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>

@GeniusCreator Harry Potter are kids books, the first 3 are very simple and not long, from 4 onwards they get harder. My dd read them at 6/7 (year 2) hence me not thinking it's extraordinary, dd read the worlds most boring book, War and peace, at 9 when I told her to stop whinging she was bored and shoved it in her hands out of frustration on my part. She's pretty clever as an adult, but has lots of mental health problems so please don't be that parent, let them be a kid I wish I had tried to get my dd to do more normal teenage things

OP, does your child play an instrument (or two)? Does he play chess? Does he do sudoku, or logic problems, or cryptic crosswords? Does he do change-ringing? Does he do a martial art? a team sport? Does he know Latin? Polish? Welsh? Punjabi? Can he make a hollandaise?

Shit. I can’t do any of those. I’m obviously not a Child Genius.

Hi OP - set up a crowdfund and post the link, I’ll donate a few thousand that should cover part of his first year at private school.

Oh well if can order his own McDonald's then Eton is that way ➡️

A family of genuinely bright children got scholarships ( Complete fees paid) to St Paul’s and G&L , London.

If kids are generally academically keen, scholarships are ( Or certainly were) available.
Crowdfunding is not appropriate.

I've no idea why you think Harry Potter books are benchmarks for geniuses. My 7YO has read the first 3, I don't think the rest are suitable yet.
Also, no one in their right mind Is going to donate so your son can go to private school - the cost of living is horrific at the moment. Get a grip. Don't be so entitled.

Absolutely set up a crowd funder. Why would I pay for my books for my own child when I can give you my money so your genius can go to private school?

If I set one up can you donate a few thousand to mine going to boarding school? They aren't bright, just getting on my tits

St Custard's has an annual bursary for the spawn of the ordinary.

Haha. I struggled to read the Harry Potter books OUT LOUD not to actually read them! If any of you have actually ever opened one, you’d see there is a lot of small words on the page and it’s bloody hard to read out as a bedtime story. You get dry mouth after a page!

Not meant for OP particularly, but it seems to be a 'thing' on MN that being 'bored' at school is a likely characteristic that a child is gifted and not being stretched enough and that if given more 'challenges' the child will become engaged and run into school excitedly every day. (I exaggerate, but still.)

I think 'boredom' can often be what kids say when they don't want to do something, whether it's challenging or whether it's a routine ticking exercise.

😂😂😂😂

I’ve read his WhatsApp messaging where he’ll talk about random science stuff and they’ll be 🤣.

Ah, yes. You’re aware of the minimum age to sign up for WhatsApp in the UK then?

When I was at primary school I excelled in science and maths. My dad wanted to send me to a private school. My primary teacher told my dad children get on at either. I stayed in a state school with my primary friends and that state school got me to uni.

Well. I guess it’s be weird if a parent didn’t think their kid was the smartest and kindest… 🤷🏼‍♀️

🍿

ps, my dd11 read them all by that age too within a very short space of time with ease. Not amazing, they are aimed at their age range.

She is top in reading and maths. In September she will go to local high school. Because it’s great.

Give your head a shake lass!! Back down to earth.

Hah! The vast majority of the kids in my DD’s class (yr 4, 8-9) have read a HP or two or all of them, it’s this year’s thing.

My DD is super-clever (and v creative - she’s an excellent all-rounder but particularly gifted in languages and music). But then both her dad and I were gifted kids who also went to ordinary comps, so we are pretty relaxed about schools. I tend to think of it as rather the other way about: my kid is so bright I don’t even need to pay for private school! 🤣 Try it that way round, you might like it!

@SpindleInTheWind can confirm, I was the librarian.

🤣🤣🤣

GeniusCreator Get another job?

Unfortunately the world isnt going to stop, pay attention and give money to the genius you created, you will have to create the funds yourself.

This is where scholarships come in.
Apply for them.

I didn’t know that Eric Morecambe could look quite so sinister?

Now I’m worried about Ernie …

Maybe there's a drip feed coming, and he actually read them in Russian, Mandarin, Arabic and Sanskrit.

Move to an area with Grammar schools?