Review meeting with G&Tco tomorrow

[chicaguapa]

DD was assessed at pre-school in top 1 or 2% for her age in all 4 areas they tested (equiv alent age 8+). She is the only g&t in the primary school and we played it all down in YR saying we wanted her rounded off etc. She was put on SEN for social skills and I'm pleased to say she's now a lot better in that area. The YR teacher was fab and was always concerned that she wasn't able to tap into DD's potential.

So DD's now in Y1 and bringing back homework about ordering the days of the week and subtracting from 20. The parents' evening didn't go very well as the teacher fobbed off anything we said about stretching DD and I got the impression that she didn't rate DD that much. DD enjoys school but is definitely coasting.

So I have requested a review meeting with the G&Tco who also happens to be the Head. What should I be expecting from the school as I feel I will need to be a bit specific. Should she be assessed again to see if she is still 'exceptionally bright' (YR teacher's words) and maybe she isn't 'all that' anymore and the Y1 teacher is right to treat her the same as the other 'bright' children in the class.

I HATE feeling like a pushy mother but I can't help feel that if she goes into YR in the top 1 or 2% and finishes Y6 as just average then somewhere along the line she has been failed!?

Thanks for asking. I went in to see the HT and it turns out he wanted to see me to make an appointment. So I'm going to see him on Weds. I will let you know how I get on.

In the meantime I mentioned it to the HT at the nursery school and she said that DD MUST have an IEP. Which has given me a bit more conviction about the necessity of the meeting.

Good luck chica, let us know how you get on

DD has had an IEP for "being bright" since she was in YR, and to be honest, I'm not convinced of the value of the IEPs unless you have a supportive form teacher. DD's reception teacher was quite negative about DD and we saw very little evidence of her work being differentiated (although she was the only YR child to get homework ....We got to the point of looking at what is viewed as the local academic hothouse as she was bored and we were fed up but they seemed much more concerned about their intake being brighter than average overall than worrying about individual kids, so we we left her where she is.

However, things improved hugely in Y1 and now in Y2 DD has a great teacher who views DD as a "bit of a challenge and great fun" (quote from parents' evening) and goes out of her way to set her interesting work that really stretches her without making a big deal out of the process. It's made a huge difference to DD's general development as she's having to stop and think as well as address her carelessness.

As others have said, the teacher is the key and IME all the paperwork and official recognition in the world won't do anything if the teacher isn't keen. We found music lessons a great channel for DD and she now plays 2 instruments and gets loads from her lessons, so if Y1 is likely to be a year where your DD goes to school to socialise it might be worth thinking about starting her on an instrument.

Sorry, this is a mammoth post and wiser posters than me have said much the same....Good luck!

Now, if anyone has any experience of dealing with the competitive mother from hell and her offspring I'd be grateful!

As an example of what schools can do:

Ds2 is in yr4, so obviously a bit older. At parents' eve the teacher commented that though they do a lot of differentiation in the classroom they don't with homework, and they tend to be bogstandard (boring) worksheets focusing on the lowest abilities.

She asked whether ds2 might appreciate a 'project-style' homework, basically driven by him over a number of weeks, whilst being simultaneously exempted from other homework. And she produced a simple guidance sheet for him to plan a trip to a country in Africa (their topic this term).

DS2 has really enjoyed researching this over the last 4 weeks, and writing about his plans. (We've taught him how to use Expedia and other sites, so of course we've had to hide the credit cards, in case he decides to really book it!)

Anyway, I think he's enjoyed it and benefited from it, and it hasn't been particularly onerous on the teacher either.

Hello! I thought I would let you know how I got on with today.

It went really well and HT said that as parents we should expect to see DD make progress in school regardless of what level she arrived at. But he said that she had made progress in YR which he was really pleased about and she left yR at ?over 75? on the PIPS - he didn?t say what she went in at but just that there was a value added figure.

HT & I both said how wonderful Y1 teacher was to have achieved that for DD. He said that DD is lucky there are other bright children in the class so DD can still participate in group work and develop her social skills. Those children left yR at between 68-71 on the PIPS so the gap wasn?t as big as it could have been in another year class.

So he expects to see another positive figure by the end of y1 and not a negative one. We talked about some of the things that DD?s doing at home and he said they were things covered in y5 but not to worry about it from our pov and just let DD run with what she wants to do and not hold her back. He said when she comes to do these things again in later years she?ll just find another way to approach it and is unlikely to be bored.

So he said she is proper g&t ? not just in what she?s achieving but the methods she uses to approach the work etc. He?s going to contact the G&T guy for the LEA for more advice and he thinks she might need assessing again now that she?s spent a bit of time in school.

I suggested that DD is given the opportunity to do project work as she can take it as far as she wants to and it?ll give her something to get stuck into. He thought this was a good idea and said that g&t kids tend to respond well to the freedom and extension it provides them. So Y1 teacher will give DD a project each half a term which she can either present to the class or just feedback to Y1 teacher depending on what she thinks would be best.

She apparently used to teach y5 so is capable of meeting DD's needs. HT is going to ask the teacher to read through DD's file and the reports from nursery & yR to help her understand DD's needs and abilities better.

So overall I?m pleased with how it went, that the HT said we?re doing everything right and he doesn?t think I?m a pushy mum (he didn?t say that but I could tell he didn?t think it). And he?s really supportive and happy to spend school funds on this g&t guy and another EP report. And he?s also really pleased that we haven?t told DD that she?s g&t and says that we have the right attitude.

I have never seen or been notified of a G&T pupil coming into year 7 from a local primary - in my area they probably go into one of the local grammars. I think you will need to think carefully of where to send you child after primary or she will very bored once she reaches there. How will be G&T in primary impact on future choices and will there be any preferntial selection at secondary?

We have a grammar school nearby with the 11+ style entrance exam and the HT's wife teaches there. So she should be ok from year 7. DD's best friend's brother has just got in so fingers crossed DD's best friend will too (who IS bright as well) as we will probably still have the usual weighing up to do between academic and social development.