what do i do now?

[Mitasuki]

last week after pushing i got my dd on the gifted and talented register. since september i have been pulling my hair out that shes bored in phonics classes and she needs something more. shes 5 in receptiion and reading liom the witch and the wardrobe on her own. she understands the human anatomy adds subtraacts and is starting on times tables. spends alot of her time at home just playing makebeleve games with her dolls and reading. when asked if she wants to do something with us its normaly to play a board game her favourest are scrable and trivial persute. shes been making up jokes since she was 3. the schools moved her off phonics this week and i've beenasked to work on comprehension with her im just not sure where to start on that she knows what words mean and there context in a sentence so what do they wish me to work on?

(excuse english im Dislexic and really cant see the spellings or gramma mistakes and voice package i couldnt get to work)

The gifted and talented register means nothing at all, so I am not sure why you have been pushing to get her on 'it'.

Dd2 was v similar, read the lion w,w, before she started school etc, and knew human anatomy from her (rather bizarre) exercise classes at nursery. She could name all the muscle groups, it was like a really weird party trick for a 4 yo. and she's always loved board games. We had to get her assessed by a private ed psych for a different reason half way throu yr r (we were applying to emigrate, and as she has cerebral palsy we needed to prove she didn't have any learning disabilities). She came out working between 3 and 7 years ahead across the board. We didn't really push for school to do anything different. It was an interesting 'fact' but she was content and not bothered, just wanted to be doing the same things as everyone else. So she read her own books at home, and we just left everything else.

Honestly? Chill. They let dd2 access books from other year groups, but did no other differentiation. Yr r is for social skills and playing, and learning how to get along with your peer group, even if you are quite different from them. (and dd2 has the crown for different)

School shouldn't be asking you to do stuff. Did you ask them what you could do? Really, just let them get on with it. And lose the hang up about the 'register'.

It's always worth working on comprehension if the school suggests it. Usually the school books have questions in the back for parents to talk through with the kids. Ask them to re-tell the story in their own words, ask them why they think such and such happened...that sort of thing.

She sounds very able and it sounds as though you are already catering to her needs by providing her with plenty to read and interesting games.

i got her on the register due to the fact that she was constantly telling me that school was to easy and thats why she plays silly games on the carpet during phonics work. which is disrupting others learning. atleast now they will look in to finding dd somthing constructive to do rather than holding others back.

being on a list won't mean they do anything. they have no obligation to. if she is messing around, you and they need to be working on that. but the list won't mean they suddenly deal with it. means nowt.

definitely two prongs though - you need to be dealing with the beahviour and the fact that it may be caused by school not being enough of a challenge (it's still not really an excuse for poor behaviour but she's v little).

sometimes they recognise higher ability as being an sn, and get an iep drawn up with specific targets for her to work on (it would also be a good idea to get them to put some social or behavioural targets on if she is behind her peers in this regard). it can focus their attention. make sure the targets are 'smart'. (google it)

tbh, they onyl tend to recognise bright kids if they show their ability (they aren't mind readers lol) which is why if she has been disruptive etc and not taking part in the work (even if it is too easy) she might have been missed.

you do need to discuss with the senco and ct how they intend to proceed. ignore the list though, it means nothing and won't get you anywhere.

Seriously, do people really push to get their kids' names onto a meaningless list like this. Really?

Facebook/playground bragging rights in some cases, HoneyandHaycorns: I stress only in some cases.

Really? Nobody ever even mentions this at our school, would be considered very bad form.

I can understand a parent wanting to ensure that their child was appropriately challenged, but getting their name on a list?

Advice; get her to tell you about what she is reading, then get her to predict what is going to happen next. Maybe get her to write about the missing stories in The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe (what really happens to Mr Tumulus, what happens after they become Kings and Queens).
Also maybe start to teach her Chess or at least Draughts?
Get her to read non fiction?
Talk to her lots, discuss Newsround, other TV, things related to topics they are doing at school.
BTW at her age I was reading the Red Fairy book etc., so try her on more challenging, and maybe more old fashioned books.

mine all got obsessed by chess. much rather that than the current flaming ipod touch obsession.

yy re list. am really hoping that the op understands that the list is meaningless. i don't think she believes me.

yes, chess is a good way to go, my 3 and 6 year old love it and also I have just started getting my DS1 doing sudoku puzzles. His numeracy is not as strong as his literacy and they keep talking about him improving his problem solving skills etc so I just try to encourage him by doing different things.

He is excellent at literacy so there is no need to get him to 'genius' level really but I would like him to be good in all subjects, no point in being able to read War and Peace by the time he's 7 with a full understanding of it if he is only average in all other areas ;o)

does she not enjoy the social side of class? I would think that's key. Most people can behave & enjoy doing something easy, even tedious, as long as they enjoy the company of the people they're with.

I think the OP hoped her daughter would be helped by being on the list, I don't think she has done it to point score in the playground. It sounds to me she is trying to do her best by her daughter which is what we all want, isn't it, and we find our way gradually.

absolutely. but i don't think she realised that the 'list' doesn't help. so she needs to liaise with school directly re behaviour and differentiation, and assessment if school deem it necessary. the 'list' is meaningless, so (unfortunately) she has been 'pushing' for the wrong thing.

school do sound as though they recognise the dd is more able though - but for some reason they are trying to get her (dyslexic) mother to teach her, instead of doing it themselves. that's more of a comment on the school - unless it is just the standard yr r 'ask them questions about the books they are reading' stuff. in which case it isn't differentiation at all, it's the same thing they tell all parents. saying 'work on her comprehension' is a bit meaningless. do they think she is 'reading' but not understanding? nebulous.

op needs to meet with school more formally and not rely on a 'list' to get her dd the support she needs.

i think i will have to plan a meeting and talk through with the schools g&t co-ordinator then to support her more. i hardly get to see other mums in the play ground so i wouldnt be bothered scoring points. DD has a best friend though im sure she only gets along with people due to being very bossy, her friend is bossyer than her thats why they get on. :)

she loves puzzles and draughts will try teaching her chess could be fun. she is so bubbly at home just they get the grummy girl at school

she'll pick it up really easily. if she's an only child be aware that she will want to play the damn thing all the time though. fortunately my three just played each other and i could drink more coffee. i was v surprised tbh. i had sort of assumed chess was an older kids game, but dd2 picked it up in a flash.

shes got a bright younger brother so may teach her then work with him on his side till they both know how to play.

My DS was labelled "Gifted" by the teacher yesterday - Yr1 parent/teacher interview. It is just a label and not necessarily helpful (and certainly wouldn't dare mention it to other parents in the school!!) but it does give additional leverage to get them to give him appropriate work - which means in his case getting work from the year above for literacy. We have been concerned for some time that he is getting bored and lazy - big risk of being disruptive. We were asked to do a "book review" with him each week. It was agonising - he doesn't want to write proper sentences at home - far too much like school - much rather play lego, read etc. We have now agreed with his teacher that a "quiz" would be better - it is all about inferring stuff from the story - "how do you think xyz feels about this" etc (as I understand it). I shall be working on a "quiz" tonight (books come home on a Friday) and will see how it works and let you know.

Please don't get too excited about these labels in KS1. I had 4 accelerated Y1 children in my phonics/writing class last year. I now have them in Y2. Only one of them is maintaining the expected progress. The other two are girls who are verbally able and, in Year 1, were good at transferring simple ideas to paper. We are now working to level 3 targets, and they are finding it difficult to raise the level of their writing. At the same time, however, other children are progressing, and are overtaking them......
Development between 2 and 8 is erratic, and many parents who are told their child is very able in YR is often disappointed by the time they reach Y3 when many of their classmates have caught up.