Is it difficult to get your school to teach your G&T child?

[anice]

My son's school doesn't have a G&T program until year 5. DS is in year 4, so he isn't in any program. However, he is very able at maths.

His teacher met me twice in the first half of this term, and both times she volunteered a warning not to expect any development in his maths this year as she's got her hands full teaching the lower ability children who need to come up to the government minimum in order to reach NC level 4B at the end of year 6.

She said that she was sorry, but this is the way it is. So now every day, DS then does the ("easy peasy") work set for the class quickly and when he has finished he just quietly reads a book for the rest of the maths lesson. I've spoken to the HT to ask for help with the situation but I am not expecting much tbh.

Apart from issues with DS's boredom levels and disengagement from learning generally, what is bothering me is that this can happen in this day and age! In fact, this is the 2nd time this has happened to DS. In year 2, his teacher told me that he'd had to repeat everything he'd already done because "what am I supposed to do?? teach him year 3 work? Then what would he do when he gets to year 3?!" So, its happened twice in four years at two different schools (we changed school thinking the first school was just an aberration!)

Is this actually quite a common problem? And if yes, then how do you handle it?

Many apologies for all the double posts btw - father christmas is bringing me a tablet so hopefully it will all soon be a thing of the past :)

Did she spend the whole day in with the older kids or just certain lessons??

I have a feeling DD will just go into the year above for phonics....

So hopefully will still feel a part of her yr group, hopefully....

The school have never allowed a child to go into the above year before for lessons but since she is doing yr1 phonics already and after Xmas,all other core subjects at yr1 level they have admitted they will have to do something, but I guess will think about it nearer the time!!!

Forgot to say, although she does yr1 phonics now, she does not go into the year aboves class. We are lucky that the school have an extra LSA so DD and another child have their lessons with her...

That's a real shame, LaQueen

I really don't see why more schools don't just mix them up by ability a bit more. If g + t is the top 20 percent, then there must be 6 in every standard size class who might be able to work at a higher level, and maybe 2 who could work 2 years above. It's made a big difference at our school to results.

That's a real shame, LaQueen

I really don't see why more schools don't just mix them up by ability a bit more. If g + t is the top 20 percent, then there must be 6 in every standard size class who might be able to work at a higher level, and maybe 2 who could work 2 years above. It's made a big difference at our school to results.

Just a little follow up. I have the feeling that the head hasn't really been planning to do anything that will make a difference. Maybe that's unfair but that's my best guess.
So I sent the letter and now i am waiting for a reply. I did make some constructive suggestions but mostly i talked of requiring a" school-led" solution.

Why do i always feel that i always have to say how ds hasn't been hot housed, and i am not looking for him to take an o level early?!

Also i told the head about DS`s sats result from the test i gave him last week. She looked at me like i had two heads or something. Didn't reply and just backed away (she had come up to me to speak about DS).

Anice, I don't understand why you would give your son a SATs test. 11+ or GCSE/AS/A Level I can understand. But SATs are to test the school (and in theory not the child, though that actually makes no sense. If it did the teachers would sit the exam and not the children.)

I did it because there was a lot of debate about what the next thing he needs taught is. School was saying introductory level 4, but I had a feeling he had already mastered much of that (through observing his older brother - DS2 learns fast).

As you will find out learnandsay, primary school maths involves endless repetition. My worry was that the teacer would finally spend five minutes showing him something that she says is new (but in fact he already knows), then leave him to endlessly practice it for six months.

Then just to add at the end of the year, she'd set him a sats test, he'd get a 4A and his school report would say that he has made huge progress this year. then maybe next year, if he is lucky, he'd be taught level 5 stuff, but if not, I'd be told that he'd plateau-ed after a lot of progress in year 4.

I am quite worried about this too as ds goes up the school - he's in year r but already doing y3 work for maths, and is very advanced in other areas too. So far the school seem to be challenging him appropriately but it seems so common for this to tail off.
I am appalled that schools are refusing to stretch their brightest children tbh. If it happens to ds I will not be amused! I think you have done the right thing, op.

Sats are not to to test the school. They're to test the children. But of course the school gets judged on the results.

Do let us know what happens. I completely sympathise about the almost having to apologise for them. DD entered school reading, and I spent the entire year saying, 'before we start, can I just make it clear that we did not teach her to read'.

Yes, we never owned a single flash card, but that's definitely not what school believed.

We have a fantastically snitty teacher now for Yr1 (fortunately job share) who, when I went in to talk about how DD could be helped to cope with her best friend leaving, said "Does she have people round to play?' in the most condescending tones. I wish I'd had the presence of mind, to say, no I lock her in her room and force her to read books all the time, which is clearly what she was thinking. But I didn't.

I know what you mean about people assuming all you do is lock them in a room with flash cards. And the word hot housed is branded around a lot too. Having a naturally gifted child doesn't make you popular amongst the people who know. I tend to keep my head down in the playground and not talk to anyone about levels, book bands or anything like that.

I really believe the head would really care if any child was being let down i her school. She was a fantastic teacher before she got promoted to HT and I just can't imagine that she would stop wanting to help the children.

However, when I spoke to her a couple of weeks ago, I got the sense that each teacher runs their own classroom like a mini-fiefdon. That can't be right, can it?

Don't we choose schools based on a whole experience, not seven individual, unrelated years??

As to what will happen to DS, my best guess is that I'll sit waiting for a reply for about 10 days and then gradually learn to not expect it. Then during the Christmas holidays, I'll take matters into my own hands and start teaching DS at home.

Maybe next year will be better??

I have a friend who's a primary teacher; she said that one of the great things about her job is the amount of self-determination she has in what she does. Now that she has a child in Reception though, she's finding it very difficult to be on the receiving end of.

But in a good school, the HT will clamp down on things where it's not working. So I don't think that your school is being run that well, perhaps.

How is their Ofsted report? Almost every one I have ever read says, must do more to stretch bright children- so it's worth raising that with the HT. If she doesn't answer, go to see her. If that doesn't work (I've only ever had to go that far) start writing to the governors. What his teacher said is outrageous. They're failing your son, and need to know that.