Possibly gifted

[Rapunzel91]

Looking for some advice please.

I have a 6 year old who enjoyed school and has taken to it really well. She also has piano lessons with a women who is also a primary school teacher. She asked me if school has talked to me about my daughter as she thinks she is musically gifted and wondered if she could be in other areas. My DD has taken to reading and writing very easily and enjoys it so could possibly be.

I do worry that she could become bored in certain areas at school and don’t want her to stop trying or stop pushing herself. Any advice?

Has the school said anything? If not, then all you can do is ask

She will probably get bored at school, yes. Keep her schedule full outside school and ensure she gets into a good secondary school (move , if you have to).

Chat to class teacher and ask about extension work- most state primary schools don’t try to stretch able kids much so expect it will mostly be down to you

I think you are doing a great job already, but i would talk to her about her progress every few months, to see if she s still comfortable learning.

As far as music goes, if she is musically talented then piano is a great start but adding a second orchestral instrument will lead to many more opportunities. Strings are all possible at this age. Woodwind largely become feasible a little later (7-ish), though you could start with recorder now. A less common instrument can open more doors and lead to a bursary, scholarship or music place at secondary. If you are anywhere near London, Manchester or Glasgow, the conservatoires there all have junior departments which might be a possibility in future.

Regarding general ability / other subjects, it sounds like she is not acutely bored and not unhappy or disengaged. So while she may be very able, perhaps you don't have a problem (yet). Having access to a variety of books and being encouraged to read is always good.
If disengagement and boredom become a problem. you should realise schools are not trained to spot high ability or to provide for it. They have a vested interested in not acknowledging that your daughter needs anything different, because that will add to their workload. So you may not get a straight answer. They may respond by damning with faint praise ("yes, she is quite bright"), or saying we have lots of gifted children here ("I have 5 or six children working at that level and yours is not the fastest") .If so, remember you know your own child better than her teachers. Have a look at:
https://www.davidsongifted.org/prospective-families/is-my-child-gifted/
and
https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/characteristics.htm
The charity Potential Plus offers objective assessments, but if she is happy in school you may not need to go down that route yet.
https://potentialplusuk.org/index.php/families/could-your-child-have-high-learning-potential/

If she’s enjoying school now she's probably not bored. Don’t ask her if she’s bored. Listen when she wants to talk. If she’s socially happy that’s the best scenario for her. If teachers suspect she is a high achiever then you must seriously consider which secondary school would fit her profile. Until then, just let her be😊