State or private school for g&t?

[ExpatMum28]

Hi ladies, I currently live overseas in Asia. Im a SAHM of two lovely boys, the eldest, 5, has been assessed as g&t. His current school is very good, they have considered his report well and have very open dialogue with us to ensure he doesn't get bored. He was born oct 08 but his current school intake is jan-dec 2008 so he is one of the youngest which benefits him as he avoids being moved up a year too early.
We are planning our return to the UK next year and I wondered how state schools are set up for g&t, or if private school would be a better option. Class size is my biggest single concern really, he is like most g&t kids a bit left of centre and I don't want to lose his personality in a large class.
How do schools in the UK g&t, here it has to kept quiet until they are in school as they are seen as extra work/ expense.

Thank you for your advice

So you think that without formal testing, nobody notices that children are different from each other nod have different needs?

On teaching to the test...yes, but the private schools like that I recommended above do not have to teach to the national curriculum which is another advantage if you can afford to pay fees and if you can get into one of the better ones.

madwoman I totally agree with everything you say.

Unfortunately my experience of primary state schools hasn't been great with regards to differentiation for the top groups. However I also agree that not ALL private schools are either, and some state schools might be excellent at it, but you need to look VERY carefully. We moved DD1 in Y4 but we did look at a number of schools, state and private and there was only one we felt that fit the bill. (Academically selective - private)

I would say the class as a whole is working about 2 years ahead of national average (so L4/5 beg of Y4) with some children receiving support at the lower end and some receiving extension. But the great thing is that they do so much more with them, in terms of breadth and depth....my DD1 absolutely loves it there and is thriving. I wish we'd moved her sooner.