Championing clever kids

Clever children are often regarded as fair game to be mocked, teased or even bullied at school. What should be seen as a gift can become an ‘impairment’ that makes them stand out from the crowd. Like Gail Trimble, the Oxford student who dazzled on University Challenge, they are labelled as ‘swot’ and ‘know-it-all’ just as other kids are alienated with the insults ‘dunce’ and ‘thicko’.

Such nicknames may seem trivial but leading head teachers believe clever children are often more sensitive, and want to debunk the myth that bright teenagers will thrive whatever their situation. A pioneering group of heads, from prestigious schools including Eton, St Paul’s and Dulwich College, have announced that they will establish a lobbying group to protect and promote the interests of ‘gifted and talented’ pupils.

The cross-sector Alliance for Curriculum Excellence will be a voice for the brightest kids in the UK. Its founders feel that this group of children has been neglected. They want independent, grammar and comprehensive schools to do all they can to nurture them - no matter what their background.

The fear factor

While some confident, strong-willed teenagers may not care what their peers think, many others would rather conform than stand out as a target for bullies because of perceived smugness or exceptional talent. Even in independent schools, which are renowned for celebrating success, there is anecdotal evidence that suggests the fear factor can inhibit achievement.

But is this stigma a particularly British phenomenon, and is there anything schools can do to make it cool to be clever? Jeremy Evans, a deputy head at Wembley High Technology College, addressed the inaugural Alliance for Curriculum Excellence conference this month. Ten years ago his school was struggling, today it is heavily oversubscribed.

“Our intake hasn’t changed in that time,” says Mr Evans. “More than a third of our children are eligible for free school meals, 56 different languages are spoken and three-quarters of pupils do not have English as a first language. But it is now the culture of the school, that the children who achieve the highest possible grades are the coolest in the school community.”

This may be attributable to the young, ambitious staff. A quarter of the teachers are recent graduates from leading universities, Mr Evans said. Pupils at the school are encouraged to sit several GCSEs early, and resit them if they don’t achieve an A or A* grade. Last summer 88 per cent of those taking GCSEs achieved at least five good grades - well above the national average.

Bright kids need support

There are signs, however, that children trying to hide their intelligence from their classmates could be jeopardising their grades. Martin Stephen, the High Master of St Paul’s School and one of the instigators of the alliance, says that the cleverest children needed a spokesman. “One of the biggest mistakes made over the last 20 years was to assume that the most able will succeed,” he comments. “This fails to recognise that most able children are a special needs category. They need someone to look out for them and speak up for them.“

It starts from this awful premise that if you’re clever you’ll be OK, but often such children don’t want to stand out from the crowd. It’s not always cool to be clever. Research in the US shows that up to a third of the cleverest children keep a low profile.”

Dr Stephen adds: “The mistake of ignoring them isn’t one that is made by India or China. Intellectual capacity is one of the few natural resources we have left, and that replicates itself without carbon emissions. These children need a champion. Intelligence runs across race, gender, religion and background.”

The fear of being embarrassed in front of the rest of the class by being labelled exceptionally talented, was illustrated by a student at Beauchamp College, a comprehensive school in Leicester which has forged links with Eton.

Richard Parker, its head teacher, sought the opinions of his brightest students on their education. One of them said: “I hate the thought of being singled out as gifted and talented - I absolutely hate it.”

Trimble-bashing

While this may seem sad, one only has to look at the recent treatment of Gail Trimble, as an illustration of our culture of ‘no one likes a show-off’. Some online bloggers described her as smug or immensely annoying. Another wrote: “When you’re dealing with a Trimble, you just know that they’ve sneered at thick people, and by ‘thick’, I mean people who don’t know as much as her, which is virtually everyone, her own team included.

“I love seeing these spods having a rare moment in the sun. God knows they got bullied enough at school. They probably still are. Their prowess in the exam room is their only way to flex a muscle.”

Perhaps setting up a lobbying group for bright children will go some way to help to change this mentality, and encourage universal celebration of exceptional talent.

Have your say

Did you hide your talent due to peer group pressure? Do you have a very bright child who feels isolated due to talent and top results? Let us know by leaving a post below