Is your DC thriving at primary? Daunted by school choice (London)!

[Looseleaf]

Hello
If anyone had any advice on schools that have dealt well with a gifted child I'd be so grateful or even just to tell me that their local state primary has been great as this what I'm hoping will work well.
Or does class size matter a lot if a child is gifted? And has your child been happy and interested at school?
Many thanks!

[tenderbuttons]

Some are brilliant, some aren't and I don't think that there is any way to tell at all (and even within a school some teachers get it and others don't). But there does seem to be some truth in the stories that 'outstanding' schools quite often aren't that good at dealing, while good schools are better.

Class size - really depends on the child. My DD was noise sensitive and quiet, so a big class didn't suit her. If you have an extrovert child who will not hesitate to tell the teacher exactly what they can do and when they are bored, then it can be fine.

And DD wasn't happy and interested, but we moved schools and now she is, which kind of illustrates my first point really.

One other thing, and a bit of a touchy subject, but it really depends on how gifted. Most schools can deal up to a certain level and then fall apart; conversely there are some outlier children who find it hard to be catered for in almost any school.

[Looseleaf]

This is great to hear your experience, thank you. Also I'm sure I'll have more idea of how he'll fit in by the time he starts nursery as the social side in itself is stimulating and challenging.

[whatwillhappennext]

Watching with interest. Dd is in reception at our local school. She is in a lovely class with a lovely teacher. She is a very advanced reader but otherwise refuses to do anything she thinks she might not be able to do perfectly (um which is pretty much everything). She is also noise sensitive and very happy playing by herself. She has no friends. School have been onto her straight away, at first thinking she had some kind of ASD. They brought in an incredible EP who 'got' DD straight away: she is very bright, doesn't need friends at the moment as her imagination is so huge, and will socialise when ready. She is perfectly capable of socialising with adults. School have reluctantly taken on board what the EP said. she gets support at lunchtime, when she finds the main playground too overwhelming. she is supposed to get extension activities twice a week but I am not sure this is happening. I am not sure what else school could really do with her though until she stops being her own worst enemy (apart from help her with this). My main niggle is that they don't fully appreciate how much she reads and comprehends and so don't realise how much of the content is not challenging for her, which in think results in some of her behavioural issues. I am promised a big change in Yr 1 when they all start HAVING to do the same thing. Fingers crossed. I do wonder if I should put her in a Montessori school, or home school, in my lowest moments. Sorry bit of a hijack.