Bright so bored!

[brightstar1]

Or just naughty? Ds2 is 6 in yr 2. V.bright.He was given the yr2 SATS test in YR1 and achieved a level 2A.He had reading age of an 8yr old. His behaviour is becoming increasingly worrying,(too long to go into), But last night ,after seeing the teacher again about him being "naughty" at carpet time.(talking). He said to me in the car that "he is bored,everything in school is boring, and why can't i get harder work to do".D id ask the teacher in Yr1 if she thought he was bored, but she said they always get extra work to do.He says he always finishes everything.What do you think i should do?

I agree with stilltrue that sometimes teachers fall into the trap of giving extra work when what is really needed is extension work.

In my class, often the most able pupils will have one tricky puzzle type question for the entire lesson whereas the others in the class may need more basic practice at the actual calculations.

If a child is getting all the answers to every question correct then the work is not being pitched at the right level for them.

There is a publication in schools called 'maths for more able pupils' (or something similar) It's a blue book full of interesting and challenging puzzles for bright kids. Ask the school if you can borrow it or get the publication no. and order one from the DFEE. If you can't find it I'll look it out for you.

Also, if he's recognised as gifted and talented then he should have an IEP stating how the school is going to meet his individual needs. IEPs are not just for children who are struggling.

brightstar my ds1 was exactly the same as your ds when he was little. I tried to explain to teacher that he was bright,but she just labelled him into the "naughty brigade" despite the fact he was composing essays at age 7 on his own free will. Teacher said she would look into it but dont think she could be bothered.
Unfortunately the label has stuck with him now going to high school
hope this doesnt happen to your ds.

suppose your right CFM. i think i'm worried about rocking the boat,but Ds should come first rather than worrying about what the teacher thinks.

homemama thanks i will ask tmrw!

whats an IEP Homemama?

An I.E.P is an individual education plan. They are normally used for children who have special needs and are struggling with the curriculum at their age level. It should set out strategies which the teacher (and anyone else working with the child) will employ to help the child reach the curriculum on their level. It is reviewed termly or sometimes half termly and is signed by the CT, the SenCo and the parents. Sometimes the child contributes.

IEPs should be written for all children who do not fall within the 'norm' of the class range. Therefore very able children also need them to show how they will be stretched and allowed to reach their potential.

If he is very bright, he should have an IEP.

An I.E.P is an individual education plan. They are normally used for children who have special needs and are struggling with the curriculum at their age level. It should set out strategies which the teacher (and anyone else working with the child) will employ to help the child reach the curriculum on their level. It is reviewed termly or sometimes half termly and is signed by the CT, the SenCo and the parents. Sometimes the child contributes.

IEPs should be written for all children who do not fall within the 'norm' of the class range. Therefore very able children also need them to show how they will be stretched and allowed to reach their potential.

If he is very bright, he should have an IEP.

Sorry

IEP is an individual education plan. There should be money/time available through SEN budget for gifted and talented children but in reality it gets used up at other end of the spectrum. I feel it seems to be up to the children to extend themselves when it should be up to the teachers to differentiate ie set tasks and learning outcomes which are appropriate to the children.

BTW I totally agree with brightstar1 - it is hard when your child is bright because although it creates lots of problems at school, it is hard to talk about without people thinking you are boasting. Often wish DD was average ability - that's where all the lessons are pitched...

IEP for high-ability children?! Not round here, or that I've ever heard of. Rare as rocking-horse poo IME.

Sorry, not going to get involved here, as too close to the bone for us, and I'm too old and cynical, and will make all the MN teachers hate me. But if you want to CAT me, brightstar, I'll try and be helpful.

frogs, it's their right by law. They have just as much right to it as a struggling child. If the systems not in place you need to push and keep pushing.
But....I do know what you are saying. A few years ago I taught in a school where a child should really have had a statement for his needs. He was in Y1 and easily reaching level 4 in maths. For those who don't know that is the level expected at the end of Y6. The authority just laughed and said no chance. We tried to get the parent to take it up with her MP but she wasn't really interested, not at all pushy, which is what you need to be sometimes.

We(school)have three very able children on an IEP. We photocopy them on blue paper to distinquish them in the file and we track their progress through school.

Please don't patronise me, homemama. Your school is likely to be an exception. Believe me, there is very little I haven't tried, Ed Psychs included. If the will isn't there on the school's part, nothing will happen, regardless of what the law says.

We do IEPs for gifted and talented where I teach, depending on where you are there's quite a bit of money been thrown G and T's way at the moment, we've got all sorts going on. We've got an author running a creative writing course and such like. Some of the children take part in a computer based maths course based in the states several times a week.

The school should have a separate G and T budget rather than it coming out of the SEN main pot. I had £2k in my budget for a small school last year, most of which came direct from the LEA. Hassle the school, G and T provision is in its early stages in many places but schools have to provide it properly. I went on a really good course at the Institute of Education about it last year. It's worth pushing for.

Yeah, they do have a separate G&T budget. They use it for SN. The only G&T provision we have seen started four weeks before the school's Ofsted inspection, and finished the week after.

This is a league-table topping school. Children on course to achieve more than Level 5 in Y6 don't show up on the league tables. Consequently, they are not a priority. School is very popular and over-subscribed, as will inevitably be mentioned every time a fuss is made.

Oh god, swore I wasn't going to get dragged in. Not going to have this conversation here.

I wasn't trying to patronise you at all!
I'm sorry your experience has been truly awful but your experience is obviously limited to your school or perhaps authority.
I'm not suggesting you haven't tried or that even all schools can be bothered BUT many schools up and down the country ARE meeting their obligations.

Oh God, Brightstar, we went through all this with DD1 this morning. She is also in Year 2 and complains constantly of being bored. She is top of her year for reading - has just finished the ORT level 15 (I think) and can now read what she pleases. She has cried every morning for the past two weeks and has said she doesn't want to go to school because she is bored. The spellings she brought home this week include the words "off" "went" and "home" - not one word longer than 4 letters. I despair - she writes stories all the time at home and can spell words like "enthusiastic" and "mountains". The school must know this.

I spoke to her teacher this morning (having physically dragged DD1 into her classroom) and said she was bored all the time. Teacher said she was becoming more and more withdrawn and now sits on her own most of the time amusing herself and not joining in. Teacher said she has given DD1 harder work, but she won't do it. DD1 said she has just been given stuff to do, but isn't shown how to do it.

School never, ever moves children up (though it has no qualms about keeping children down!). They did take DD1 a year early (hey, they're a business), and she had to repeat Kindergarten, despite being able to read already and more than ready (IMO) for Reception.

Please let me know if you find a solution. I can't home ed. The only possible solution would be to change schools, which I really don't want to do. DD1 is quite quirky and finds it difficult to make friends. We were promised a G & T assessment last year, but it never materialised, so I don't know whether to push for this again, or whether they decided she didn't merit it.

Mmmm. Possible. But not judging by the many times this question has been asked on here. I know of only one MNer who is happy with the provision their (state) school is making for her high-ability children. Above average may be catered for, but anything above that is not, IME.

Def. going to bed now. No energy for this.

tanzie Did they sit your Ds through the sats test early?.

Frogs, sorry, I cross posted with you last time, didn't mean to imply that IEPs were everywhere, I know they're not. You're in Hackney aren't you? If they're not using the G and T budget for its purpose they will be hauled over the coals by the Learning Trust. Had a long conversation earlier in the year with the borough G and T advisor (total plank, but that's another story), who basically said we'd have to pay back all the devolved G and T money if it couldn't be seen to be spent specifically G and T purposes.
CAT me if you want to know anything specifically Hackney G and T based. Just being nosey, does said school begin with L?

Oh dear, what a depressing thread.
Yes, my boys are at a school which is generally great for their needs.
IME provision does depend very much on the commitment of individual class/subject teachers to challenge the brightest kids.

And believe me it gets worse, not better, at secondary level, especially in a non-selective situation.

There are nationwide G&T initiatives, but their worth has yet to be proven, and IMO they are focused primarily on the top say 20% of ability, which doesn't necessarily address the needs of exceptionally bright children.

I haven't really got the energy for this tonight either Frogs, and am going to follow your example and go to bed.

Brightstar, no, they don't do SATs at her school.
Her teacher did say that if they did, she wouldn't do very well in them because she is a perfectionist and would spend too long doing them!

DD2's Reception teacher, who also taught DD1, thinks DD2 is brighter. But DD2 has a more "mainstream" personality and is much more outgoing than DD1. She is also lazy, and I doubt she'd ever complain that the work wasn't demanding enough - she'd just finish what she was given quickly and look around for mischief!

Swapping children up or down for subjects doesn't always work. We had the situation where dd Y6 and dd Y4 were in the top group together. Younger daughter was challenged but older daughter got left helping as usual. I'm glad it stopped - it was a waste of time.

Dd1 is now happy for the first time in ages - I was sick of school telling me she should mix more with her "peers". Why should she? She had nothing in common with them and is much more sociable and happier at grammar school.

Dd2 is now Y5 and getting the same work as a very bright boy in Y6 who was advanced but is staying down an extra year. Where is the differentiation? Will my dd be doing the same work next year? I hate school provision round here so much at the moment. Gand T consists of extra Saturday lessons and nothing else.

Swedishmum, you are absolutely right in that streaming then causes a problem at Y6. Even schools that offer good provision to G&T children, struggle to offer that same support and provision when the work needed falls outside the realms of KS2.

Roisin is also right in saying that it doesn't improve at secondary level. I know that many bright Y7 pupils complain that they're repeating work covered in Y6.

Provision is wholly inadequate, despite a ringfenced G&T budget. My point to frogs was that many schools up and down the country are doing their best. Teaching a gifted child is a fantastic and rewarding experience and very few teachers don't have the urge to push that child as far as they can go. Having the resources is a different matter.

See maybe am lucky, thought DH complains that DS is not being challenged and to some extent I agree, DS seems (like I used to be) to quite enjoy that!

The homework he brings home for math are just a joke, he doesnt even need me to read the instructions he just does it! It doesnt seem to bother him... He looooves school, mainly because of playtime admitdly . thought he has told me that in the class he does get different math works to the others or as he puts it "Mrs xxx always tries to trick me by removing all the clues but i can still do it"

On the subject of moving up one class I am not really for it, I was 17 when i passed my A-Levels, and thought that was a bit young already one friend was 16 throught being moved up and it's all well and nice but when it came to going to Uni he just wasn't ready and messed up.