to not tell the school why we are leaving?

[hellomonster]

NC for this.

DC has been identified as "able, gifted and talented". The school we are at has no provision for this (and in fact has been pulled up on the lack of provision in the last two inspections). We have asked and asked for some guidance/help but got nowhere so decided to look elsewhere. We are lucky (and over the moon) that DC has been awarded a scholarship to a school that differentiates and seems perfect.

My AIBU is that when I informed the school that we would be leaving, they were all of a flurry and asked why and want me to come in and explain my reasons. I don't want to have to go in and say the same things I've been saying over and over. It is not my place to tell them how to do their job or quote the inspection report at them. Is it?

Tell them or not tell them, I don’t think it makes any difference and particularly not to you. I’m sure there are children leaving each term for one reason or another.

I would absolutely tell them. Vociferously (and smugly).

I would tell them.

Some schools do identify gifted and talented. My ds high school has a special class for gifted and talented. Ds is in the science and maths ones.

You have found a school that’s a better fit / that is able to provide the guidance your DD needs.

YABU. What does it cost you to tell them, even just by email.

It might help the next child like yours who isn't lucky enough to have interested parents or to get a scholarship.

Cauliflowersqueeze
Schools should help ALL children equally, not focus on one end or the other.

Thats not how the system works. Kids falling behind need extra help, kids who are ahead need stretching. One of the DC's schoolmates was sent to a local university for extra math lessons when he was identified as gifted and talented, and he was only 10.

Some schools still do the able and talented thing; but it was only ever designed to identify the top 10% (or was it 5%?) of that particular class.
Depending on the cohort, it could actually be fairly meaningless.
Why identified him, op?

OP, do explain. Who identified your DC as able, gifted and talented? If the school, then they should have followed up and you should email them that having done this they didn't encourage his/her talents and s/he has better opportunities now, dv.

I think it would be fair to other children who are able in some way to write a polite and SHORT letter saying why your DC is moving, the times you asked for help for DC and what you see as their lack v DC's new school.

It might be worth copying to the head and to the governing body but - unless something awful is going on and they are claiming to superserve gifted children - copying it to your MP (unless he's Michael Gove or the current Ed Sec) will be a waste of yours and their time.

As far as i know gifted and talented has been scrapped along with the funding for it.

Irk I’m saying that the kids in the middle should also be focused on. There is normally a lot that goes on at one end or the other but not the middle.

Very surprised to hear about a 10 year old going to maths lessons at the university. I can’t imagine the volume of risk assessments and safeguarding plans that would have been needed there.

Miserable - correct. There is zero funding for it. Schools are expected to ensure ALL students make progress (value added).

OP - I really wouldn’t waste any time worrying about it. They will fill your child’s place soon enough. Schools are used to change.

Yes,you should put in writing why you are leaving, in the form of a complaint. That will be seen by Ofsted in the next inspection, and the school will have to offer what they currently don't.

I hate Ofsted and I think they've ruined education,but that's the system.

I'm with the why wouldn't you camp. I know you think they have failed your child, but it would still be churlish not to, and another child might benefit. I agree with copying in the chair of governors BTW.

Some people are really determined for you not to think your kid is anything special, huh?

If the request came by email/note, I would write back and say you can't do a meeting but the reason you're leaving is the other school has offered a scholarship and seems to be better positioned to meet your child's needs.

Tell them. They have failed to meet your child's needs. If it has led to a child leaving and them losing funding potentially they may think again and put a policy in place.

It's pretty bad that it has been mentioned in two inspections and they haven't sought to address the problem.

Tell them.

When the same thing happened to me the Head called me in alone to her office and said “well I was going to ask what was wrong but since you’re leaving I’ll just say goodbye”.

Tell them in no uncertain terms that they’ve ignored your requests for guidance so you’re moving to a school that will support your child.

Where has all this "they don't do gifted & talented anymore" stuff come from? They certainly do! My son's new school has a gifted & talented coordinator. It is a specialised position (not some teacher taking on the role as an afterthought) and they work out a learning course for each pupil based on differentiation. Each class has five levels. Some very gifted pupils exceed even those and provision is made accordingly.

As many people have never heard of it, I assume that state schools don't have such a system. It sounds like the OP is going from private school to private school with scholarship.

Well done your DC!

frasier state schools are massively underfunded these days. I would imagine that there aren't any state schools have G & T co-ordinators. You will be paying for this service in the private sector.

I would just tell them that the other school meets the needs of your family better.

I pulled out DS from a school for bullying and because he was dead bored at being pulled back (admittedly, bullying was the main issue)

You cannot imagine the shouting I got from the headteacher on the phone, he refused to meet me to arrange the transfer and the new school NEVER received a single shred of information of DS’ performance in the old school.

I contacted the LEA, they told me to drop it as insisting will only bring me more grief.

Fortunately the new school was very proactive, got him assessed themselves and landed him with the G&T group within 4 weeks (the old school always said that DS was an aloof child, with no interest in school and of limited talent) 😡

As far as I'm aware, OP, all schools have children on the gifted and talented register. In a lesser achieving school these G&T children may be achieving whatvus average in another school. By all means move the child but not in the basis of the G&T element. They may not be G&T at the next school. It's the top 10% per year I think.

My children's state secondary school still has a gifted and talented programme. It's got a different name these days, but that's what it is.

But do they have a dedicated co-ordinator Korma?

Agree with extinctspecies. My dd was classed as able, gifted and talented. Please be aware this does NOT mean your child is a genius. It simply means that they are performing well and doing better than a certain percentage of the school.
It's complimentary but carry on as normal don't treat dc any differently

It's a way of saying " he/she has great potential"
I'm sure we all know it's up to the child how they end up using it

Remember there are loads of these children out there and they are just regular kids !