This guide is intended to provide guidelines, from a British perspective, for group discussion of issues relevant to developing a school policy to meet the needs of students who are very able. The guide utilizes short case studies and a series of mindmaps to illustrate issues and highlight key planning and decision-making points. The guide begins with the mission statement of the National Association for Able Children in Education. The first section explores the meanings of the terms "very able,""gifted," and "talented." The second section considers how to analyze and diagnose the needs of very able children, their teachers, and their parents. The following chapter discusses a range of professional strategies useful in refining identification of talented students including checklists, objective assessment tools, peer group referral, and methods of assessing very young children. The fourth chapter first discusses teaching and learning skills to help extend the curriculum and differentiate the learning experiences for able students. It then considers planning and organizational strategies to optimize direct teaching of very able students. The final chapter offers a mindmap highlighting the points that should be incorporated into a school policy statement. Two appendices include explanations of various definitions and models of giftedness and a set of reproducible resources. (Contains 30 references.) (DB)