What does being selected for the rigorous Gifted Education Programme (GEP) mean for your child’s academic progress?

(A) Better Teacher to Student Ratio

In the GEP, your child will be in class sizes of about 25 students. The comparatively lowered teacher to student ratio will have a positive impact on the amount of attention that your child will receive from the teachers.

(B) Increased Intensity of Academic Work

GEP teachers typically teach at a faster pace to prevent students from getting bored, becoming disruptive, or losing focus. Your child should be prepared for a substantial increase in the syllabus and homework load.  

Known as Individualized Study Options, project work will also take up much of your child’s time, with there being Individualized Research Study (IRS), Innovation Programme (IvP), Future Problem-Solving Programme (FPS) and Destination Imagination (DI) amongst other assorted Challenges, Olympiads, Presentations and Competitions that your child has to take part in.

(C) Broader and more In-Depth Curriculum

The scope of the GEP curriculum is comparatively broader and more in-depth as compared to the mainstream MOE syllabus.

For example, just in the first half of Primary 4 GEP, students will be taught the ancient number systems (i.e Sumerian, Aztec, Egyptian counting systems) or calculations in different bases during Math lessons. They will also be introduced to various literary genres (i.e Horror, Fantasy, Mysteries, Sci-Fi) and Greek / Roman mythology during their English classes. All these, and much more just within the first few months of their GEP journey!

These are not just simple enrichment activities; such topics are deeply integrated into the syllabus. Teachers will assign worksheets, research assignments and group projects based on these areas of focus.

You may find your child being more engaged as compared to the lower primary years and will therefore be stretched to achieve his or her maximum potential.

After all, the GEP is a programme which caters to the specific learning requirements of the intellectually gifted child, to help them harness their intelligence productively and effectively. It is exactly like how a sports regime is tailored to suit a child talented in sports. Or an arts course for artistically inclined children.

(D) Working Hard to Maintain Good Grades

Some parents have this misconception that being selected for the GEP means that their child will do tremendously well in the PSLE or any academic exams they face, even with minimal effort.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. While being intellectually gifted does have some correlation with academic grades, it does not automatically make your child academically inclined, nor guarantee future academic success.

Your child will still need to pay attention in class, request help from teachers if they don’t understand a concept well, do their homework diligently and conduct productive revision sessions before their exams. These are study and exam skills that all students should develop, whether they are from the GEP or not.

What Are The Recommended Tutoring / Enrichment Programmes for GEP Students?

The Gifted Education Programme (GEP) has a highly rigorous syllabus, distinct from the mainstream curriculum. As such, GEP students may still require additional guidance and extra practice to give them an edge over their classmates.

NickleBee Tutors has 2 academic programmes tailored for GEP and High-Ability (mainstream) students:

(i) Small Group Math Tuition

This course caters to GEP students who are currently attending the Gifted Education Programme from Primary 4 to Primary 6.

Specifically designed for the intellectually gifted child, our proprietary Primary Math GEP materials equip our students with critical thinking skills, advanced problem-solving techniques, and in-depth understanding of GEP math topics to prepare them for the rigours of their GEP Common Tests and Exams, hence maximizing their results.

Mr Zhou, a former alumnus of the Gifted Education Programme (Rosyth & Raffles Institution), will be conducting all the GEP Math Small Group Tuition classes.

Find out more about NickleBee Tutors’ Small Group Math tuition here.

(ii) Advanced PSLE Math Masterclass

GEP & High-Ability (mainstream) students looking to ace the PSLE can consider NickleBee Tutors’ “Advanced PSLE Math Masterclass”, perfect for those looking to undertake the study of PSLE Math at a higher level and sharpen their ability to solve challenging and non-routine ‘Olympiad-style’ math questions.

The Advanced PSLE Math Masterclass is NickleBee Tutors’ most popular flagship programme, with 93% of their Advanced Math students scoring AL1 in PSLE Math 2022!

The course is taught by Mr Zhou and is a 12-month programme commencing from the 1^st week of October in each year and will run until the PSLE Math Paper of the following year.

Find out more about NickleBee Tutors’ Advanced PSLE Math Masterclass here.

ABOUT NICKLEBEE TUTORS

NickleBee Tutors is rated the #1 Math Centre for Primary Math Tuition, and we have been featured in The Straits Times, The Sunday Times, The New Paper, Capital 958FM and Channel 8 for our comments on issues ranging from GEP Math tuition to Math Olympiad questions.

Visit https://nicklebeetutors.com/ to find out how hundreds of our students across different primary schools have improved in their academic results for the PSLE Math Exams and Math Olympiad Competitions.