To think my DC is too clever for state secondary school?

[GeniusCreator]

DC is Yr7. Top of year according to what I’ve been told. Read the full series of Harry Potter books by 7 years old. Excels in STEM subjects. Spends ages at home researching science stuff like quantum field theory and nuclear fusion/fission and enjoys it! Designs his own websites and writes his own code for his own games. Primary school were always pretty amazed by him. Secondary school have picked up on him now and have said they’ve never seen anything like him.

He’s already mentioning being a bit bored in class. We live in what could be described as a deprived town and are not well off, no family to help out, so would never be able to get him into a private school. I did check with the private school in the next town but there are no scholarships available.

WIBU to try to crowdfund for private school fees?

He needs a much higher level curriculum than the state school one to continue stretching him. I honestly think he’s destined for amazing things.

<only slightly light hearted>

Maybe approach your son's school about putting him on their 'Gifted and Talented' register .
If they feel that he fits the criteria then the school will have to make special provision for him.

If he wants to go to Cambridge then he gets bonus points for achieving top grades from a poor state school. There will be loads of great grades applying from the private so that's less impressive. It's the ones with the good connections through their high profile parents that get the places from private - can get the work experience etc.

My nephew had unconditional offers from all the competitive units he applied to with a year of his average state school still to go and went on to achieve the highest results the school had ever seen. Moving him up was never considered- he had an established friendship group, as it sounds your son has too which is equally as important throughout high school. There are lots of ways he can expand on his learning within the state system and as the school have already identified him, it sounds like they are on the ball. agree with pp's when saying make sure you look after his mental health. That would be the biggest concern in this case and something my sister was always very aware of with my nephew.

😂

Lol. Private schools don't necessarily add value for clever kids.

My DS was reading HP at age 8 so pretty clever too. He went to the local comp and then a Russell group uni. He then got one of a very few graduate jobs at a prestigious London Merchant Bank and has progressed rapidly. He did all this while playing several musical instruments to a high level, coaching his sport as a paying P/T job from age 16 and volunteering at two youth groups. One offering free maths tuition to younger children and the other offering support to the severely disabled. It

if you feel school isn't sufficiently stimulating for him remember there is more to life and learning than the national curriculum . There are extra curricular activities such as drama, sport, music, chess etc that will stretch and develop him and improve his eligibility for a good uni. Outside school there are even more opportunities including scouts, st John’s, Army Cadets and I'm sure that locally and online you will find even more.

At the end of his school career the best he can achieve is 4 or 5 good A Levels. If he is as clever as you say I am sure he doesn't need a private school to get these. Let him develop in non academic ways as well.

I believe you OP.

My dad was like this as a kid. He has a photographic memory and could read grown up books by age of 4 and recite them by heart, recite an encyclopaedia etc. A real wonderkid.

My brother actually went to Cambridge followed by Harvard (in STEM) and he wasn't nearly as smart as my dad at that age, but like your son he also researched quantum mechanics "for fun" in his free time and taught himself coding as a hobby. He could also assemble any Rubiks cube (of all sizes/shapes) in under a minute, which he also taught himself and practiced in his free time. He was also always Mr Popular at school and a class clown, still has a really wide circle of friends (he's in his 20's).

But a kid like that doesn't need a private school to succeed. In fact, they will succeed anywhere. Talk to the school about skipping a year but also enter him in competitions like Maths Olympia and similar (not sure what they're called but speak to the school).

I had absolutely no issues reading Harry Potter out loud - Roald Dahl on the other hand with all the long often nonsensical words was a nightmare and even my dyslectic dd was managing them fine at 7 so I'm not sure finding thing tricky to read out loud is a yard stick 😆

No to crowdfunding. School fees are not a ‘one off” they’re ongoing and will cost ££££.

If he is really gifted then start looking around at scholarships in other areas and move or look at boarding to give him that opportunity.

I haven’t read the full thread but quite a lot of it.

I was not any sort of child genius but I was pretty bright. I went to a very good comprehensive and then to Cambridge. I am a huge supporter of state schooling in general, and all my kids are in/have been to them.

Because I got the grades I was considered to have done really well, and by all objective standards of course I did. But I was so bored. I disengaged a lot. I hated school. I wasn’t a great performer across all subjects so managed the grades in some of them but in others I would have flown if I’d been stretched. I’m never going to invent anything to change the world, or write the next great novel. I would just have been happier. And this really was a solid school - top of the league tables at the time and often mentioned on here now.

So for your son, and kids like him, I think it is worth exploring scholarships to the very academic private schools, as they can offer a lot more to talented kids than the majority of state schools can.

Some people send their children to private school because their child has specific educational needs and prefer the smaller setting. I would say that is becoming more the norm. I don't know why you think private schools necessarily offer more academic rigor. What your child needs is 'stretch and challenge' through extension work in class or homework, or extra curricular clubs. They might benefit from a sixth form mentor also.

Your child is excelling academically, but also needs to excel socially if he is to make the most of his talents. Being in a state secondary will allow him to meet a full range of people. Don't focus solely on the academic. Encourage him to be a rounded person. Get involved in some sports clubs. He's a child. He might also change massively when he hits puberty. I taught in a selective academic school and some of those who burned brightly in Year 7 did not always do so by Year 10. Don't let him burn out. You need to encourage him to be a fully-rounded individual who is allowed to make mistakes and be less than brilliant.

I wish him all the best.

Good on you @homeEd2021 Wish you'd been my mother.

I read the hobbit at nine and devoured the entire lord of the rings series at 8. Some children are advanced in literacy. I went through the state school system and am now a professional copywriter. IMO The Harry Potter books have a great plot, but the writing is simplistic and suitable for children.

Brain fart, The Hobbit at seven, followed by LOTR.

If this thread is real then please @GeniusCreator don't move him up a year-
the social aspect of maturing etc so impt at that age-especially for boys.

If he is exceptional he will be.

And like PP have said-much more likely these days to get to Cambridge from a State school.

Good luck.

I find that statement a bit offensive actually. My DS1 has a number of SEN and we chose a private school for him because their pastoral care and SEN provision was excellent. Not because we hope he might profit from connections.

My point being children can excell at state school and your child may be advanced, but you can just advocate for your state school to stretch him.

I forgot to say in my post that I don’t think I personally would have got more from a highly academic private school than my own school. My lack of stretch was only in a couple of areas and there are multiple reasons why neither I nor the school managed that. But if a child was feeling like that across the board it’s worth considering.

Honestly I was similar to your son, I was exceptionally academic, even got a private school scholarship but moved areas and ended up in a deprived state school. I was so bored and a bit naughty however I still left with very good gcses on minimum effort. It did however make me a grounded and well rounded person, it built character and that was most important.

For a while I was so bored of learning and constant pressure I quit and did nothing for a few years, now I’m working my way up in career and finally doing something with myself and I’m nearly 30. Please don’t pressure him and just let him stay in a normal school, he will thank you later for not having to go through the tonnes of pressure of being smart.

If boarding is an option OP send him to Christ's Hospital where fees won't be an issue. Sounds perfect for you.

I haven’t read the whole thread but agree with some of the posts.
many 18 year olds from private schools have been turned down for top unis this year (mainly science and medical courses) despite hitting A*’s in their predicted grades. More places have been offered up to kids from state schools.

My dd has always been top of the class and I toyed with the idea of private school (scholarship as I can’t afford to send her) but decided against it. She’s now 18 and sitting A levels soon, she has got offers for all the uni’s she has applied for including 2 Russell group uni’s. i don’t regret my decision to keep her where she is despite the school not having a great reputation. A bright child will do well wherever they are and the school should provide enough work so they don’t get bored. There’s also so much out of school learning they can do to keep them busy.

And crowdfunding to pay for a school place is a awful idea, no one other than close family are going to give a toss about your brainy child (I know first hand), people just assume you are bragging if you mention how amazingly bright your child is.

It's not that hard, especially in this day and age with all the information available. If the parents can read, have a computer and the initiative, it can all be found. Even before the internet I found out as a 15 year old by myself that I could get permission to go to university early and organised it with the help of a teacher. If the parents need to they can make an appointment with a developmental psychologist or the school, and ask for that information. It's not that hard.

Wow! That interview! @Sweetpea1532 Incredible. Very interesting indeed. My mind is blown.

@Wheelz46 it wouldn't be ideal. However on my DS's Physics Masters course there is a 19 year old Italian. He started Uni at 16 and completed the 3 year course in 2 years. Apparently he is a really nice sociable chap and none the worse for it.

And one final thing! I think there’s a lot of comparing of apples and oranges on here. State schools vary hugely in their ability to provide stretch for academically able kids. Parents vary hugely in their ability to provide support for extras outside school, or engage in their child’s needs. Private schools vary hugely in their offer, and those who take exceptionally bright kids do offer a very different education to state schools.

I’m not entirely sure the OP was genuine but assuming it is…
I was one of those children at school, spent my entire time at a (state) school feeling fairly unchallenged by the work but I enjoyed the social aspect and hanging out with my friends.
I did a lot of extra reading on subjects I was interested in at home in my own time. And we only had libraries then, now with the internet there are so many more opportunities to learn and progress.
Unless the private school you’re thinking of is incredibly academically selective, I doubt it will make much difference. Sure the teachers will have a little more time to spend with your DS, but the cohort of children won’t necessarily be much brighter and they’ll still be studying the regular GCSE syllabus.
As other posters have mentioned, I’d be looking at other resources for extra study outside school. Maybe a private tutor for a subject he’s particularly interested in.