase the number and diversity of gifted ākonga/learners who are recognised and responded to, but are not yet having the intended impact, especially for diverse gifted learners and their whānau. The Ministry will consider what adjustments to make to the structure of the awards for the 2024 applications.

While the evaluation found a number of barriers to accessing the awards for gifted learners, it states ‘If these are fully considered and addressed, the awards have the potential to be a valuable tool to fill a known gap in the system. The awards for gifted learners have the potential to effectively provide access to gifted education and support to diverse ākonga/learners and their whānau/families.’ The Ministry has been addressing this issue and in the 2023 round ran a promotion campaign for the awards to gifted learners that specifically targeted Māori and Pacific learners and resulted in an increase in the number of applicants from Māori and Pacific learners.

The Events and Opportunities were found to have positive impacts for the learners involved. Learners were found to be making connections, friendships – sometimes for the first time - that were being maintained beyond the learning opportunity. The learners were feeling academically challenged, sometimes for the first time, while increasing their confidence as learners and leaders. These gifted learners were developing skills, self-awareness, and higher aspirations while finding joy, enjoyment, satisfaction as well as new ways to keep their minds occupied after they return home. The whānau of these gifted learners were feeling supported, included and grateful.  The evaluation found that while some whānau are fully involved and provide cultural knowledge to enhance programmes, such involvement is not universal. Some programmes had few mechanisms to involve whānau Māori and Pasifika families. The evaluation recommended that the Ministry incorporate te ao Māori and Pacific cultural world views into Events and Opportunities by expanding networks and strengthening partnerships with the local community and iwi. This became one of the key requirements in the procurement of Events and Opportunities for 2024-2025 and the Ministry has contracted several providers for the Events and Opportunities package that have strong connections with local iwi for their programme design and delivery.