Reception DD on G&T list - help please

[virgo]

MY DD has been put on the G&T list at her primary school - for literacy (but also noted for numeracy & creative thinking (?!?). Now I've gone around telling BF's & family etc and feel like a complete idiot for doing so - months have now passed and the teacher is still enthusing about her etc but I wish I could just keep my mouth shut. DS1 is older and we've had a few problems with getting him reading etc and he has concentration difficulties so I think I was just relieved that DS2 was ok. She's reading at around stage 7 ORT but now having a look at some of the threads that's not totally unusual. Perhaps our primary school teacher is a bit over entusiastic about her and has got carried away. Is it common to come off the list once you are on it?

I wouldn't worry about it, you can't take back what you have already said and you were only going on what the teacher told you.

My DS is in Reception and is labelled as 'above average' where as DD is labelled as 'below average' and is a few years older than him. I hate the labels, the children in the school are aware of what group they fall into and I don't think it does the lower ability children's confidence any good at all.

I am releaved that DS appears to be coping well at school, it means I can give DD some much needed support.

I don't think anyone at my ds's primary reception class has been categorised like this. I'm really surprised.

It's a new governmet initiative,they started it in senior schools last term ,dd was invited to join G&T.
I think it means the school has to keep a register similar to sneeds and keep a track of their devlopment etc.It may mean the school recieves extra funding.

I think it is a requirement now for all schools to hold a list of their G&T pupils and (although not entirely sure) they may get additional funding for those they have to serve their special needs. We've always thought she was fairly 'quick'etc iykwim but the teacher told us at parents evening that there was nothing DD could learn in reception or from most of yr 1 curriculum - she's bright but I've always thought G&T meant child prodigy which she is notknows and is interested in things like the planets and corected me on which way round they orbit the sun the other night! - just wishing I hadn't mentioned to anyone but there again other mums chat about their childs achievements etc.

i thought it was the top 10% of any school is g and t
Mine are on it - means naff all!

wow - ds is in reception in whats classed as the best primary school in our area by far. they spent last term finding the toilet, meeting their teachers and getting to know one another - never mind being put into ability categories and G&T!

I thought that the definition of being on a school's list was different from being on the list for the academies etc. Every school had to nominate their top 10% as G&T but of course top 10% at one school might be top 30% at another.

Personally I think its a bit young to classify a 5 year old as gifted and talented. Having said that the headmaster has said to us that there are some children that simply stand out from the age of 3. We asked at parents evening (when they told us this) how many children were usually on this 'list' and were told that only 3 or 4 in the school (200 in the shcool). Labelling is useful if it helps more able children to be given extension work. Mysonsmummy - our school is exactly the same which makes it difficult for the more able children sometimes just as it is for those at the other end - DD is a self taught reader and knew her phonics at 2 was chatting fluently at 1 etc so although v happy at the moment could v quickly switch off to learning - our reception concentrates on learning through play which I think is brilliant - worksheets are boring at 5 even if your child is able. The difference I have foudn b/w my two children is that dd has an insastiable apetite for questions and knowledge - whereas DS although questioning in a normal way is happy to play with toy soldiers, PS2 etc for a while, whereas DD is asking 'what's the capital of France - whats the biggest country - why is it the biggest - what's underneath the wooden floor - what's in the middle of the earth - why is it molten rock - where did it come from etc etc - however great you are at parenting you do find youreslef saying from time to time - no more questions and go and watch some television!!

Aloha, a voice of sanity! Was thinking the same thing - I'm not aware of this kind of assessment going on in reception - we've only just gone into term two after all; I'd be worried if I thought our teachers were even thinking about the children in this way. At this stage they ALL have so much to learn about settling into school and the social side of things, and that is what reception is about, as well as the foundation stage curriculum.

Time enough for categorising when they've gone through reception.

And virgo I think that's what you're finding, the unhelpfulness of categorising in this way at this stage; there's such a huge variety of when kids do things, and as has been said here before, being an early reader or writer is no guarantee of a genuine giftedness; and it's only going to be damaging to confidence (parent and child!) if they feel the child is being 'taken off the list'....

I'd try to ignore the teacher's appraoch myself, just enjoy your dd's enjoyment of learning and leave it at that.

sunnysideup - I agree...the school have moved her into year one for reading sessions once a week and now propose to do it for numeracy. They've asked how we feel about moving her up a year but I'm not keen at all - I don't see the pont but these suggestions concnern me as it must meant that she's not going to learn much in reception at all - does that really matter though - I'm only interested in keeping her interested in learning and not switched off - but if they are bright surely they find ways of learning in any case.

G&T doesn't mean a lot - as others have said it's just the top 10% - mine were both labelled G&T and they're perfectly normal - in fact ds1 has a 'spelling age' nearly 2 years below his actual age!

If your child is exceptionally bright (eg a friend of mine has a son who was reading Harry Potter at 6 and had to do Maths with yr6 once he was in yr1) she will be given an 'Individual Education Plan'.

Just be pleased that she's obviously a bright little girl.

also in repsonse to mysonsmummy - dd's reception teacher is ab brilliant - doing a stunning job with such a variety of children and all with different needs nad problems to address. learning where the toilet is and making friends etc is extremely important but this teacher went to great lengths at parents evening to tell us that she thought 'we simply hadn't grasped how bright our child was' - I'm thinking that she could plateua out and actually said to the teacher that each child probably has some years of their cildhood where everything is great and goign well and other not so good years. DD's best years may be b/w 3 and 6! - just wondering if any other 5 year olds have been labelled like this.

DD is incredibly bright and DS not so and we were told how great she was (backed up by 2 university lecturer uncles and a head teacher auntie) but was also warned that at 8 most children plateau out and it is quite dangerous moving children up at such a young age and then having their confidence destroyed when they plateau out and are then behind the year that they have been moved into.

I have only know of children being moved up when they start Juniors - reception seems rideculously early to be honest.

If I were you I would learn through play at home - you can purchase lots of things that will help you and leave her to take from her reception class the fundamentals of growing up - of interacting with other children and just being a kid.

Virgo, I think your instinct is right. She will benefit more from a good solid reception year where the focus is on forming friendships and being part of a group and learning to be part of the school community.

Personally I also feel she may benefit more too from being at the 'top' of her year rather than just another learner in the year 1 classes. There's a great feeling knowing that you are on top of all the work and can achieve it....she might lose that in a year one class and that could affect her confidence.

As long as she isn't really bored and translating that into disruptive behaviour, and as long as you feel it's not affecting her enthusiasm for learning, then I'd say give her the reception year she's entitled to!

Hello! You're probably still recovering from the shock. It took me quite a while to come to terms with it myself as while it's nice to have a bright child you don't really want one that stands out and is too different!

DD is 5, started reception in Sept and is g&t. This was picked up at nursery and she saw the ed psych there. I know people have argued that it's not possible to diagnose g&t at such a young age but I disagree. DD at 4 (at nursery!!) had a cognitive development age in all areas they tested of 8+ (which was the highest they could go) and tbh I think this has got higher since she started school.

DD is the only g&t in her school which is fairly small, 1 class of 30 in each year so they are still finding their way with her. We have told the teacher that we consider the reception year to be for the things that sunnysideup mentions such as making friends etc. She has a IEP but the teacher has said she feels she's not begninning to tap into DD's potential and is at a bit of a loss.

So we're at our own crossroads. There is great pressure from family to put DD into private education but it's hard balancing out what's right for DD in the short term and long term.

In the meantime I have taken advice from this board and enrolled DD on a few extra-curricular activities. She goes to swimming classes and Rainbows which takes the focus off the school day.

Unfortunately we are starting to hear the same things about DS who's 2 that we used to hear about DD. Such as 'ooo! we've never seen that done before' Which gives me a feeling of dread at the pit of my stomach. Which can't be right.

Why be pressurised into sending to private school they are not necessarily better when at such a young age you can encourage her yourself by answering all the questions and reading interesting books with her perhaps the childrens classics (I am reading greek myths with DS)

DS's teacher was a bit fazed with DS's reading etc but enjoys his company as it can be a bit numbing being with five year olds all day and she enjoys finding extra things for him to do

I don't really see why having literacy and numeracy with some children from Year 1 equates to "moving her up a year". DS2 is in a literacy group that with children from Yr 2 (he's in Yr 1) but he does everything else with his own year. It shouldn't be a problem, I don't think.

DS2 was identified as "G&T" in Reception, btw.