Skipping class level

[LittleTurtle]

Has anyone had their child skip a level?

This is not a definite. But the thing is DC is a September born and though we do not push him, he seems to be doing exceptionally well academically. DH is a mathematician and has obviously been encouraging him. So though he just started Y1, he has long been memorising his times tables even before Reception to 12 - he knows them by heart. We are thinking of taking him to a private school for 7+, and now he is one of the older kids - which probably helps a lot. But the thing is, we teach him at home and know his capabilities - his teacher confirmed them.

DH feels a bit fed up with the school level and thinks he should be higher in school since it seems at home he is higher than the school level. I think one of the reasons is because he is older and will level out later. Anyone had this experience?

Schools don't tend to move children up and down years these days, it is more about adapting the work done within the year instead of moving them up and down. If you feel he is not being stretched in class, discuss with the teacher but moving to a different year is unlikely to be an option.

Probably not such a big issue for your ds as he is old for his year anyway but I would be very wary of the social isolation that could happen to a younger and therefore physically and mentally less mature child in an older class. I would think in class differentiation would be a more appropriately solution, education is not a race!

My daughter skipped a year and is now in year 8 at age 11, but this is a very small prep school and she boards. It's been ideal for her as the class sizes are so small and in effect, she'll be in a very small 'scholarship' class when most of her current classmates leave in July. She'll almost certainly go into year 9 at her next school, as she would have done anyway, but will be very well prepared!

Does your ds know how to use the times table knowledge in real life? If he buys 6 lollies @12p each, does he know that is going to cost 72p?

Knowing times tables to 12x does not prove ability or, indeed, maths prowess. It proves that a child can memorise a series of numbers effectively.

Is there any other reason dh wants ds accelerated through school?

I think if my child were a September birthday I would have asked for her to be put up to the next year as there would be those within a month of her age. I think it depends on the child.
IME children are capable of learning maths much more quickly than they are taught at school, so if you stop teaching him he will level out as the others also learn what he has already been taught, but if you continue teaching him the gap will widen.

Memorisation isn't the same as understanding maths.

DS has a June birthday. In y2 he was brilliant at times tables info. So he could quickly work out something like 7200 / 90 or 3.2 / 0.8. That's how I got him to go to sleep at night or calm down from tantrums, giving him hard sums.

Now he's in y5 & he'd half-struggle with those problems, he's forgotten how.

Thing is, he was always terribly emotionally immature. Thank goodness he was good at math because he had (has) so many other issues to work on. Socially, emotionally, physically, etc.

Before you even consider this, you need to think long term. Will any school that you consider at 7+ 'honour' the move of year, or will he have to move 'down' at that point? What about at transition to secondary? Certainly at state schools an accelerated child would be required to repreat Year 6 rather than moving on to secondary early.

I also think that there is much you and the school should do - and explore - before even considering this option. If school is not differentiating for him appropriately (but remember, they will be looking for understanding, not just parrot-learning) then that is something that you should talk to them about. Moving years should be an absolute final resort (I know one child who was accelerated a year - in Scotland, where boundaries are anyway more flexible - but he was 5+ years ahead of his age in Maths and at least a couple of years ahead in every subject, so was also at the top of the year above and had a strange 'sixth form lessons by video' arrangement for maths at 11: genuinely exceptional at the 1 in 10,000+ level, not just 'bright'), not a first solution.

The school proposed that my DS should move to the Year 3/4 class for Year 1 - instead we moved school and he continued in his own age group, differentiated for brilliantly.

If your DH has taught your DS things like times tables, and your DS has a reasonable memory, then of course he will be able to do his times tables. But that doesn't mean he should be taught in the year above. In my experience, the "exceptionally able academically" children, assuming no other issues such as social, confidence, ASD etc etc, are usually the ones who have such a thirst for knowledge and learning that they are constantly pushing themselves to do more with what they already know and to demonstrate how they think through problems etc. It is therefore quite straightforward to extend them academically within their peer group. Children who are genuinely doing maths problems 5 years ahead may need to be treated differently but that is unlikely to be by moving ahead a year.

Is he exceptional at anything else except maths? Children often have asynchronous development so struggle with some subjects whilst excelling at others so moving up a year would not be appropriate.

A decent school will work with the child at their level, without the need to move them up a year. DS1 and two classmates have been working roughly two to three years ahead in maths since year 1.

littleturtle, I think the school will give him harder worksheets to do if he shows his ability in maths consistenly. My DD2 in year 1 usually brought back much harder maths worksheets than her sister in year 2(same school). And you and your DH will always be able to stretch him more at home. To move him up a year, you need to think more than that, is his literacy and other aspects advanced as well? Will he be happy to be the youngest in new class?

I skipped a year at a similar age - did the final two years of infant school in one year and moved schools at 7 rather than 8. I remained at the top of the class even having skipped a year (I'm January born so not particularly old for my year) right the way through secondary and got very good gsce results. The only issue came when I'd finished year 11 as I was only 15 so not legally allowed to leave school. Luckily my school had a sixth form so I stayed to do A levels and this would have been my choice anyway but had I wanted to leave after gcse's I couldn't have done. The next problem occurred when I finished a levels as I went to university aged only 17 - I wish I'd waited a year as it was very young to be living miles away from home. Plus I couldn't get a student loan or overdraft and had trouble getting into some clubs at I wasn't 'of age'!! In essence my problems were practical ones and never with peers etc. Kids are friends with their class mates, age is a bit irrelevant I think.

Don't do it.
I skipped up a year at the end of primary.
It was fine for a few years but by the time O levels and then A levels came round the physical and emotional differences were a huge issue.
I would not wish that amount of stress on anybody.

Talkin,

Ditto. I skipped the first year of secondary. Academically, worked brilliantly - top of the year above etc etc. Socially, emotionally - well, lest just say that I actively chose to take a year off after A-levels to return myself to the correct year, and in many ways it would have been better to take that year between O and A-levels.

Incredibly isolating, espcially for a child who might anyway be at the 'more extreme' end of the ability spectrum and this may find it more difficult to integrate with peers.

I skipped a year at primary and didn't have any problems either academically or socially. I went to university at 17 and was perfectly happy there. The only issue might be drinking, but as it was a student town they basically assumed everyone was 18 so there weren't any issues with being ID'd - I know this might not be the case nowadays. I have a January birthday so I was only 5 months younger than the youngest in the class, which really doesn't make much difference when you're 16. It will suit some people and not others. The thing is, as soon as someone does something "different" e.g. skip a year, that difference is blamed for any problems the person has. In comparison, lots of people who do things just the same as everyone else still have problems, it's just there's no obvious difference to blame it on.

I skipped a year and now regret it. I was always the youngest in class and emotionally immature. Ended up having a complete meltdown at 15 going on 16 and dropping out. Went back a year later and thus ended up graduating with my age mates after all.

Only one data point, obviously. Some Other people on here obviously had different experiences.

I skipped a year and didn't regret it at all (got me out of education a year earlier)

However it won't solve your problem OP - your DS will just be interested and stretched while he catches up with your new year, then back to coasting once he's done it with no-where to go.

My DS is good at maths. At the beginning of year 5 he was assessed at National curriculum level 5a. He didn't move up a year (born in June so one of the youngest) but the school started him on the year 7 maths syllabus. This worked well for him as he remined with his peers and was taught in the class on a one-to -one basis.
Can your son's school give him more difficult work to complete at school?

My son was ahead a year. It was fine, and didn't create problems. Schools are not very good at differentiating the work for students who are ahead and more able than their class mates.

Now he has gone to University, I am thinking I could have had him at home for another year if he hadn't moved up. I know he was so eager to go that I shouldn't really regret it, but I still do.

i think you need to take a broader view of his ability. Is his reading at an appropriate level? What are his socialisation skills like? If you are going to move him to private at 7 anyway, its not worth doing anything now- if your dh is mathematically gifted, no doubt he will have a lot of fun supporting him at home. Of course, your ds may yet decide that he has no interest in maths in future years (my brother in law is a highly respected and renowned scientist- his 3 boys whilst initially interested- because it made dad happy- have ended up going into the music and arts fields).
My children have gone through state schools, where you cannot move up a year-amongst my oldest daughters cohort is a girl who is gifted at maths- got 98% in a level and was off to Cambridge to do this. She has access to numerous specialist maths clubs, competitions and links to university. My observation is that if you are gifted at maths, it is far easier to be stretched in that subject than others- even if you are sitting in the corner getting on with it during normal maths lessons.

Be very careful.

My sister (Feb birthday) and I (August birthday) both skipped a year (there are nearly 14 years between us and totally different schools). Academically no problems at all - sister got a clean sweep of 11 A*s - but emotionally and socially there were big problems.

Ultimately we both ended up having to take a year out from University due to total breakdowns. Both too young to really cope with it all.

I would NEVER let my daughter jump a year. There are ways to extend a child sideways if a school is prepared to differentiate properly.