Anyone had their child skip the final year of primary and go straight into secondary?

[Miaou]

Just had parents' evening. Dd1 is in P6, so another 18m to go in primary school. She has already completed the reading/writing/comprehension part of the curriculum and from what I can gather she has almost finished the maths. A few people have asked if we would consider sending her to high school a year early, including a teacher at that school.

The school she is at just now is great, but it's clear that they are scratching their heads as to how to keep up with her. In their own words, they've "never taught anyone like her." Anyone done this?

I would worry about the social side of things. I'm sure that your dd could cope with the work, but there is big social jump between year 6 and year 7. Even at 11 it takes children a while to settle down into the different routines of secondary school, the different expectations of each of the students, for example.

I teach year 7 in secondary. I also teach years 5/6 G and T outreach. and I am very struck at how young they are .

Is your dd emotionally advanced as well as intellectually? (not being arsy, a real question)

Because TBH, I think that most of the G and T kids I work with would be little lost souls in the great big secondary school, they could do the work, but the social side wouldn't help them.

I did this at this age and for me it wasn't an issue, but I was a mature 10 year old due to my background and personal circumstances (grew up the only hearing child of deaf parents - cue bullying at school but excellent communication skills for my age so coped fine). Also it depends on the size of the secondary school, you could consider putting her up a year now then at least she'll get to know people in that year group and they can go up together?

That is my big concern mb. She is very quiet and her teacher was talking this evening about building up her confidence - but then also noted how she was much more confident about speaking out/answering questions/groupwork when she was working with her intellectual peers (in maths she is working with the P7s).

I'm so worried about her getting bored - but kind of wonder if moving her up a year would stretch her anyway - here in Scotland the curriculum takes you up to S2 (aged 14) and she's already finished it, so I think even if she moved up it wouldn't benefit her massively. As I say though, boredom is a big worry.

monkey - she is in a p6/7 class so if she did skip a year she would be moving up with the kids she works with all the time already.

Mb I forgot to say, she is very mature emotionally for her age - but very quiet. I don't see the quietness ever changing though - an integral part of her personality!

I would seriously question the 'don't know what to do with her' attitude! That is the teachers' job - to provide challenging and stimulating learning for all their pupils not think of her as beyond their remit needing to go on to another teacher/class etc.

Meant to add - if she was just ahead in one area (as we thought) then we wouldn't even consider it - but from tonight's meeting it has become clear that she is ahead across the whole spectrum.

Never done it with a child but it was done to me. I use to very specifically because it was a nightmare. I wasn't emotionally and physiologically ready to be with children entering secondary school. Your dd may be different. But it ruined school for me and my education suffered. I ended up truanting age 14-16, didn't stay on and only returned to college to do A levels when I was 21 and could do it on my own terms.

What does your dd think about moving up a year?

scoggins, I have no complaints about how the school are handing the situation - they have never been in it before! They're giving her extension work, she gets longer to write her essays because she writes in great depth and her teacher didn't want to limit her creativity ; they are buying in books for her to read and are going to liaise with the high school to ensure they don't give her things that she will repeat in S1/S2. They are finding it a challenge but one they are rising to atm.

IF, that's really sad. Dh and I have made it very clear to her that even if we, primary and high school all agreed it was a good idea, if she wasn't sure then there is no way we would override that. She gets the veto!

cool, excellent that school are liaising

My parents didn't ask me, they told me, and that was it. I was very shy and it was a disaster. You said though that your dd knew a lot of the people she'd be at school with? I didn't know a soul and was treated like a bit of a weirdo. Half-swat half-wimp!

But it worked out fine in the end. I loved every second of my further education. In fact I didn't really know when to stop.

eeek, would never do that to her! Poor you. I'm glad it worked out for you.

I suppose I'm just worried that if she does skip a year she might suffer socially/emotionally, and if she doesn't then she might be bored (plus if they can't continue to support her appropriately at high school she will spend the first two years there just treading water).

Dh thinks we ought to approach the high school (confidentially) and ask for their take on the situation.

I'm not sure that at secondary level there is all that much difference in work level between adjacent years so educationally I feel it might not fix very much.

Other things to consider might be:

Size wise is she large/well developed for her age? If not very, she might find it harder to fit in with older bigger peers.

How would you feel about her possibly being pressured to have boyfriends etc. a year sooner?

.. and ultimately leaving home a year earlier too?

I just wanted to add that the Support for Learning Teachers are there for both those who need extra help with their lessons and those who are more capable. Unfortunately those who are more able do not often get access to the support because there are often a high number who have SEN. Your Support for Learning teacher should be able to help with the liasing between the two schools.

It is excellent that your school is so open and honest with you. We are struggling to communicate with our ds's school about how bored he is with maths, he is well ahead but they do no challenge him or give him extension work, we feel like we are fighting a losing battle.

Well we are in Scotland; had we stayed in England she would be moving up to secondary next academic year anyway (I think) - so not much different. However size wise etc she is quite petite and I guess from that pov she would probably stick out a bit

She is very much her own person and I can't see her being pressured in any way - she simply doesn't respond to it! She is a tomboy; wears combats and DMs, doesn't care about fashion/doing what everyone else does. However that is now, at the age of 10.5. Give it another three/four years and it might be very different I guess.

All this is helping me to think it all through - thank you.

Mistymoo - yes you are right; I hadn't thought of that . I will find out who the SLT is in our school.

You also need to look at it long term as to what will be happening earlier and if you are happy with it all - GCSEs, A Levels, university, etc.

Blimey, she's doing incredibly well to have achieved level F already, well done her! I would also worry about the ultimate result to be honest- she'd be starting university at 16 unless she has a gap year, and that really is young given that she would presumably have to live away from home.

This was suggested for dd(now 10- yr 6) by her school two years ago. We are very glad we did not do it, mostly because of the social side. In the end primary has worked with secondary- for maths papers etc. They have brought in stuff for her to do.
DH did do it, finished school at 17 etc. but said it was always hard being a year younger.
I think there is more to school than academic learning. Dd far too little in many ways to cope with secondary yet. However I do know a boy who has done it and it has worked out fine for him.

I know Tamum, it's quite scary really! I'm worried that she could in future tread a very thin line between doing very well in life or going completely off the rails - it's a situation that needs a lot of careful handling IMO.

Slowreader - how will this pan out in future years, do you know? Will she end up repeating work in secondary school? Another of my concerns.

are you in scotland? Has your daughter achieved her level F in reading and writing then? And nearly F in maths?

I cannot see how it would help at all moving her up as first and second years in secondary are not terribly productive in academic terms.

ah, I see you've m entioned this. First and second year only go to F. In general terms, high schools are behind primaries in differentiation but maybe your high school is particularly strong in how it stretches indicviduals?

I'd ask.

That's what I'm afraid of pointydog. Argh - I can see her achieving nothing in the next three years except the knowledge that she can do no work - then working for standards will be a shock!

We have in the past thought of home-edding but tbh that certainly won't address the social side of school.

Kinda wish she was average

Miauo, I asked about that and they said yes, she probably would end up repeating some parts of curriculum in Y7 & 8 and that we should watch out that she didn't back pedal (not sure how to do that). It is not ideal I suppose, but still I think the best choice in the circumstances.

I agree with pointy, a lot will depend on the high school. Ds's has 8 streams for maths right from P1, so it's quite feasible to stretch the super-bright ones, but even then it's hard about what you do next. However much you accelerate through the exams you're still faced with a bit of a conundrum unless you go down the Ruth Lawrence route. Can you talk to someone at the High School?