Private schools?

[lisad123]

WE are looking into private school for DD1 as the school arent able to support her current learning levels with such high numbers and different levels of learning. We are hoping to get a scolarship, due to her "brightness".
She is only 5years old and not been offically tested, but school have been going on and on about her brightness, top of her class ect. Will we have to get her IQ tested first? will they do theiur own testing?
Any help would be great.
I know I should be here as she isnt labeled G&T but didnt know who else to turn to.

Lisa - what does she stuggle with? Maybe whilst you are looking for schools you could help her with the things she finds tricker - sports? creativity? music? Could she start to learn another language outside school?

I would go for breadth as well as depth.

(BTW I can't promise to be able to help but I have taught some very able Year 1s - maybe I could suggest some things to do to extend her if you would like)

We havent decided for sure that she will go to private school. Her teacher was very happy to know we wont be moving anytime soon. Her school is good, and happy to get her working to her own level.
Be intrested to know what the SENCO says, and where we go from here

She doesnt struggle with much at all. She isnt very good at physical sports so we are doing ballet and swimming. She is top of her class in art, math, english and sciene. She does very well at art, and she produces some beutiful pictures.

I think they have a higher level TA and also have been "forced" to take some SN children. I know they had 30 in sept when she started and had 3 new ones move into the class in Jan, but it could be some moved out, so could be wrong with 33.

We do work with her at home but dont like to push too much, and feel she needs to be a child first and will learn loads though play at her age.

Isn't legal class size limit 30 in England (for infants)??

(sorry, just seen someone else had posted that)

Personally, if she's happy at school and they are not doing a bad job then I'd leave her. Very bright children can become withdrawn or disruptive when they are bored and not stretched enough. If she's happy it means that they are managing. I take the 'if it's not broken' philosophy. It's good that you are not pushing her. She'll only get one childhood, all children need to be able to make the most of it. Give the education department a call and have a chat to their gifted and talented co ordinator.

Lisa they can't 'force' SN children into classes while in KS1. KS2 is difference.

They have a set number of 30 in KS1 and they can't go over those numbers at all. The Eductaion co-ordinator told me that, when I was sorting out places for the kids at the new school.

Well actually I think they can - my mum (a head) was forced to have a reception class of 32 because 2 children got in by appeal.

Going back to the OP, my nephew is exceptionally bright. Reading fluently before starting school, talented at chess, maths and music, etc. He is in a state school which has catered for him really well; he has maths lessons with the older years; he has always been encouraged to progress with reading at his own pace, and they have offered all sorts of extension activities for him. There's no reason why a state school shouldn't be able to more than adequately cater for a G&T child's needs. I think you have to be assertive with the school your dd is in in terms of asking them how they intend to cater for her needs rather than moving her in the hope that another school might do something different.

Her school are doing all they can for her right now, and she is doing well. They have agreed to speak to the SENCO, and see if Ed Phy can assess her.

Lisa, have you looked at all the prep schools that are practical for you to get to? They will be very happy to talk to you and to show you around. You can ask them about how they are planning to comply with the Charities Act (in casual conversation - not bold and brash upfront).

In my fairly limited experience, I would say that in a prep school, your child will be catered for very well academically (it's pretty easy for a teacher to differentiate when the classes are small). The main difference is that there will be many opportunities for a much broader education - games, drama, art, music etc.

I would not hold out any hope for an academic scholarship in the Preprep. Somes schools may award 10% on entry to Prep, but most scholarships kick in on entry to Senior School.

lisa , although private schools do have smaller classes there is not necessarily any more attention paid in the pre-prep/infant years to brighter pupils as they often can have the same ability range as state schools even where entry at 3 or 4 was selective. This tends to be less the case by 7+, by which time many SENs are identified and either catered for or suggested that the particualr school is not the right place long term. tbh I would n't view it as a n urgent issue in a 5yo.

Bursaries (which are means tested) are available for a limited number and cases are treated individually but you may find schools reluctant to award one before 7+ (since development rates can fluctuate and the apparently forward 5 year old may not be so by 7 or 8) and are primarily in cases where they are so exceptional that their specific needs cannot be catered for at their present state school but can there. Being "bright" alone may not be enough and how that is determined will vary from one school to another.

if i had 10p for every parent of a child in reception who claims their child is the cleverest/is being held back by the others yada yada yada ... and of course it turns out they are an autumn birthday child. Doh!

Revisit the scene in a couple of years time to see if private is really the best way to go.

fircone, theres no need to be so harsh. It not me saying it, its also her teachers. She isnt an autimn baby either, shes a winter one.
I havent decided if she will go to private school yet, but wanted ask for some help from ladies who know best.
She has always been ahead of her age group, but I havent pushed her, shes only 5! Surely its better to often help and support for bright children when their younger than thinking "oh well, lets wait a few years".

Thank you to all those that have given helpful advice, there is a lot to think about that I hadnt considered before. Will now have to wait to see what her teacher says.

lisa my DD has been in private school since nursery, with a 9month break when we went to Oz. She picked things up very easily and has remained one of the brighter children throughout school, culminating in her being one of two children this year winning a major academic scholarship through to the senior school.

At times I have felt frustrated even with her school or felt that perhaps she would be better off at a more academically-selective school but really this one has worked on so many levels for her and for us as a family.

Her reading skills have been excellent and school have always encouraged her to read pretty much whatever she wants.

Even in reception she would look after visiting children, perhaps reading them a story. As she has got older she has been stretched sideways - starting piano at 6yo, violin at 7yo, saxophone at 10yo. The great thing about finding academic work easy is it leaves lots of time for other activities when some pupils may be struggling to manage more basic tasks.

Suddenly you will almost certainly find though, that the distance between you DD and her peers isn't so obvious- by about Y3 they will mostly be able to read and write fairly fluently.

Good luck!

Please don't assume either that she will be with brighter children if she goes to private school - quite often, private means rich rather than bright!

Byt he way, do teachers really tell parents that a child is "top of the class" in Reception? I wouldn't want that to happen in my children's school. I think doing class order is sort of acceptable at secondary level ( I suppose) but not at Infants, surely?

Stretching sideways - great description for the value added by prep schools.

I see little value in accelerating a child's academic work, but rather add new experiences into the mix so that they become well rounded. The last thing you want to do with a clever child is to reward them by giving them more work.

The decisions we have made personally for our children are this -

We feel very strongly that private education is superior to the state provision we have locally. Two of our five children are currently in an independent senior school and we are very happy with the school

I have worked in many schools - good, bad and ugly. I feel that our choices are more informed than most. My experiences include an Outstanding comp, and a grammar school - but these do not sway my opinion one iota.

My three girls are in a state primary - middle of council estate, added value below 100%. Each of them is at the top of their class. I work in a girls' independent school, and my plan was to move all three to my school ASAP. However, the finances didn't work (they never do). I would be prepared to struggle to send them, but DH was not willing to go into debt. His opinion is that private schools at primary level are for rich people, and that is not us.

I would love to have all three of my girls at my school, but it is just not possible. DD1 will join me next year as she moves into Y7. My other two will both come when DD2 moves into Y7. Saying that, I am content with the education my girls are getting in their primary school. The SEC profile of the school is not good, but they do a good job of protecting the vulnerable pupils from their situations (basically poor parenting). I despair for these pupils when they moved to secondary where they will not have the very loving pastoral care.

Obviously it depends on the specific primary school, but we have found that our children have done well academically. Socially has been a problem. The lack of cultural diversity has been difficult for DD1 - she is American and no one really clicks with her. She will be much more comfortable when she moves to my school because there will be several other oddballs in her class.

If you are worried about how your clever child copes in a state primary - I wouldn't. We have found that clever children do well enough. Only go private at this stage if you can truly afford it. It's a different story at senior level.

Agree private school does not mean better or that there are clever children there just richer. If I were you I wouldnt waste my money and keep her in the state system until year 7 then apply to a grammer or for a scolarship at a selective private.

It's the state schools that have the G&T lists precisely to track there brightest children. Its a bit hit and miss what they do with the children on the lists but the idea was to keep an eye on them and make sure they dont fall behind. Ask her current school if they have a G&T policy and what that is.