Does anyone flexi school because school isn't enough?

[RoboJesus]

How did it work for you? Was it hard to get the teachers onboard? Could you have your child sit out of yer exams in the school? I'm trying to look into whether doing it would be a realistic possibility or not

[MaisyPops]

*lose the...
Fat fingers (always on my phone mind )

[MyOtherProfile]

OP maybe just let your child start reception in September and see how it goes. You've posted lots of questions now and none of them can be properly answered because of the vagueness and also because you don't know how your little 4 yr old is going to find school in reality. I think you need to take a step back and stop over thinking it all. Try and help them have a positive start and make some nice friends.

[yellowsun]

Really answer the question about schools not being keen on flexi- schooling, it’s because it effects attendance figures. We can’t say that a child is being educated offsite as due to safeguarding regulations, we would need to be regularly checking up on the education they are getting while not in school. In my school we have done this where a child has attended a language school or has a sports scholarship.

[yellowsun]

*To answer

[junebirthdaygirl]

My dd was a gifted child ( assessed and declared so by two psychologists on different occasions during Primary) and she did say to me on a few occasions ..l never learnt anything in school l didn't know already when she was in Primary. However my friend homeschooled and my dd said she felt sorrow for her dds as they never had the fun in school that she had and all the friends and the interactions. My dd was lucky to have teachers who let her work ahead while still staying alongside her peers in each class..ie never skipping a class. Eg in Junior classes while other wrote a line or two she had a special notebook for writing complete stories in and she read childrens novels while others did readers. But at break time she played with everyone, went to all the parties and generally loved all that side. She was not a precocious child so didnt drive the teacher mad correcting her or continually questioning so fitted in fine. She did cry at times at home as so bored with the work but had loads of extra curricular stuff outside school to keep her stimulated.
Secondary was different as all the extra subjects presented a genuine challenge.
But at the end of the day it was the friendships that counted for everything.
There isn't the opportunity in this country to flexi school but it is something that probably would have suited her...but not the teachers, maybe.

[FreshEyre]

Flexi schooling sounds like the worst of both worlds.

At school your DC will miss certain topics, may find that they only get half of the lessons in certain subjects and therefore lack consistency and continuity. I would suggest that they are less likely to build strong friendships given that they are seen by others as just coming and going.

And what happens if you find an event/group/exhibition/museum/lecture that you want to take your child to on a 'school day'? Will you just opt out of school for that day? What message does that send out?

Either let your DC go to school full time and work with the school to help them to support and stretch them educationally whilst they learn all of the other skills that school teaches; or home-educate and embrace all that that can offer in terms of flexibility, groups and networks.

Consider as well that children often benefit from socialising with other children outside of school to broaden friendship groups. You might want to look at sports groups, Brownies etc. rather than using school for this.

[RoboJesus]

You can believe it or not. If you met my child irl you'd get it, but I guess it can be hard to imagine if you aren't around it.

If it's the attendance they would take issue with could the MP help in that regard?

junebirthdaygirl that's why I'm looking in to Flexi schooling. It just seems like a good middle ground if it can be feasible

[Bezm]

No, flexi schooling as you put it is not an option. This is only ever done for children with serious illnesses or SEMH and can't cope with full time school.
To the poster who talked about her DD writing stories and reading novels in the juniors, that's extremely common! As a teacher I would expect an average Y4 child to write short stories, to read extended novels, to solve maths problems using more challenging calculations. What I'm hearing is that you had a bright child, not a genius!

What actual assessments have been done with your child to ascertain just how much of a genius they are? In all areas except PE?
I would expect that they have done some end of year tests from Year 8 or 9 as set by a local secondary school. Or some assessments with standardised scores that give you an age score too. If not, then I'm sorry to say that you're deluded if you genuinely think your Reception aged child is able to work at the level of a child 6-10 years older. You are doing them an injustice and home schooling them would be disasterous for the child.

[Bezm]

Jenfromtheglen, an EHCP is for children with SEN that impacts in them being able to attain age appropriately. It is NOT for children whose mums think they are a genius.😂

[RoboJesus]

JenFromTheGlen the school would have to admit they officially can't cope so that will probably never happen

[MaisyPops]

You can believe it or not. If you met my child irl you'd get it, but I guess it can be hard to imagine if you aren't around it.
In which case you're right. Obviously, a primary aged child obviously has the social and emotional maturity to deal with texts about exploitation and rape and coercion in relationships. They absolutely understand the significance of race in complex texts emerging out of racism in the deep south. They understand postmodern literary works in detail. They are able to write essays on unseen pieces of non fiction from the 1900s. They absolutely will understand different types of love from courtly and religious love to infatuation and lust and be able to link those representations to their analytical knowledge. They absolutely understand the writer's craft and the effect of language within context and how literary works are received over time. And they can write essays on unseen questions in closed book condtions in 45 minutes.

Obviously we have no idea about bright children, we don't know enough about our subject to possibly offer your child anything.

[theredjellybean]

OP.. My dd2 was assessed at age 4 and again at age 8 and judged to be very g and t and at age 4 had a reading age of 11. She was literally streets ahead in everything. Plus physically very able.
I insisted she went to the reception class and then stayed in the correct year group for her age.. Cus, bright she might of been, but she still cried when it was not her turn on the swings, she still occasionally had toilet accidents, she still struggled sometimes with friendship groups and sitting nicely and taking turns.
She still played with dollies and dress up... Just like all the other four Yr old.
She did occasionally say she was bored or it was too easy... But I just chatted to teachers and they gave her extension work or she was allowed to read her own book quietly in corner.
School is more than lessons and subjects.
You can expand at home with trips to places to support school learning, discussing subjects, having little projects on the go.
And you need to be careful as your very bright child might normalise... Mine did.. OK she is still most definitely very bright and is predicted four a* at a level but many of her peers caught up with her at some points.
Home school if it suits your lo but I'd let them try school first.. Being normal and learning to fit in and get along with others when you have a talent is just as important as the talent itself

[RoboJesus]

MaisyPops do you need a snickers?

[MyOtherProfile]

the school would have to admit they officially can't cope so that will probably never happen
But your poor child hasnt even startes school yet and already youre talking about the school admitting they cant cope.

MaisyPops do you need a snickers?
No. She clearly is explaining to you the complexities of the curriculum at the level you claim your 4 year old is.

You totally ignore any questions to give any concrete answers about your child. You talk about them being 6 to 10 years ahead but it seems you have plucked this out of the air because you consistently ignore anyone asking what this is based on and who has assessed this child.

We can't take this seriously because it really does appear you have nothing realistic to base this on.

I feel very sorry for your child and think perhaps you need some kind of help already. Let her start school and let them see what she is really like. Just maybe pretend you're giving the school a chance rather than gping in assuming your child is a giant amongst her peers and the school will instantly fail her.

And all the time you spend trying to source GCSE level book for her could be used on getting yours3lf some kind of help.

I don't mean any of this unkindly, I'm just very concerned for your child after some of the threads I've seen you start.

[MaisyPops]

Thank you MyOtherProfile. That's exactly what I was doing.
It seems bizarre to me that having been told a whistle stop guide to KS3 and why that means it's highly unlikely a child would be past that, the response was essentially 'but none of you understand their brilliance like I do. School can't offer anything'.

That's why I was more detailed.

It is absolutely possible to stretch able children within schools. It's probably more difficult if they are the very genuine tiny % who (for example) are fabulous at maths and logic well beyond their years and could sit GCSE maths in y7 because universities tend not to want a gap in maths study between a level and uni so dropping exams down isn't the way (there's some great maths teachers on here who know more). Even then, that's a situation which arises later after some schooling and even then there are still benefits of being in school beyond the subject they are exceptionally gifted in.

What worries me is that the OP (with seemingly very little knowledge of curriculum or how schools work) has decided their child is 6-10years ahead, school is only good for socialising, staff have nothing to offer their child and offered other views they just claim that none of us would understand.

[JustRichmal]

However my friend homeschooled and my dd said she felt sorrow for her dds as they never had the fun in school that she had and all the friends and the interactions.

I am happy to say, you can reassure your dd, as home schooling is very social, Its just that the children tend to socialise with lots of different ages, rather than those in the small age range close to their own age. I feel sorry for those who have not had the pleasure of home schooling. The couple of years I spent home schooling were excellent for dd. Why there is still the idea around that it is not social, I have no idea.

I do agree, however, giving school a go is worth it. At least try it and see what happens. Dd did want to go back to school for secondary. As she had previous experience of school she was able to make an informed decision. She had also been involved in the decision to home educate.

[Clairetree1]

JenFromTheGlen the school would have to admit they officially can't cope so that will probably never happen

I'm sure the school can cope with yor child.

we occasionally have children 6 years ahead, we cope

I am concerned that you want your child to take GCSE exams at primary though, I hope you know they not only won't count towards her GCSE total, but are likely to positively hinder her.

We also have children at GCSE level at primary, occasionally, an who's parents want them to take the exams, mostly we persuade them it is not in the child's best interests, but occasionally someone insists.

we had a 9 year old take GCSE maths this year, of what possible benefit the parents believe that will be to him I have absolutely no idea

[JustRichmal]

Claire, in fairness, some schools cope better than others. Dd's primary coped by insisting dd was not ahead and we were just deluded parents. Suggestions of giving her a level 6 test to see who was right were met with it being done on teacher assessment only. Starting secondary with an A* in GCSE did mean we did not have any more pointless discussion about what level she was at as there it was in front of them and, unlike in primary, dd actually started learning maths at school.

[RoboJesus]

Clairetree1 that's not how GCSEs work...

[RoboJesus]

MaisyPops you can wear as many foil hats as you like but it doesn't change the ability of children like mine. The professionals don't get together and conspire to pick out children and say they have ability that they don't.

[Clairetree1]

Clairetree1 that's not how GCSEs work...

yes it is, and I clearly know far more about it than you

[JustRichmal]

In what context were the professionals commenting? IME prior to school no one really commented on dd's ability as the subject never cropped up. Only the nursery staff knew she was ahead, but as nursery was about mainly play, it was never commented on much and as it was Montessori, there was not a problem with dd being ahead.
It was only with more hours spent in structured lessons in primary that the problems arose.

[RoboJesus]

Clairetree1 once you get a GCSE you can't lose it 😂 if my child has 8 A grade GCSEs by the time they are 12 they will always have them no matter what.

[MaisyPops]

MaisyPops you can wear as many foil hats as you like but it doesn't change the ability of children like mine.
Resorting to insults... nice.
I go back to my detailed description of the curriculum. I'm assuming your barely primary aged child is able to confidently analyse how writers use language for specific effects across a full range of genres from 19th century to the present day, link texts to social and historical contexts in detail, explore themes of lust, power, Faustian deals, religion and the complexities of those themes and write extended essays on works of literature? They have a nuanced understanding of bias and viewpoints in non fiction texts and can manipulate their own language to produce pieces of creative writing across a range of genres, audiences and purposes?

The professionals don't get together and conspire to pick out children and say they have ability that they don't.
So now it's a conspiracy...

OP- my child has nothing to learn at school because they are 6-10 years ahead
Me - Well actually, this is some of the secondary curriculum and large chunks of it aren't approproate for a KS1 child so I would image school can offer your child something
OP - no. You just don't understand. My child is gifted and school doesn't offer anything
Me - but again, this is the secondary curriculum so I would imagine your ks1 aged child isn't doing it all because they haven't got the social or emotional maturity to deal with many of the texts . Schools can absolutely offer lots to able children.
OP - you wear foil hat's and there's a conspiracy with professionals to deny children like mine exist

I mean, where do you go when someone's so fundamentally unreasonable? The OP wants to be told that no school can offer their child anything of value and that their child by KS1 with no formal education knows more about every subject in the whole curriculum than any adult working in any school and has nothing to gain by going to school.
This has to be a wind up. Surely nobody is that ridiculous.