Getting help in school for bright children...

[Zeppmum]

Ok,Im new to this website but from reading some of the older posts i will get honest opinons and possibly some advice towards the next step..

My daughter who is currently at the end of her year 3,came home with her report the other night,she is level 4a reading,3a literacy,3c maths.
Iam proud of her as all parents are about their own,but her teacher has said over the past year,she is exceptionally bright,there are a few others in her class like it,so im not saying shes the golden child by any means,but now she is going into year 4 i was hoping with said results on report that she may be put on the Gifted and Talented List..
Wny am i being so pushy?,Because shes told me at home that she wants more challenging work at school-if shes already 3 years ahead mentally in certain aspects of her learning(her literacy,im not saying all)then shouldnt she be given work or at least some form of additional learning that is at her level?
Any comments or advice welcome please :)

I don't want to burst your bubble, but a reading age three years ahead of her chronological age is by no means unusual. She sounds able but not remarkably so.
My dd had a reading age of 12 at the end of Year 1, (aged 7) & was labelled as "able & talented" - as were at least 7 of her class mates! It only refers to the top 10% of the class, you know? Nothing particularly gifted about it.
She's Y6 now and still doing really well, but the school coped with all these high flyers perfectly well within their own year group.

Rabbitstew I quoted you in bold, followed by to show I agreed wholeheartedly with your statement and then quoted op with comments about twats.

Apologies if misunderstood.

In reply to youarekidding- why make a post at all then?
You have just jumped on a thread you have half read or just jumped on to make a insinuative comment yourself

The OP's DD may or not be precociously gifted, but she is clearly bright, motivated for learning and a sponge.

There is no harm in the OP enriching her child and encouraging the acquisition of new knowledge and skills.

There is no need for the rest of Mumsnet to burst the OP's bubble. There is a middle ground. I am a firm believer in broadening education rather than marching ahead. The OP's DD will be the gauge of what she is motivated to do.

I think it is a real blessing that the OP and her DD have something to do together where they will both be enriched.

Dirtyharriet, Iam anything but a Twat as you call me,but thank you for sharing your full evaluation of me made on the strength of my comment, thanks, it shows Iam not alone in being rude and offensive then.

No I read it all. Then I got to the bit where you talked about poor people getting money off the state to feed their addictions.

I work FT, I get some state help (HB) and have no addictions.

I have a child in the same year as you.

I am also not the only one discusted by your posts - or the only one to post it. As you said people are entitled to their opinions - yes I am and I posted it.

Youarekidding- yes you entitled to any opinion you like, as is everybody.
If you are that disgusted then why are you still posting if there's nothing useful you wish to add on the topic being discussed? You have expressed your opinion about a comment I made and apologised for 50 posts ago.

Because it's Friday night, I'm tired, ill and in pain and it just took that one comment to tip my mood into bad.

As far as your DD's concerned I agree with others. Actual reading age is 3 years ahead but that isn't that uncommon and evens out in the end - the highest reading 'age' is 16 and some children will reach it at 11/12yo and some by about 16yo. Some adults will never read according to the 16yo scale but will read well enough iyswim?

As for literacy - it's a hard one. Normally a lot of literacy is free writing within a genre - so instruction/ non fiction/ poetry etc. There aren't really 'set' tasks with limits so your DD is obviously demonstrating a high level of ability here.

Things like the maths are usually much more 'controlled' in their limits of whats set. EG they can only really perform to the highest level of work given by the teacher - there is less freedom to express themselves. I say less because often they can explore the topic further if they complete the work but usually maths is taught and the work is to demonstrate their understanding.

I would, If I was you, meet with her teacher to discuss this. Perhaps she could chose some nice books from the library and you buy her one of these books with half plain/ half lined papar and she can have a go at writing her own story?

I have a meeting with DS' teacher Monday as he's the opposite. He's actually only a 2B writer but is a 3B maths (she said she would teacher assess him as a 3A but 3B was QCA test result). Because there's such a difference (he's only 7 as a late aug baby) he is having help and probably IEP's. She thinks as well as receiving support for literacy he should have the oppotunity to expand his maths because he clearly has a more natural talent for that!

HTH. Sorry for being snipey - you did have the good grace to apologise and so will I.

Zeppmum, your post is insulting, and frankly it is total tosh. It is nothing to do with how 'emotionally damaged or from a "poor"background(which iam,just not that poor that i feel the need to leech off the social to feed any addiction!,)' the DC is, and everything to do with the ethos of that particular school.

I have a Y5 DS1 who is very able, Y5 reported levels L6 Maths, high L5/low L6 Science, secure L5 English, who gets hours a week help. I also have a Y3 DS2 who has physical disabilities and other SEN's, is working on low L2's at the end of Y3, yet gets the sum total of...NO HELP.

So it is entirely dependant on the ethos of the school, and whether that particular school wants to stretch the more able DC, help the struggling DC, or (in an ideal world) do both at once.

How about you swap places, put your DD in my DC's primary, where she will be stretched excellently, and I'll put my DS1 in your DC's primary, where he might actually get some of the help he needs?