Ed psych recommendations for a highly able 16yo? (London)

[muminlondonwithoneboy]

DS is 16 and doing A-levels at an academic London school. He's working well beyond A-level in maths and is finding lessons very hard to sit through. The school is reluctant to differentiate, so I'd like an independent cognitive assessment with clear recommendations they can act on. It would also help us plan the next couple of years, as he's aiming for maths at university. I'd like to get it done while he's still young enough for the WISC-V.
I'm looking for a chartered educational or clinical psychologist who has properly assessed exceptionally able teenagers, rather than mainly younger children or learning difficulties. London, or willing to travel.
Has anyone used any of these?
• Dr Stephanie Satariano (Child Psychology London)
• Dr Bettina Hohnen
• Dr Irene Broadley-Westerduin
• Debra Raye
Or is there someone else you'd recommend? I'd especially like to know whether the school took the report seriously, and whether the psychologist was good with a teenager.
Happy to take recommendations by PM. Thank you!

What do you think the consequences would be for him either skipping maths lectures or doing TMUA/STEP/Olympiad level math in the back of class instead of focusing on the lectures? Has he tried either?

The school is strongly discouraging anything that is outside of their usual procedure. I confronted 2 years ago and I decided to move smartly as there is high dependancy in teacher recommendations, etc.

Does your ds not take further maths?

what do you actually want the assessment to show/ telll you? If its - ‘ds is working at undergrad level’ then it won’t be do that as the assessments dont correlate with these things.

you would need to request a wisc (or WAIS which can be done from age 16) and WIAT. The EP would also need to consult with school to find out what level he’s working at.

the school don’t have to take the report ‘seriously’ and aren’t under any obligation to put the recommendations in place. You would need an EP who really understands A’level maths/ Maths degrees and content otherwise the recommendations might not be very specific.

This is very true. I have no intentions to label my DS with this assessment but more find the right EP who knows how to make recommendations to school specifically for A level maths.

If he is planning to study maths at university, then he should be doing Further Maths. Maybe he is and you just haven't mentioned it, but if not, why not?

A pupil who is working beyond A-level at 16 should be able to study independently. I find it difficult to imagine that his maths teacher would not allow him to work on other things alongside what everyone else is doing. They might expect him to submit homeworks, or to join in some activities, but if he's worked through the example they're explaining or completed the problems they've set, there should be no problem doing additional work. He has signed up to an A-level maths course, and that is what the teacher will be concentrating on teaching.

For material to stretch him, see https://ukmt.org.uk/, https://nrich.maths.org/students/post-16, https://plus.maths.org/, https://esat-tmua.ac.uk/about-the-tests/tmua-test/, step.maths.org/.
The last two are extra maths exams that are taken by students applying to some of the top universities. Working through the STEP preparation materials will give plenty to do.

His teachers may be able to offer some support with things like STEP preparation, but not always; plenty of A-level maths teachers will find the questions challenging themselves.

If you want to demonstrate to the school that he is working beyond A-level, then doing a past A-level paper is more useful than a psychologist's report.

But the school are under no obligation to pay heed to this report/recommendation.

He is currently studying Further Maths. He has completed the SMC and will be taking BMO1 soon. I wrote to his school, and they have agreed to allow him to work on STEP and BMO preparation during his maths lessons, provided he completes his homework and sits the exams as usual.
This is a very positive outcome for now, and I really appreciate the school’s flexibility and support. I don’t think we need to involve an educational consultant any further at this stage.

This is true, I explained the situation to his school and they agreed. It is a good outcome. Let’s see how it progresses.

Yes, this does seem like an ideal outcome.
Can you guess as to why they allowed it now but not before? What changed?

Check out this book for step 1: https://pmt.physicsandmathstutor.com/download/Admissions/STEP/Advanced%20Problems%20in%20Core%20Mathematics%20(STEP).pdf
For browsing past STEP/TMUA/BMO/etc questions, I like https://www.mathsdb.com/step as it allows for filtering by topic and subtopic

My DS is now officially allowed to work on other things, such as STEP or BMO preparation, during maths lessons at school. This flexibility is helping him escape the boredom of regular lessons, and the school is also open to extending the arrangement to other subjects. It’s not perfect, but definitely a step in the right direction. Better than nothing!