Able, Gifted & Talented

At The Blue Coat School, we believe that children’s gifts and talents can be nurtured both within and beyond the classroom. For pupils who show a particular aptitude in subjects such as music, sport, art, English, maths or science, there are many opportunities to explore and extend their interests outside of school. The organisations and websites listed below offer specialist support, enrichment activities or pathways for young learners. While we are not affiliated with these providers and cannot take responsibility for the provision they offer, we hope that this list proves a helpful starting point for parents seeking to support their child’s development in a particular area of interest and strength.

Music

1. Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
   https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire

Offers music tuition, ensembles and theory for talented young musicians.

2. National Children’s Orchestra (NCO)
   https://www.nco.org.uk
   National orchestra for gifted children aged 7–14. Regular auditions held in Birmingham.

Cricket

1. Warwickshire County Cricket Club – Youth Pathway
   https://edgbaston.com/warwickshire-ccc/pathway

Offers structured pathways for boys and girls aged 11–18.

2. Worcestershire County Cricket Club – Academy and Age Group Squads
   https://wccc.co.uk/cricket/squads/academy-squad

Provides a performance pathway for talented young cricketers across the county.

3. Junior Cricket Academy, Worcester
   https://www.juniorcricketacademy.org.uk
   Coaching for children as young as 2, focusing on core skills, fun, and building a lifelong love of the game.

Football

1. Worcestershire FA – Player Development Centre
   https://www.worcestershirefa.com/players/wfa-player-development-centre

Offers high-quality weekly coaching for 5–11 year olds who already play for grassroots clubs. Designed to complement existing club football.

2. Rising Stars Sports Academy (Birmingham)
   https://risingstarssportsacademy.co.uk
   Grassroots football academy offering structured development and match play for children aged 4–16. Links with scouts and competitive leagues.

3. FC Birmingham Academy
   https://fcbirmingham.com/academy

Runs Academy and Development squads from U9 upwards, with progression routes to senior and semi-professional football. High-level coaching provided.

Hockey

1. Old Halesonians Hockey Club – Junior & Youth Development
   https://ohhcjuniors.co.uk
   Offers inclusive, fun, and competitive training for ages 6–18, with England Hockey-qualified coaches and clear progression through player pathway tiers

2. King’s Heath Hockey Club – Junior Section
   https://www.kingsheathhockey.co.uk
   Structured junior training for ages 6–16 led by England Hockey-qualified coaches, with sessions year-round and mentoring into senior teams.

3. West Bromwich Hockey Club – Youth Team & Development
   https://www.westbromhc.co.uk
   Saturday morning sessions for ages 8–16, combining fun with competitive play and a pathway aligned with England Hockey’s regional development.
   
   

Rugby

1. Bournville Rugby Club – Minis & Juniors Section

https://bournvillerfc.co.uk/teams/bournville-minis-and-juniors

Runs training and matches for U6 through U18, including boys and girls from ages 5–11.

2. Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club – Mini & Junior Section

https://moseleyrugby.co.uk/junior-rugby-birmingham/

Based at Billesley Common, Moseley RFC offers sessions for Years 2–6, as well as a Micros group for Reception and Year 1. 

Netball

1. Bourneville and Selly Oak Little League
   http://www.birminghamcitynetballclub.org.uk/BSOLL/BSOLL.html

Offers netball to girls in Years 3-6 on Saturday mornings.

2. West Midlands England Netball Academy
   https://www.engnetballacademy.com/westmidlands
   Netballers aged 8-11 are taught how to improve their game by elite coaches who have experience in winning at the highest level or building teams that compete at a national level.

Other Sports

1. City of Birmingham Swimming Club
   https://www.swimbirmingham.org.uk
   Elite swimming training for gifted young swimmers.

2. Edgbaston Priory Club
   https://edgbastonpriory.com/academies/

Academies available for tennis and squash.

3. Revolution Gymnastics
   https://www.revolutiongymclub.co.uk/gymnastics

Classes in multiple disciplines for girls and boys aged 4-15.

Art

1. Ikon for Schools
   https://www.ikon-gallery.org/education/schools/

Contemporary art gallery offering workshops and outreach for primary children.

2. MAC Birmingham – Creative Learning
   https://macbirmingham.co.uk
   Offers weekend art classes and holiday camps in visual arts, theatre and creative design.

3. Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA)
   https://rbsa.org.uk/call-for-entries/

Provides young artist competitions, workshops and exhibitions.

English

1. National Literacy Trust
   https://literacytrust.org.uk/communities/birmingham/families/

Local reading and writing initiatives for gifted and enthusiastic readers and writers.

2. Young Writers (National)
   https://www.youngwriters.co.uk
   Publishes anthologies of poetry and stories written by talented young writers.

Maths

1. STEM Learning
   https://www.stem.org.uk/secondary/resources/collections/home-learning-support/maths

Maths activities for 9-14 year olds

2. Nrich Maths
   https://nrich.maths.org/parents

Free online enrichment and problem-solving activities for strong mathematicians.

3. Nerdle

https://nerdlegame.com/

Daily maths puzzle involving the four operations

Science

1. The ThinkTank

https://www.birminghammuseums.org.uk/thinktank/highlights

A range of events and exhibitions designed to ignite curious young minds.

2. STEM Learning – Clubs and Enrichment
   https://www.stem.org.uk
   National directory of STEM clubs, competitions and learning opportunities.

3. The Royal Institution
   https://www.rigb.org
   Regular events, talks and shows in-person and live-streamed.

4. The Crest Awards

https://www.crestawards.org/resource-library/primary/#

High quality resources designed to inspire children at EYFS, KS1 and KS2 levels.

5. Little Inventors

https://www.littleinventors.org/

An organisation that develops and showcases creativity and problem solving.