hello! and a question about what i should discuss with teacher before ds starts school...

[lola73]

hello! just found this forum and am so happy as i find it so hard to find anywhere to ask advice- if you talk to other mums they either think you have pushed your child or get paranoid about what their own can do- my son is 3 and is very advanced- particularly in reading which he started before 2 and is now at about a 6 year old level. maths is ahead but not as ridiculously so not concerned there- his particular area of interest is animals and countries and he recognised over 200 at just 2- and knows all about country, diet etc- he goes to school next september and i plan to go to speak to school before to plan what we are going to do with him particularly in literacy- what do you think i should be saying/asking ? should i see the teacher or gifter and talented person? i dont want him getting bored as they do literacy every day and he opts out of a lot of things if it doesnt grab him- he needs to be challenged but socialisation is amssively important for him as this is less good so i dont want him feeling too different or working alone etc- aargh! i am proud of his abilities but i am quite worried as i know what is like in schools and the pressure and demands on teachers- any advice very welcome, lara x

[lljkk]

If he's that able (above average) the school will soon spot it quick enough (if they're any good at all). And is he in preschool? The preschool assessment (usually passed to reception teacher) should summarise what he can do, too.
There's a lot of other new things for him to get used to in school, ways of doing things, writing in whatever style they use, social aspects, long days. I think you'd do best to say relatively little about his abilities now just something vague about he seems quite advanced for his age, and you'll be curious to see what the school thinks and otherwise enjoy the fact that he has a bit less new hard stuff to cope with in the first weeks, compared to the average child.

First parents' evening is usually in October, so that will be plenty early enough for you to see where he's at and what he needs for the rest of the year. You could double check when the first parent's evening is, and anyway, if you go up there every day you'll have the opportunity almost daily to bring up any concerns.

[Kammy]

Agree with lljkk about being vague! My son was reading fluently and counting in 2's 3's and 5's when he entered reception. After a few weeks I brought up the reading and got quite a frosty response along the lines of "we'll make our own minds up...". However, it possibly did prompt them to look further about his abilities and by the second parents evening I felt more comfortable showing them what he could read.

My approach to school has been softly softly. The teachers will pick up your sons abilities oevr time, and you will need to cultivate and develop relationships as 7 years of promary is a long time! My son was identified as gifted in Year 1 and then was assessed by the special needs co-ordinator in Year 2, which might seem like a long time to wait, but school is also about much more. I can honestly say that he has only occasionally been bored in maths despite doing Year 6 work in Year 2! He has learnt to socialise, co operate, have fun, ask teachers for more challenging work and work at things he finds difficult.
Good luck.

[lola73]

thanks! i agree- thats why i havent mentioned it in nursery and let them see for themselves which they have- i guess i am just worried but really as you say at least at first it is much more important that he settles and makes friends, has fun etc- i will lay off and see where we are after the first term!