What to do when G&T child starts to struggle?

[WalkingThePlank]

DD is in Y3. She was put on G&T register in Y1 as an 'all-rounder' and at that point the G&T coordinator wanted her to work with year above for maths but the Head decided against for 'social' reasons. The G&T coordinator then washed her hands of situation as she is too busy with SEN.

DD doesn't seem to have had any extra support under the G&T programme. DD was the most advanced in maths until very recently. They have twice termly tests which don't link to their class work and she failed her last one, having got 77/80 I think. Her errors were actually about how many days are in different months. Her confidence has been severely knocked as her relative position was important to her. She has more of a fixed rather than growth mindset which we do attempt to handle at home.

We've had parent's evening recently. The teacher indicated that she is not going to have made much progress with her levels in any topic but said she was far ahead in literacy - not that this is acknowledged, rewarded in any way. Maths-wise she said that DD had lost her confidence but added that she struggled to concentrate having been put on a chatty table but this is apparently fine as it great socially [confu. There has been discussion about having an extra G&T maths group now that others have caught up but I genuinely have no confidence this will be put in place.

Since the start of the academic year there has been a change in Head and form teacher and I feel that time is slipping by and DD is being lost and her confidence crushed. I'm thinking of going into school again but not sure how to remedy the situation.

Any ideas?

The school is failing your DD; it's not that she's failed the test. What they should be saying is that the test has shown that she needs further consolidation at that level - that isn't failure at all.

Her relative position was important to her. Why on earth was she told what her position was?? (By you, I'm assuming) and not at the very least made to understand that it wasn't set in stone???

Level 13? In maths??????

I'm wondering whether this is some complete different quiz/competition type thing they do- at ds's primary they had an ongoing Spelling Bee and you had to get them all right before you got the next lot, and it was a race to reach your target. But the kids enjoyed it- it was mor of a competition with chocolate prizes than part of lessons, if you see what I mean. Could this be somthing like that

Yes, it looks like she has reached her level, at least for now.

It sounds like it's like completing game levels. They are tested to go up levels. It obviously doesn't mean she is rubbish at maths, if the difficulty level increases with each test.

Some teaching strategies use game like settings. Is that what they are doing?

Actually, I should have written that the reached her level on the day she was tested and under the test conditions.
Tests are not good to evaluate student's capacities in general. Just of in relation to what was in that particular test, in that particular day, at that particular time in those particular conditions.

FloggingMolly - no one has explicity told her her relative position, including me. When she started nursery as the only one who could read etc she couldn't help but notice (and be surprised) that this was the case. I believe that the children are all aware of each others maths levels but I reiterate that 'Level 13' is not related to the NC level in any way. IIRC their literacy targets are written on the class wall. To be honest, as her 3 maths errors were about months of the year, its questionable that they are even related to her maths class work. This maths test thing is school specific not linked to NC specifically.

I am not fixating on her levels other than as an indicative guide to her progress. My main concern is how her maths learning has been managed so badly that she now considers herself to be 'rubbish at maths' and is getting very easy questions wrong. This was what I want help with.

What NC level is she working at?

I have no idea how to word this diplomatically - you say your main issue is that you aren't happy with how her learning is being managed but surely the huge issue is that your DD has had her confidence so severely crushed by loss of her relative position. Why is it so important to her? Where is the pressure coming from? I don't understand how a year three child thinks/knows they are the top of their class or otherwise.

Its easy for a year 3 child to know where they are in the class, if its an unusual position. They might not know that they are in 14th place but if they are clearly trailing the rest of the class or miles ahead of everyone else, then the child knows (and the rest of the class knows too).

DS is in year 6 and as we drove into school, he was telling me exactly what curriculum levels he's at, and the two others who challenge his position at the top and the boy who is at the bottom.

I am not saying that its right that they know, just that its not remarkable to find children who do know.

They do now, yes.

Depending on what the tests are for, not knowing her level may have been the cause of the confidence crush.
If the tests are to pass to higher levels, she should be aware that even though she "failed" one, she is still ahead of what would be expected of her at that age (if not necessarily about her peers).
If the tests are all at the same level, she should be aware that "failing" one is normal, particularly if the demand levels are so high.

Is it Nifty Numbers?

My DCs school do this - not in reception, but seem to do it higher up the school.

Hakluyt, I'm not going to say her NC level as it feels personal to DD.

I wanted help with how to mange her reduced self-confidence and I had some great responses which have helped me prep for a meeting with her teacher. Thank you.

Year 3 is not an unusual year for children to suddenly reveal their true potential emerging from the pack and passing some of the others who had been ahead since nursery.

Moving praise and reward away from achievement and on to effort put in can be a very useful tactic at this time.
Girls do need to learn how not to achieve everything they aimed for, but to still keep trying.

In my opinion the problem is not your daughter, but the way competition is encouraged by school, using the g&t register as a medal of honour that one can lose at short notice. She has built her self worth around that identity and now she feels threatened, naturally. Children know where they are relative to their peers, and in the early years it's usually autumn born girls who are at the top, summer boys at the bottom - I know from experience as I have one of each. It's cruel and ignorant to make a 8 year old child feel a failure when she's doing really well and probably developing other aspects of her learning. It sounds like her anxiety about her position is creating a problem that could have been avoided....

Your dd's NC levels are personal, but the fact that she's Level 13 when the rest of the class are stuck on Level 7 on some computer game test is something you're happy to share?

Find other ways to boost her confidence?
"Nobody gets to be the best at everything all the time."
Praise everybody who tries their best and be happy for people who are happy with their own progress or achievement (however small that progress or achievement might be).

DD is bright but not exceptionally so. G&T provision at her school (apart from the obvious differentiation in lessons, which is done really effectively within mixed-year classes) is mostly done through fun extracurricular activities where there is no pressure to do well and the children are encouraged to take risks and have a laugh at the inevitable failures and disasters that come from trying new and challenging things, and seeing those as paving the way to new achievements.

If her school isn't doing that, then maybe you could do some things at home to foster that attitude? Silly co-operative games where you challenge yourselves to build a working [thing DD might be interested in] by the end of the day, cooking something new together, playing chess, getting her to set herself a maths problem which is so hard that she is sure she won't be able to do it, and getting her to tackle it a tiny bit at a time over the next couple of months, like a puzzle.

I am learning the ukulele at the moment, mostly for fun, but also so that DD can see me do something badly, laugh at myself, keep practicing and gradually start improving, and notice that I enjoy the whole process, not just the successes.

Sounds like the school is failing your dd in putting too much pressure on her. Learning should be fun and that's what they should be fostering, an enjoyment of the subject. Not focusing on 'failing' by not achieiving some ludicrously high pass mark.

She hasn't failed that test, she just isn't working at the higher level yet.

Trying new things is the key, as NC levels and class position should only be a tiny part of the life of an 8 year old. A gifted child is innately curious, even more than the average, there are endless possibilities with visits to museums, watching films and documentaries together, even a walk in the park can lead to interesting conversations. Learning a musical instrument is partly about overcoming frustration and working through it...

This school sounds rather toxic. The idea that 77/80 is a "fail" is just so wrong that I don't even know where to start :-/

I assume that the test involves basic arithmetic knowledge? This type of test tends to favour students who work quickly and accurately, have good concentration, and do not get stressed. It does not, however, assess maths skills in any meaningful way. My daughter was never especially good at primary school arithmetic because she is just not careful/ attentive enough - she used to say that she was rubbish in maths (although unlke your daughter this didn't bother her - she is not hampered by perfectionism). Its only since the maths curriculum has become more abstract that she's come into her own.

This is the problem of telling children (and their parents) that they're g&t so young, imvho.

Aside from it's hardly surprising that children nearly a year older than the youngest in the class are 'more able' in the early years (though not always), it establishes certain children as 'top' and there's only way to go from there...

In what ways isn't achievement in literacy acknowledged or rewarded - surely there are reading and writing assessments?

The issue here is about building up her confidence. I agree that helping to alter the way she looks at things is important and also you focusing on the things that she's good at.

TBH, the assessment and feedback systems at this school don't sound great, although it's positive that you have meetings with teachers organised.

Could it be a quick practice test sort of thing where the aim is getting practice at an appropriate level, and they just move up when they're getting it so close to 100% right that it's not good practice any more? Perhaps your DD has done so well previously that she's got used to moving up every time when really that's not the aim or the norm. If so either the teachers or the kids could have got the wrong end of the stick talking about "failing".