Has anyone asked to have their child removed from the gifted and talented list?

[Miggins]

Hello, I was just wondering if anyone had asked to remove their child from the gifted and talented list? Our child, who is 5, has just been put on the list, however, we feel that, this has resulted in his teacher putting unnecessary pressure on him. For example, she has been setting him various tests in English and Maths (used on older pupils in the school), spelling tests etc.

We are really wondering if the whole 'g and t' thing is putting unnecessary pressure on a young child. He is a bright boy and does need stimulating but not at the expense of a 'normal' childhood.

Any thoughts/experiences welcome.

Thanks

[roisin]

I know people who have asked for their children to be removed/not to be put on the list, because of their beliefs that G&T labels put pressure of expectations on students.

[nobodysfool]

Watching this thread with interest as we have a 4 year old who has been put on it.They have picked him from the school nursery and i wonder just how much extra pressure he will be put under.

[gomez]

We declined the offer of DD1 being place on 'staged intervention' which is as near as Scotland gets to a G&T list. School were quite happy as long as we were happy.

[mimsum]

it completely depends on how your school interprets it ime

all three of mine have been on the G&T list (ds1 is on for being both G & T (sport), ds2 for being 'gifted' at maths and dd for being ahead allround)

And it has made absolutely no difference whatsoever ... every now and then the boys got taken out of class to do a useless project on something vaguely curriculum related, or picked to represent the school in a quiz, ds2 got a bit of extra maths homework last year (which he loved because usually the homework is very literacy-based) but nothing so far this year. The work is allegedly differentiated but in primary they've all been on the top tables and have complained the work is too easy, so mine have certainly not been under any pressure at all. The dc have not been aware of being on a list (although they all realise they're ahead of the rest of their class) and as far as their primary is concerned it's just a box-ticking exercise

[DadAtLarge]

Miggins, you don't have a choice.

The G&T program requires schools to formulate a policy and criteria for putting children on the register. Once that's done schools are legally obliged to put on the register all children who qualify.

There are schools that are pathetic at implementing G&T, like the example mimsmum gives, but there are some who do follow the guidelines and implement it properly for the benefit of those it's intended to help (That's the whole school, BTW, and not just the top 10%).

Have a word with the teacher - the tests she's giving him may be more to get a better idea of what he can and can't do and it may be with the intention of fine tuning work for your DS, which is a Good Thing.

On a different note, I can't really see a state school putting academic pressure on a five year old at the expense of fun, play and socialising. If anything, it's the other way round. ;)

Even asking for him to be pulled out of G&T puts you at a disadvantage if when later he ends up bored stiff at the mundane work he's being given.

[cory]

I don't see why asking to have him pulled out of G&T needs to disadvantage him forever- he could always be put back there at a later stage. But even if the school can't pull him out of the list, for reasons suggested by DAL, you could have a quiet word with the teacher to suggest that maybe the testing is a bit much for him at the moment. That doesn't mean you have then committed yourself to never asking for more stimulating work for him ever- things change and what is not appropriate for him now may well be appropriate in a few years' time.