Page 4 | 12 year old taking GCSE - advice opinions

Rustygecko · 2022-11-09T14:49:04+00:00

My child is exceptionally able, and wants to sit their GCSEs or at least some of them this summer. We went to see their school, (a grammar school) and to my surprise, not only were they aghast at such a thought, but they refused point blank to help. (I have a sneaking feeling though that once they have got a handful of GCSEs aged 12 they will be at the front of the queue wanting to make publicity off their success). Any opinions / advice.

BrieAndChilli · 09/11/2022 21:56

Rustygecko · 09/11/2022 20:46

You must recall I am not dealing with a normal child of almost 12 (11 years and 10 months). To give you an idea they had the vocabulary of a 13 year old aged 4, and now has the vocabulary of a post-graduate student. I am not dealing with a normal child. They have opinions, which are as well thought out as any adult. There view is that access to top universities is no longer based on who is cleverest. In the best council areas in the country 43% of students gets 3 A* at A level. It is not like in the past where only a few of the brightest would get 3 grade A GCE A levels and the best of those would get into the best universities. Today you have to do something extraordinary to get a place at a top university. It is no longer possible to go to university if you are under 18 in the UK, which is why they accept that they will probably have to go to the USA when 15 or 16 to go to university. The first few they intend to do a couple of languages and a couple of subjects not done at school (eg law and food tech). They intend to do A level by 15. As for boredom - they have been completely bored at school all their life - almost from day 1, as they could read books well before their 3rd birthday.

My eldest had a reading age of 14 age 3 and spelling tested higher than they could measure. He has always been labelled as ‘exceptional’ and every teacher he’s ever had has been astounded by him. Yes we could have pushed him and ‘hothouses him’ but as someone who joined Mensa age 12 and was put up a year in school that wasn’t the path I wanted to go down with my kids. We spent primary school working on his social skills, practical skills etc. as that was the sort of thing he wasn’t so good at.

He’s now in year 11. He did a couple of GCSEs a year early last year. He does coast a little in so subjects but he’s really come into himself the last couple of years. Much more confident, has some lovely friends now and is rounding out his attainment with other things like DofE etc. He’s also on a programme with Oxford uni that his school facilitate and has just joined our local councils youth panel. He also tutors maths at school and is on school council.

he does have some ASD traits (consultant said not severe enough to warrant a full statement as he deals so well with ‘normal’ life) so we have worked with him to make him a well rounded person. Success in life isn’t just academic sauces and you tend to find those that are only academic don’t do as well as people who also have the people skills, empathy and life experiences.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 09/11/2022 22:06

orbitalcrisis · 09/11/2022 21:23

My daughter had the vocabulary of a 13 year old at the age of 4 too. The reading age of 12 just a few months after learning to read. Do you know how many GCSEs she has? None. Her mental health suffered, she attempted suicide and had to drop out and be home-schooled under all the pressure.

She was then diagnosed with Autism and we were told this was a very common pattern for autistic girls, it was similar to what happened to me. I did scrape through with several GCSEs in a PRU. Whether your child is autistic or not, let them enjoy their childhood and not put unrealistic expectations on themself. Having the intelligence to pass GCSEs now does not mean you have the time to learn the content!

I have yet to come across anyone who has had an easy time of it in these situations. Given my sibling's and my own experiences, I have met a lot of people who did the same - I can't think of a single resounding success story. Most had breakdowns at university and ended up with neither qualifications or social skills.

Happiness and enjoying life is far more important than early exam grades.

If there are things like ASD or ADHD in the mix - and there generally are, then maybe some extracurricular courses in social skills would be more useful.

fairywhale · 09/11/2022 22:21

Yellowdahlia12 · 09/11/2022 15:05

Unless you plan to home school your son, it's not a good idea for him to take GCSEs so early. It reminds me of Ruth Lawrence who went to either Oxford or Cambridge (can't remember which) as a teenager.

I'm not surprised that the school isn't supportive. As others have said, what would be the point of lessons if he's already passed the exams?

And what about his social development? Wouldn't he be happier if he was working with his peers?

Where did she say on page 1 it was a son? Why did you automatically assume it would be a male?

fairywhale · 09/11/2022 22:24

SummerInSun · 09/11/2022 15:11

Assuming this isn't an fake post, which seems likely....

Yup - you should be trying to educate your whole child here, not just pushing academics. Pulling him out of his peer group to be in classes with kids in their mid to late teens so he's covering the right syllabus isn't going to be good for him social or emotionally. If he's that smart, better for him to sit them at the right age and get 9s across the board. In the meantime, as PP have said, you can supplement his schoolwork by encouraging advanced reading, going to museums/galleries/lectures, maybe taking a course like coding outside school.

Why the "him" assumption? The OP didn't mention that. Is it because male is a default human for you or is it gifted = boy?

fairywhale · 09/11/2022 22:29

backinthebox · 09/11/2022 15:22

My husband took his GCSEs early. He also did his a levels early and went to uni early, had graduated by age 20. He did it because his mum pushed for it. He wouldn’t inflict the same on our children though, it did not do him any favours. There is no advantage to sitting some academic exams early, and as you have seen, reputable educational establishments actually take a dim view of it.

Our kids are exceptionally bright, but we are letting them enjoy their childhood too by developing a range of hobbies. Doing school work doesn’t sound like much of a hobby for a child. If he’s really keen on achievement for the sake of it, why not pursue music exams, or grades and badges in his other hobbies? My kids have, to varying degrees of success, done exams and challenges with musical instruments, Pony Club, Scouts, and DoE. Hopefully a range of interests outside of school will result in them growing into well-rounded adults eventually.

So many respondents assumed the child must be male, you one of them. How not very bright and/or utterly mysoginist.

fairywhale · 09/11/2022 22:31

lunar1 · 09/11/2022 15:26

If your child is bright, let him do other things. Life gets streamlined soon enough with the things you have to do. Ds1 did music theory at that age, he loved it and it's an academically similar level to GCSEs. Find something he loves and do that, mine do coding as well.

The child may not be a boy, and in fact, isn't, why did you assume it was?

Ericaequites · 09/11/2022 22:31

See if she can skip a year ahead at school. It’s not the social disaster so many on this list believe it is. Encourage her to join Guides, learn a craft, or do needlework. Working with your hands is very soothing. Creative work leads to a better self-image and resiliency.

fairywhale · 09/11/2022 22:35

Namenic · 09/11/2022 15:33

I suppose the question is why does he want to sit them early.
are the school concerned that he wouldn’t be able to cope? Or do they think it would put too much pressure on him when he could be focusing on sport or just wider non-exam interests? These could be valid concerns, but I suppose it depends on your child. I understand some kids like different things.

The only thing I can advise is maybe to look on some home Ed forums - for how to find an appropriate exam centre. I don’t know if his candidate number would ideally need to be the same for the set he takes early and the set he does at school. Sometimes it is a big pain for gcses that have a practical or coursework element - how to get this marked - so you could consider Igcses, which tend not to have this element.

is he planning to do the normal amount of gcses at 16? I have heard it said that some unis prefer kids to do the usual number in 1 go - to show that they are able to cope with a high workload at once - but I am not an admissions tutor, so I don’t know for sure - worth thinking about though.

It's not a he, it's a she. Can't believe how many people assumed it must be a male if more able, gifted or genius. What mysoginy. How sad so many posters don't notice the most obvious casual sexism.

Era · 09/11/2022 22:36

fairywhale · 09/11/2022 22:35

It's not a he, it's a she. Can't believe how many people assumed it must be a male if more able, gifted or genius. What mysoginy. How sad so many posters don't notice the most obvious casual sexism.

Show quote history

Why on earth have you made this leap? Bizarre

GoldIsMyChosenMetal · 09/11/2022 22:36

TeenDivided · 09/11/2022 15:06

There is loads of learning out there that isn't in the GCSE syllabus.
Whole swathes of literature, or history.
Areas of maths that aren't in the syllabus such as binary/hexadecimal, boolean algebra, matrices.

This. Learn wider, not test sooner.

fairywhale · 09/11/2022 22:37

ChiefWiggumsBoy · 09/11/2022 16:19

If he wants to be pushed and have more to do, why not choose one of the subjects not done at school?

Loads of more obscure ones here. My friend did Afrikaans as a foreign language as either GCSE or A level (as she was actually South African it was a bit of a sneak!)

"More able" doesn't equal "male", why did you assume it was a male child?

JulesCobb · 09/11/2022 22:38

fairywhale · 09/11/2022 22:35

It's not a he, it's a she. Can't believe how many people assumed it must be a male if more able, gifted or genius. What mysoginy. How sad so many posters don't notice the most obvious casual sexism.

Show quote history

are toy on glue on this crusade? The op has spoken about her exceptionally gifted son. Why do you think the child is female?

PatriciaHolm · 09/11/2022 22:41

OPs previous post about this exceptional child in 2015 referred to them as "he".

I suspect they may be trying to avoid being specific.

OriginalUsername2 · 09/11/2022 22:43

Semantics. The answers are the same.

shinynewapple22 · 09/11/2022 22:43

Rustygecko · 09/11/2022 19:36

The child already speaks 5 languages, three of which absolutely fluently. Among the O levels she wants to take are the languages.

To all the posters arguing about the sex of the OP's imaginary child - see this post - OP mentions 'she'.

RainingYetAgain · 09/11/2022 22:47

backinthebox · 09/11/2022 15:22

My husband took his GCSEs early. He also did his a levels early and went to uni early, had graduated by age 20. He did it because his mum pushed for it. He wouldn’t inflict the same on our children though, it did not do him any favours. There is no advantage to sitting some academic exams early, and as you have seen, reputable educational establishments actually take a dim view of it.

Our kids are exceptionally bright, but we are letting them enjoy their childhood too by developing a range of hobbies. Doing school work doesn’t sound like much of a hobby for a child. If he’s really keen on achievement for the sake of it, why not pursue music exams, or grades and badges in his other hobbies? My kids have, to varying degrees of success, done exams and challenges with musical instruments, Pony Club, Scouts, and DoE. Hopefully a range of interests outside of school will result in them growing into well-rounded adults eventually.

Agree with backinthebox. DH did his O Levels in the equivalent of year 10 in some sort of accelerated scheme. His Grammar School did this for a couple of years for the top pupils in the year group. He also did S levels in the 6th form as well. He went to Uni at 17 and struggled as he wasn't emotionally mature enough. He ended up with a 3rd Class Honours. The idea was sold to my in laws as a great scheme but he regrets it immensely, and also feels he missed out on things like English Literature and Music at school.
One of our DS was G&T, we did not even think about doing any exams early but encouraged Music, Drama and DoE.

NewYorkLassie · 09/11/2022 22:49

Beachsidesunset · 09/11/2022 21:38

Dougie Howser, MD?

Oh my god I used to love that show.

Jellybean23 · 09/11/2022 23:08

Just because your daughter is intelligent/brilliant doesn't mean she knows best. Be guided by the school. An exceptional child needs careful handling by parents to ensure they become well adjusted, happy adults. In the bigger picture, taking exams too early does not equate to certain future success and happiness.

OldMotherShipton · 09/11/2022 23:26

Rustygecko · 09/11/2022 20:46

You must recall I am not dealing with a normal child of almost 12 (11 years and 10 months). To give you an idea they had the vocabulary of a 13 year old aged 4, and now has the vocabulary of a post-graduate student. I am not dealing with a normal child. They have opinions, which are as well thought out as any adult. There view is that access to top universities is no longer based on who is cleverest. In the best council areas in the country 43% of students gets 3 A* at A level. It is not like in the past where only a few of the brightest would get 3 grade A GCE A levels and the best of those would get into the best universities. Today you have to do something extraordinary to get a place at a top university. It is no longer possible to go to university if you are under 18 in the UK, which is why they accept that they will probably have to go to the USA when 15 or 16 to go to university. The first few they intend to do a couple of languages and a couple of subjects not done at school (eg law and food tech). They intend to do A level by 15. As for boredom - they have been completely bored at school all their life - almost from day 1, as they could read books well before their 3rd birthday.

What tosh!
Who told you all that? It simply isnt true.

ChiefWiggumsBoy · 09/11/2022 23:57

Rustygecko · 09/11/2022 20:46

You must recall I am not dealing with a normal child of almost 12 (11 years and 10 months). To give you an idea they had the vocabulary of a 13 year old aged 4, and now has the vocabulary of a post-graduate student. I am not dealing with a normal child. They have opinions, which are as well thought out as any adult. There view is that access to top universities is no longer based on who is cleverest. In the best council areas in the country 43% of students gets 3 A* at A level. It is not like in the past where only a few of the brightest would get 3 grade A GCE A levels and the best of those would get into the best universities. Today you have to do something extraordinary to get a place at a top university. It is no longer possible to go to university if you are under 18 in the UK, which is why they accept that they will probably have to go to the USA when 15 or 16 to go to university. The first few they intend to do a couple of languages and a couple of subjects not done at school (eg law and food tech). They intend to do A level by 15. As for boredom - they have been completely bored at school all their life - almost from day 1, as they could read books well before their 3rd birthday.

Oh aye.

Maybe they can tutor you in spelling and grammar?

Caminante · 10/11/2022 00:23

So this exceptionally gifted child is concerned they won't get a place at uni unless they do A Levels at 15?

Come on.

Teeshirt · 10/11/2022 06:47

OP doesn’t want a year ahead, though. She wants the child to do GCSEs four years ahead.

TeenDivided · 10/11/2022 06:54

OP. In view of your update it seems to me your child should leave their state school to home educate themselves.

They/you apparently don't want to go through school at anything like the normal rate, in which case you're just going to have ongoing issues for the next few years.

Pull them out, join some home education groups (who will advise on how to get practical elements signed off for exams), and accelerate all you like.

EmmaDishwater · 10/11/2022 06:55

The academically selective schools near us do virtually no practical subjects - no food tech, DT, textiles etc.

I'd move her to a school where the breadth of subjects is wider as she's clearly going to get too marks in the academic subjects anyway.

Go broader, extend her interests and experiences. Music theory tuition, theatre trips, museum visits, concerts etc.

Regardless of how well thought out you think your child's conversation is, there is no way it is like talking to an adult in terms of life experiences and ability to empathise etc.

Personally, if I had the money and time, I'd focus on travel and trips for a gifted child.

Doing GCSEs early is a pointless exercise.

ohforthelife · 10/11/2022 07:03

Why's everyone feeding the troll 🙄