Pupils who are gifted in design and technology are likely to:

demonstrate high levels of technological understanding and application

display high-quality making and precise practical skills

have flashes of inspiration and highly original or innovative ideas

demonstrate different ways of working or different approaches to issues

be sensitive to aesthetic, social and cultural issues when designing and evaluating

be capable of rigorous analysis and interpretation of products

get frustrated when a teacher demands that they follow a rigid design-and-make process

work comfortably in contexts beyond their own experience and empathise with users' and clients' needs and wants.

Teachers may identify pupils who are gifted in design and technology by:

performance at an unusually advanced national curriculum level for their age group

the outcomes of specific tasks

evidence of particular aptitudes

the way pupils respond to questions

the questions that pupils ask themselves.

It is important for teachers to allow time for personal interaction with pupils. By observing the techniques and strategies that pupils use to tackle problems, teachers may pick up on gifts that do not come to light through more formal assessment procedures. It is important to acknowledge that these pupils may wish to hide the extent of their gifts.

The pupils who are gifted in design and technology may be a very different group from those with gifts and talents in other subjects. The breadth of designing and making means that some of them will have abilities in a specific area -- for example working with food, using computer-assisted design (CAD) or high-quality making -- but not in others.

Identifying gifted and talented pupils in the general guidance

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