How to approach the school, Re:appropriate education

Incisor

Zziggi wrote: »

I could really do with some guidance with how to tackle my DDs school please.

My DD has just turned 5 and is relatively bright. She used to attend a nursery attached to a school (school A), they recognised that she was reading/writing etc above what was expected of her age and that she was getting bored in nursery so they moved her up a year ...

When it came to applying for a school place for DD, for a number of reasons, we applied for her to go to another school (school B). I don't want to sound a snob but the problem with school A is that its intake is from a socially deprived area with all its associated social problems. ...

Schools A and B. You've highlighted a difference between them. Whether your D should go up a year could be a marginal decision and a neutral observer might say it was right in School A but not in School B, because your D was more up to the level of the older group in school A.

Mr Cow's approach sounds good. As it is only a few weeks into term, everyone is still adapting - just find more challenging activities out of school, with or without teacher's assistance and let the rest roll. It will be good for D to learn to work constructively in less challenging environments - if she is bright, this may be a lifelong problem she will face. Take it as positive opportunity for her to develop character and find her interests, while doing everything she has to.

j-baby-scotland

So many great replies.
My little one is 4.5 years old. Scotland, so slightly different. Still in the pre-school year of nursery (equiv. reception in England).
His present teacher I heard say he would be a mathematical genius when he grew up.
His reading ability frequently astounds me. I am 'gifted' myself, IQ wise, not in a monetary sense.
My son never settled in the present 'regimented' nursery; when younger a smalller, more open space nursery was ideal.
He has behavioural issues now... also funding for one - to - one applied for. Would this have been needed if he was not in an inner city overcrowded under-resourced nursery?
There were also issues at his birth which could have contributed to the behavioural issues.

Don't take this the wrong way Ziggi... but unless you are willing to take your child out of the mainstream & home educate I think you have to realise that you then have to accept what is available.

I am thinking of refusing the appointment of a one to one for my son, he'd learn more with me I think, combined with flexi-hours for the nursery. The full hours of nursery I know are too much for my little one.

I can't afford to home educate but when what is on offer is so substandard you either put up (the bar) or shut up.

milliejo

I know from experience that if you have a bright child they need to be stretched otherwise they switch off or become naughty. Like other posters have said I think you need to contact NAGC. Also perhaps think about moving her back to the original school or investigating the local private schools - many have very good bursary schemes if you don't have much money to spare. When looking at schools for my son in both the state and then private sector we asked what arrangements they made for bright children & if they didn't have any crossed that school off the list. I dont think its fair that bright children aren't given the same help as children with learning difficulties but they arent so we pay the money and are delighted with the excellent education he is getting - a class of 20 & specialist teachers for many subjects + lots of extra activities so at least we feel that we get value for money even though neither of our families had experience of private education and it had never occurred to us until we started looking at schools for our son

silvercar

Seems you need to choose between the more suitable education at school A and the social atmosphere at school B. The problem stems from you starting on school A path initially and now switching. If you had never moved up a year with school A, school B would not now be so bad, as you wouldn't be repeat learning. If you are adamant that school A is not right socially, then you have no option but stick with school B and supplement with out of school enrichment opportunities.

I sent mine to a primary school that was socially right (and educationally OK) but always with the intention that they wouldn't be following the herd to the linked secondary school. It led to difficult starts to secondary school for both of them in different ways, but I was determined to see it out as the educational opportunities were what I wanted (they went to different secondaries to each other).

gymfiend

I can identify with this situation having been moved up a year when I was only about 5 or 6 years old. I was born in March so was moved in to a class when some of the children were 18 months older than me. At that age, I don't recall noticing a difference, or feeling any different and I remember doing reasonably well in my SAT's so it must have been the right decision from an academic viewpoint. However fast forward to high school, at only 10 and a half I was bullied for being 'different' by kids who were 11/12 - a massive difference at that age. I wouldn't say it affected my social skills as a person to be moved up a year, but it affected my confidence during those years and made high school an awful place. My parents have said a number of times that if they could make the decision again, they would have looked at private education or another means of academic stimulation.
Those are my thoughts anyway - I hope they are of some use to you Like you say, although in other areas of life age is but a number, in school it can be used as a tool to pick you out from others as the target of bullies.

GlasweJen

I was considered gifted in school (IQ 167!) and it wasn't all that great for me. Teachers just left me to get on with it, i finished the national tests up to level E by primary 6 and then they introduced level F and i had that done before I left primary. I literally had every book in the library finished by primary 5 and my mum couldn't afford to buy me books to take to school with me.

Because i had the "gifted" label everyone assumed i was being lazy toward the end of secondary and no one bothered to test me for dyslexia, the university discovered that after my highers had went to pot.

mrcow

GlasweJen wrote: »

I was considered gifted in school (IQ 167!)

:eek:
At least we all know where to come when we're stuck on homework in the future ;)

squashy

My DD is also G&T. However I know that the school does not recieve a penny of extra funding for G&T children and so there isn't really anything extra for them, other than diffrentiation in classes. Our school have vertical streaming too so in one class you could have Year 3 children working at Level 1A up to year 4s working at 4a (as my DD is with her reading).

I am very happy with the way they handle her education, I feel she is generally pushed enough, she is also deaf but again this is handled fine and provisions are made for her (again, no cash though!)

GlasweJen

Lol! I think it's dropped a few points since that test, that or IQ tests are miles off the mark.

Just a thought though, once you have one label it might be difficult to get another (in this case your ASD diagnosis if appropriate).