12 Year old girl not interested in academic work but loves cooking

[xing]

Can I ask if there is a such specialist school for a 12 year old who has no interest in academic study at all but loves physical actives such as PE, cooking even housework?

Or 12 is too early to give up study?

[antimatter]

it is too early

even if she wants to become a chef and go then to college she needs basic skills

make her interested in using maths in calculations for recipes
etc...

[tittifilarious]

She can access studio schools from age 14. These have a vocational focus but she will also gain the core basic skills.

[xing]

The girl is from overseas 1 year ago and currently in an independent school in Oxfordshire. She is very happy at school as there are plenty of games, drama lessons that don't need academy work, but it seems such a waster with thousands of pounds paid just to "play" in school....

[antimatter]

are you sure is wasted?

and - are you a mother who is paying?

[antimatter]

or I should say - parent/guardian

besides - good education is more than just academics

[xing]

Antimatter, the girl is my niece, my brother's daughter, my brother is paying the fee. She is going to a day school and stay in my house after school. Tracing back, my brother is not academic at all, either the girl's mum. Being very academic myself, maybe I did not see her true potential.

It is very frustrating seeing her prefer cooking, gardening and doing house chore all day during summer holidays rather then spending some time to learn English vocabulary that she really need for her school work.

[antimatter]

Is the English vocabulary been set to her as homework by her school?

[xing]

She has done the homework set by her English 1 to 1 tutor within one week. Shouldn't she do more to catch up in the holiday time?

[antimatter]

So the extra homework is not set by school.

I think let her enjoy last few days of holiday.
Some kids are late developers and take time to get to academic stuff. I guess you are in touch with her school teachers. Do they have any concern in regards to her progress?
After all she had to settle in new school and new way of life. I would not worry much.

Let her use english recipes, make food out of them, there's a lot she can learn that way.
If she becomes a chef she will need other skills and ability to express herself and present etc....

She is only 12 - best not to decide too soon on her future anyway

[Eastpoint]

If you spoke to my daughter who is 16 you would think she was obsessed with cooking, making her room look pretty and so on. However she just got the top grades in every subject she took at GCSE (11 all v academic) and plays an instrument at a high level. Does your niece watch tv/YouTube videos only in English? That would help her vocabulary? The FoodNetwork has lots of tv programmes she might enjoy. I hope this helps.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Cooking is a mixture of maths (weighing, calculating ratios etc), science ( it is all chemical reactions) etc.
I would consider getting her interested in molecular gastronomy to show how important other subjects are to cooking.
Running a house it is important to be able to ave grasp of budgetting and basic accounts also maths.

[xing]

Lonecatwithkitten, thinking deep, I realized my worries is that she has no real love to cooking either. I say she loves cooking only because she always choose cook rather than study -- I did always ask her to do either study or cook/house chore rather than stay idle????????????. While previously she is behind academically, and addict to TV????????

I struggle to find a thing that really motives her, maybe this is the r????problem.

[summerends]

Her English fluency will be progressing more watching English soaps than learning lists of vocabulary. I would say that a proper rest during the holiday will improve her zest for learning in the termtime. Twelve is very young. Do you have your own children? I wonder if you are not expecting too much of her at this stage. How academic is her school? Maybe you could have a chat with them about finding something that motivates her when she returns.

[summerends]

Forgot to add that the 'playing' by doing drama and sport that you mention all contribute valuable skills, confidence as well as enjoyment.

[antimatter]

Has she been assesed for dyslexia?

[xing]

antimatter - I do have a doubt. But as she has limited English, I am not sure if she can be diagnosed in UK.

My observation is that nothing motives her. she does cooking and housework only because she has to choose between study and housework. It is not due to she really loves it.

She seems to never to be able to sit down and concentrate on something alone, always likes to be chatting with other people. Housework is better than study because she can at least walk around.

[titchy]

Sounds like a fairly normal 12 year old tbh. Very unusual to find children that age passionate about a subject. Chill and be glad she has friends and is learning English - chatting with friends far more beneficial to learning the language than any tutor will be.

[antimatter]

It is an old thread but I am wondering what has happened to your niece in the last few months