GIFTED AND TALENTED SCHOOLS 2013INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

The Gifted and Talented schools that we are offering this year are as follows:

* The Healthcare Science School will run twice. The content of both schools will be the same.

INTRODUCING THE DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMME

Now entering its eighth year, the De Montfort University (DMU) Gifted and Talented Programme is a well-established and highly successful scheme open to Year 10 students from Leicester and Leicestershire. This year we are planning to run schools across a range of different subjects, allowing more students than ever before to experience their subject of interest in a higher education setting and push boundaries in a way that they may not be able to do at school.

KEY FEATURESIn 2013 DMU will be running nine Gifted and Talented Schools spread across our four faculties: Art, Design and Humanities, Business and Law, Health and Life Sciences and Technology. Each school will run for three days and take place either at the start of the Easter holidays in March or during May half term.

The schools are taught by university academics and experts who are specialists in their field. Participating students will have the opportunity to explore their subject of interest by taking part in a series of challenging and inspirational activities. Please see the information on each individual school for further details.

All schools are free for students to attend with lunch and refreshments provided for participating students on each day. At the conclusion of each school, all students and families will be invited to a celebration event showcasing the work completed by the students over the three day period.

All of the schools are non-residential.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIAStudents should be predicted an A or A* at GCSE in a subject relevant to the Gifted and Talented school for which they are applying. Please see the table on page 4 for a list of relevant subjects. If a student is not taking the required course at GCSE, they should demonstrate a particular aptitude for that subject on their application form. This could include extra-curricular activities or formal training, for example dance grade examinations.

HOW TO APPLYApplication forms have been sent out to all schools invited to participate in the DMU Gifted and Talented Schools. Students wishing to participate should fill out an application form and return it to the Gifted and Talented coordinator at their school. Alternatively applications can be sent directly to DMU using the address provided on the application form.

The deadlines for applications are as follows:

March schools: Deadline 28th February

May schools: Deadline 29th April

Please note that places on all of the schools are limited and that we expect the application process to be competitive! Students should ensure that they answer all of the questions on the form carefully in order to stand the best chance of acceptance.

Each student can only apply for a maximum of one school. Successful applicants will be contacted soon after the application closing date. Oversubscribed schools will also have a reserve list, and students on this can be contacted up to and including the starting date of the school if places become available.

G&T School name

Relevant Subject(s) Dates (2013) No. of places

Art and Design School

Art, Design related subjects

Mon 25th –Weds 27th March

20

Business School All subjects considered

Mon 25th – Weds 27th March

30

Dance School Dance Mon 25th –Weds 27th March

20

Drama School Drama Mon 25th –Weds 27th March

20

Healthcare Science School 1*

Sciences Mon 25th –Weds 27th March

30

Journalism School English, Media Studies

Mon 25th –Weds 27th March

20

Healthcare Science School 2*

Sciences Weds 29th – Fri 31st May

30

Law School Humanities subjects Weds 29th – Fri 31st May

30

Robotics School Maths, Physics, Technology-related subjects

Weds 29th – Fri 31st May

30

ART AND DESIGN SCHOOL

Now entering its sixth year, the DMU Gifted and Talented Art and Design School is one of the most popular and established schools we run. Participants will have the chance to gain experience and improve their skills under the guidance of university academics in an environment providing state-of-the-art facilities.

Using a variety of materials and techniques, students will test their artistic skills by creating portraits of both themselves and their peers. Students will be tasked with creating unique pieces of work that encourage them to think in new and innovative ways, experimenting in a way that they have not done before.

Participants will also have the opportunity to create a computer animation using highly advanced computer software. The Animation design team will provide expert tuition, guiding students in their creation of ideas, themes and storyboards with animated characters. All of these components will be brought together to create an animated movie at the end of the school.

Students and families will be invited to a celebration event at the conclusion of the school to showcase the students’ work.

BUSINESS SCHOOL

The Gifted and Talented Business School will be an active and challenging event that gives participants a flavour of different aspects of business including marketing, finance, business planning, entrepreneurship and online web management.

On day one students will be given a taste of university lectures and an insight into what a day at university is like. There will be a chance to meet DMU students now studying at the Business School and look at the projects they undertake. Students will also learn about key professions in marketing and finance. Some newly emerging careers and job areas will be highlighted – posts in online marketing and advertising, forensic accounting, digital business and social media.

Aspiring business students who join the school will have a chance to get hands-on experience of business planning, brand marketing, finance and digital strategy. Participants will work as teams on a project similar to the Junior Apprentice TV show, in roles such as brand and advertising executives, finance managers, creative entrepreneurs and digital web specialists. Teams will develop a business project and

present it to a panel of experts on the final day, with the team offering the best strategy winning a ‘DMU Futures’ prize. During the three days, participants will gain experience of what it is like to be a business student at DMU and become familiar with exciting career opportunities where talent, innovative thinking and hard work can ensure professional success.

DANCE SCHOOL

The Gifted and Talented Dance School will give students an exciting opportunity to participate in a three day dance programme with Movin’2Gether, a creative dance company based in Leicester.

The programme will predominately focus on contemporary dance with a chance to learn new material and develop dance technique. A range

of other styles will also be explored including Street Dance, Bollywood and Salsa. Throughout the sessions participants will be encouraged to engage in a creative sense, offering their own ideas and developing their artistic interpretation. Students will also have the chance to demonstrate what they have learnt and work together towards a final performance at the end of the three days.

Emily Bolton and Rachel Eke, co-directors of dance organisation Movin’2Gether, graduated with first class honours degrees in Dance from DMU and will be leading the school. Emily and Rachel look forward to providing Dance School participants with a unique opportunity to experience dance at higher education level, using the University’s state-of-the-art dance facilities.

A fantastic opportunity to enjoy a variety of dance styles, develop as a dance artist and take part in an end performance, acknowledging all of your achievements over the programme!

DRAMA SCHOOL

Our popular Gifted and Talented Drama School is now in its third year. Participants will be introduced to an exciting range of new performance and theatre making practices, some of which they may never have experienced before.

Workshops will be lead by experts in the performing arts field. Students will focus on contemporary performance styles including physical theatre and improvisation. We will look at ways of devising performance that take their inspiration from the world around us and build these ideas into workshop performance pieces. There may also be opportunity for creative writing and some study of lighting and stage production.

Each day will be very practical and take place in our state of the art studios within the Performance Arts Centre for Excellence (PACE) building.

If you want to broaden performing arts horizons then this is definitely the experience for you!

HEALTHCARE SCIENCE SCHOOL

This school is aimed at providing students with the opportunity to explore different subjects in healthcare science and examine the way in which various subjects and professions work together to make a difference to people’s lives.

This unique opportunity will provide students with a chance to explore different interlinked professions and understand what might be involved by experiencing a series of hands-on workshops in areas such as:

- Nursing and Midwifery- Biomedical Sciences- Pharmacy- Psychology- Sociology

All the workshops will be interactive and give students a taste of what it might be like to study these subjects at degree level whilst also providing them with valuable insight into how different departments work together in the world of healthcare.

The students will be working in groups throughout the workshops to solve a medical mystery and put into practice the skills that they have learnt during their practical sessions.

At the end of the school students will take part in a celebration event and they will be able to present back on their findings to an audience of their family and the academics who have been involved with guiding them through the week.

JOURNALISM SCHOOL

DMU is pleased to announce a new Gifted and Talented School for Journalism running for the first time this year.

This practical and interactive school is ideal for budding journalists. Participants will be given the opportunity to use newsroom-standard computers, providing an insight into the adrenaline-bursting world of reporting and publishing.

During the school, students will be researching, designing and creating a publication in groups, complete with news stories and pictures. Students will also learn about Journalism as a university degree choice and how journalism qualifications can be developed into a career that could take you all over the world.

At the end of the school, students will take away their finished publication, complete with their own picture-bylined stories. All participants and their families will also be invited to a celebration event to showcase their work at the end of the school.

Are you interested in the legal system and the role of law in society? Do you want to learn more about how laws are made and implemented and how decisions are made about those who disregard the law?

This school will provide students with the opportunity to explore the many ways in which law affects all of our lives.

Participants will be educated in the process of law making; to see how laws can be interpreted and the sometimes unexpected effects of legislation. Students will also be able to gain a valuable insight into how laws may be enforced and the problems associated with finding appropriate measures to deal with law breaking.

Students will explore the law through a series of interactive workshops and will also have the opportunity to take part in a mock trial in the purpose built court room in the Hugh Aston building.

LAW SCHOOL

The De Montfort University Robotics School is an exciting chance for students to learn more about robotics and artificial intelligence within a university environment. Participants will have access to world class teaching and facilities, using state-of-the-art equipment to create and design a robot over the course of the school. A ‘Robot Wars’ style battle will take place at the end of the school, with the newly created robots battling each other for supremacy!

The school is designed especially for students who excel in Maths, Science, Engineering or Electronics or have a proven ability in this field. Students will develop skills in computer programming as well as learning how to use new software and hardware systems. The new skills learnt will benefit current and future studies and will provide participants with a greater understanding of Information Technology.

Students, families and academics will be invited to a celebration event after the school has ended.

ROBOTICS SCHOOL

© De Montfort University January 2013

For more information, please contact:

Richard Witts Schools and Colleges Liaison TeamDe Montfort UniversityThe GatewayLeicester LE1 9BH

T: 0116 250 6461E: studentadviser@dmu.ac.uk