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>

The trouble is that schools vary so much around the country! Not everywhere has the option of a selective state school. Our rural county has comprehensives or independent. No grammars. I've worked in several of the comprehensives and they are increasingly challenging in terms of behaviour management and there is such a huge diversity of needs to meet. Round here there are independents for all sorts of abilities, if you can afford it or qualify for a bursary.

Assuming this is serious (which I cannot believe but anyway…) why would you think of crowd funding for a private school and not sit for him for a scholarship?! I’m surprised it hasn’t been mentioned to you over the years.

I read Harry Potter at a young age. I am certainly no genius! 😢 I’ve always enjoyed reading. It’s not highly unusual.

Apologies, re-read the OP but I find it hard to believe there are no private schools near you with scholarships and bursaries. Not one?! Unless you’re super rural.

It looks like a big, fat wind - up to me.
ANYONE knows that scholarships are given to academic kids, and I’m sure the school he is currently at would have suggested it.

There was an extremely talented Mathematics student at College, the Tutor said “ We just can’t find stuff hard enough for him to do”.
So exceptional talent does get noticed, wether a student is a gifted Joiner, Artist, Maths genius or great at English.

If he's such a genius, surely you can get a scholarship for him?

'Private' does not equal 'academically more challenging'. It equals 'more resources and manpower '. Things which average to poor students need to participate in the great middle-class tradition of opportunuty-hoarding. Again, if your son's that smart he won't need that.

Of course the more expensive private schools also provide social capital and connections. If that's what you're really after, see above - scholarship.

I read 1984 when I was 10.

Just saying.

Does he have any friends, OP? Is he kind? Does he do nice things for people? Is he respectful? Make other people happy?

Quantum theory.

Yeah sure he does.

I would look at which private schools do offer the level of scholarship you require, apply and move anywhere, honestly.

I was at the top of my state comprehensive and ended up at Oxford. Children who are naturally intellectually curious (as your son sounds to be) will do well where ever they go to school provided they have supportive parents - and by that I don’t mean pushy, I mean parents who provide access to the library and show an interest. At university I think my state school background was helpful as I was very self-motivated compared to some of the private school kids who struggled without the support they were used to.

Your son sounds as though he is quite happy and academically a self-starter. This is great and I really don’t think you need to worry about him reaching his potential at a state school. Personally I wouldn’t try and move him up a year - let him socialise with his peers.

He's not that special OP. If he is he'll excel wherever he goes. It's down to you too. Good luck 😃

Seems like a wind up post but it has made me think, can children actually move up a year and if so how would they legally leave school? A summer born kid, moving up a year would mean they are 14 when they finish in year 11.

You can't then have them starting college/university as surely that would be a safeguarding issue! They can't work because of their age, so what on earth would they do or do they stay in year 11 for 2 years?

Out of interest, how old is your child? (I'm not in England).

I am the same age as the Harry Potter actors so I'm that generation and was 18 when the final one came out, and I had to read parts (ie horcruxes) twice.

How old was he when he mastered this?

i once worked with a 20 year old teacher who skipped their way through school and thought they were wonderful.

That went well.

Have you looked into home education? This may give him the chance to work with other like minded young people and adults. There is no funding for HE and you need to pay for examinations but if he is academic he may be able to join a local college for basic GCSEs and start university early/ set up his own business. The beauty of home education is that you can cater to their strengths and support any weaknesses either 1-1 or n small groups.

Ummmm think you need to dial it down on the Harry Potter reading as some exceptional achievement.

If he is very bright, you could approach a local private school and ask if they want to create a scholarship for him....if it's a good school and you think it's right for him. Would he like weekly boarding? That would give you more options. If you're that keen, you could move to an area with grammar schools. I guess, anything is worth trying...writing to a philanthropic and scientifically-minded billionaire ( Elon Musk?) I think get him to enter science competitions; writing completions, etc. Do your bit too, to help him to excel.

Private schools have all the after-school clubs and extra-curricular activities laid on and well-established. More of the kids, probably, talk about cultured subjects. These days, most private schools select those they want, so the children are, overall, more like your son: academic, studious. The classes are smaller. If he's very, very bright, he needs something tailored, I guess, which a private school might find it easier to provide.

I wouldn't agree with private over state, per se, but, I don't think a bit of extra tutoring and violin lessons is going to cut it, for this child.

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.

yes, and mine had all read War and Peace by 12, they are aimed at their age range 😏

OP your DS sounds very bright, it does happen, much to the chagrin of other parents. But, you have said the school have clocked this and acknowledged it. Your best port of call now is to work with the school and discuss a plan with them to meet your child’s needs. It’s a perfectly reasonable thing to do and no teacher will mind (the annoying ones are the ones who claim their child is ‘super bright’ when it is blatantly untrue)

I went to state school until I was 15 when I then got a scholarship to boarding school.
this was 20 years ago but my experience was
state school - extra curricular club for top pupils. Lots of things like maths challenge etc. Because there were 10 classes in the year it meant that the top class for each subject was truly full of excellent students
private school - as only a couple of classes the top class was about half the year so a huge range in ability. More focused on sports and music and no extra curricular activities based on academics. For course work we used to go round the teachers houses as a group and we’re basically sooon fed what to do. For 6th form those that weren’t as bright were ‘encouraged’ to go to the local college instead. Half the year had an eating disorder.

DS1 age 15 is very clever (for context his reading age when he was assessed at 4 was age 14+) like you we debated private school but the scholarships are next to nothing and we jointly earn too much for much of a bursary to our local private school. We also conserved grammar but because we live in wales it would have been 90min plus to get to one.
So DS goes to our local Comp. He does really really well and is on course for A* across the board. I’m sure there are times he’s a bit bored and his geography teacher said he know more about countries of the world than he does.
im not really sure what more private school would offer him as he is not sporty or musical. He’s quite happy to read up on his chosen subjects in his own time.
I also believe that state school and mixing with a huge variety of people helps prepare you for the real world much better than private school which can be quite insular and full of either people that are rich or people that have worked hard to get there. State wchool prepares you for the real world where you have to work with people from all sorts of backgrounds and all sorts of ability levels.

Disagree. 5 onwards is complex. but I still think OP is talking absolute nonsense

No matter how clever the boy is, he doesn't know everything about every subject he is faced with now. He' s only about 12 so he has a good deal to learn.

As for maths and physics, school staff can bring him on and he can join special interest groups to stimulate him further. He won't be the only clever child in the school. With luck they will form their own

Group and forge ahead.

Top of year according to what I've been told.
Really? I didn't think they told parents that sort of thing any more.

This was the 80s but I was moved up a year in primary school. The secondary school would take me a year early due to the age difference (and I’m a December baby so only a few months younger) and socially they didn’t think it would be a good idea. I ended up having to repeat year 6!
indid end up going to private school a few year later and there were a couple of girls who had been moved up a year. They took a gap year before uninso started at the ‘right age’ I’m not sure how that would work now the legal school leaving age is 18.

In Scotland you could easily be starting uni at age 17.

Harry Potter is lovely and all, but had he read any other books? Any 19thc novels? I smile politely when kids tell me they love reading but only read Harry fucking Potter and have never read Black Beauty, Watership Down and the decidedly weird Water Babies.

I've taught for a long time. In schools that have gone from outstanding to sm and back to good. I've sent some phenomenal kids to oxbridge. I've also sent some very mediocre but hardworking kids to oxbridge.

Come back when he's in year 10.