9 yr old 'wonder twins' to go to secondary school

[heQet]

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What do you think? I think it's good that they're so bright, but secondary school? At 9? What about their emotional age? Won't they be terribly isolated socially? I can't help thinking there's more to consider than how good they are at their exams.

I think it is tricky, but it does sound like they have a supportive family.

I don't think it's a good idea for 9yo to be at secondary school - even being one year ahead of your age-group is difficult socially, a 2 year difference will be very tricky for them. I suppose they have each other, but that will have its own tensions too. Better to be able to carry on with their own year-group but be given work which stretches them.

I think problems will arise when they finish secondary school at the age of 15/16 or younger. All of their peer group will be going to university/college/jobs. Will they be mature enough to leave home to do any of these things, or be stuck in limbo for a couple of years, intellectually ready but not socially or emotionally able to cope with adulthood?

It's a really bad idea. They'll be made to feel like freaky egg heads during their formative years. They'll grow up with fear and contempt of normal people.

If these were my children [ha ha, I can hardly type that it's so, so unlikely] I think I'd take them out of school for a year and go travelling or something. Anything to try and prepare them for dealing with life and the unexpected, small talk. If I couldn't afford to take them travelling I'd enrol them on pottery/art or sport camps.

They got a D

I would worry about my DD being very lonely at a secondary school at 9. But I guess as twins, maybe they aren't so worried.
And there's all this stuff now about sexualizing children too young - they are going to be influenced by children older than themselves.

I don't like it.
They may be whizzing through the academic stuff, but I can't help but feel they're missing out on other things.

I was fast-tracked through my own secondary school with the result that I did O'Levels (as they were then) aged 14 and A' Levels aged 16... two years ahead of schedule. The work was nicely challenging, I wasn't isolated socially, had plenty of friends and (I hope) I haven't ended up as a 'freaky egg-head' as someone unkindly put it.

As long as the school and the children's families make special efforts to give them a well-rounded experience and not simply hot-house them to exam success, they'll be fine. It's not as extreme as Ruth Lawrence going to Oxford Uni aged 12, for example.

chil1234, you started at the right age though? and then you were fast tracked through school. you didn't start at 9!

sounds like they have a lot of family and support.

tbh the main thing that would concern me is whether they would continue to get a good education

I've heard several fast-tracked child geniuses saying that they regretted going to uni, etc long before they reached the appropriate age. It seems that social, emotional and psychological development is frequently overlooked when children are allowed to jump ahead like this.

Is it so difficult to provide extra academic stimulation for them whilst keeping them amongst their age peers? For example, I know of a boy who has been tasked with running his primary school's accounts.

I started secondary school aged 10 having been fast-tracked at primary - and was then fast-tracked at secondary school as well. So a year older than these two. I know from my experience leading cub scouts that children vary a lot in maturity between age 8 and 11. Some are much more grown-up than others despite being younger. There are certainly things that their parents and teachers should be alert to in this case but I wanted to make the point that it really isn't automatically the traumatising experience everyone seems to be so worried about.

Interesting, Chil. Do you think then, that fast-tracking you was the best decision in your case?

I'm sure this will disappoint many but I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was a great experience Yes, it meant I hit 16 with four A-levels and not really wanting (or ready) to go on to uni quite then but I took a year out and did other things before continuining. Life tends to even out in the end and there's enough monotony in the world... so why not make the most of being a little different?

I think if anyone finds themselves in this situation they have to look at their individual child and make the best decision they can based on the child's personality and ability. It's not a time for parental one-upmanship or pushiness...

If the child is reasonably mature and resourceful then someone might make the judgement that they can handle fast-track education or being thrown in with slightly older children. If they are a dab-hand at passing exams but not very emotionally mature then a responsible parent would ask for them to be kept with their peer group and challenged in different ways.

The few children I've known to be an academic year ahead have had difficulties at secondary level.

One was a complete pain, always showing off and acting around and I really think it was because she wasn't emotionally ready. It shows much more at secondary school. She was still being a pain when she left with good A Levels and university place - so academically she coped but socially she was always on the periphery.

It would have been kinder to keep her in her correct age group.

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Is it just me or does there seem to be a discrepancy in these kiddies ambitions?

I was put into an 'older' group in primary school and always felt a bit out of place and uncomfortable.

I think it's a bad idea, personally and doesn't really gain them anything academically, as far as I can see - and it could actually be a negative for them, socially.