National Academy For Gifted and Talented Youth - Activities

Activities

For its members, NAGTY offered a number of different activities, most of which were subsidised by the DfES. Some of these activities included:

• Two or, as was the case up to 2007, three week summer schools at universities around the country, covering a variety of subjects. The aims of the summer school's programs were to provide additional breadth (introducing participants to subjects they might not be able to engage with in the National Curriculum, for example), adding depth to a student's studies (by introducing them to additional material in a National Curriculum subject that might not ordinarily be covered in school) and providing acceleration to learning (introducing concepts that a student might normally expect to encounter at a later stage in his or her school career). These summer schools were open only to members of NAGTY in key stages 3 and 4 (ages 11–16).
• Outreach events on weekends and weekdays during school holiday periods. These varied in length from half of a day to a week and were either residential or non-residential. They offered a rather condensed learning experience. Outreach events were later expanded to include lectures in a number of specific fields.
• Online learning material (online study groups). This included contact with professionals in particular fields.
• Residential week-long courses which were aimed at sixth form and college students. These were in collaboration with Villiers Park.
• Internet forums which allowed members to talk informally, debate or gain moral and social support from each other.

The aim of the Student Academy was to help students to maximize their potential, by providing additional activities and services that maintain engagement with and motivation for education.