About SNAP

It is several years since the HMIe report The Education of Able Pupils P6-S2 (SOED,1993).  This report expressed concerns that many pupils were not being sufficiently challenged during the transition period from primary to secondary school.

In order to support schools and Education Authorities in addressing these concerns the then, Scottish Office Education Department (SOED) established the Scottish Network for Able Pupils (SNAP) in 1995.  Since its inception SNAP has offered support and advice to the Scottish Education system in three main areas: publications, staff development and national conferences.

SNAP Aims

SNAP has 3 main aims.

• To bring together relevant developments and ideas from a variety of disciplines and initiatives and make them accessible to schools and teachers.
• To ensure a strong national awareness of the issues as they arise and support national initiatives that pertain to the education of more able pupils.
• To support and model for schools appropriate challenges for more able pupils within an inclusive framework.

In order to take forward these aims SNAP works collaboratively with a range of partners in ways that recognise its principles.

On a more practical level SNAP takes forward these aims by:

• Offering a network of support to schools and teachers through sharing ideas and practise;
• Providing forums for debate and discussion;
• Offering advice to schools and teachers on how to provide appropriate challenge for their most able children;
• Providing the educational community in Scotland with opportunities to hear and question international leaders in the field of 'gifted and talented' education;
• Undertaking research and disseminating the findings to the educational community in Scotland and further afield;
• Acting as a critical friend for school-based innovation and offering advice and information to policy makers.

SNAP Principles

• All children have a right to an education that is appropriately challenging and takes account of individual needs.
• Each person has a unique profile across a wide range of abilities that should be recognised, enhanced and valued equally
• Recognition of an individual's ability profile is only possible in partnership with parents and other significant individuals in that person's life.
• Appropriate challenge must be provided at all points on an individual's ability profile.
• The key to recognition of an individual's abilities lies with the provision of appropriately challenging opportunities.
• Errors are critical to the learning process thus appropriately challenging opportunities may require challenge that takes the individual to the point of failure.  This is only possible however within an ethos where it is safe to fail.
• An inclusive education system is the most supportive framework for offering opportunities to prevent underachievement and provide appropriate challenge across the ability range.