Following the publication of the House of Commons Education Select Committee Report in 1999, the Department of Education and Employment has set up a number of initiatives, including Excellence in Cities, to address the problematic issues relating to provision for gifted and talented pupils in primary and secondary schools.

This book rehearses and develops further the central idea put forward by the authors in the first edition titled Educating Able Children that teachers remain the essential resource to ensure appropriate provision for gifted and talented pupils. They suggest ways in which teachers may become an effective and efficient resource; consider how teachers might take advantage of current initiatives to facilitate their own professional development; provide ideas at classroom, departmental and school level to facilitate appropriate provision, and include a comprehensive and up to date list of resources.