ABSTRACT
This chapter is informed by two reports (published in 1992 and 2013), issued by the bodies responsible for inspecting schools in England, that focused on provision for gifted learners within the state school system. It explores why provision in state schools has often failed to meet the needs of the most able pupils. The chapter provides some background on the nature of state education in English schools leading up the period when the Inspectorate drew attention to how the system was failing most able pupils. It then offers an overview of the key initiatives and policies put in place to ensure that gifted pupils attending state schools in England would be supported in meeting their potential. The chapter argues that teaching practice in relation to the gifted in science is constrained and shaped by the broader policy context in which schools and teachers operate.
