Skipping a year of primary

[Mumismiss]

Does anyone know how I can get DD assessed to see whether she could skip Y6 of primary?
Thanks for any advice.

Is she currently in the wrong year group?

Not necessarily. She's just finding the work easy and a bit boring.

I'd speak to her teacher as a first point. Or the head. It seems an odd year to want to skip though. I would have thought it would be important in terms of preparation for secondary school - socially and academically.

So she would go to secondary school a year early? Secondary is a big jump aged 11 never mind 10. Maybe talk to her teacher about setting some more suitable work.

Is she in a private school? There is no assessment for year group in state schools. Teachers should be providing work with suitable challenge though

Some grammar schools will consider early entry, but I think that this is used more when a child has been working in the year ahead already (e.g. in private school). I think it would be a big shock to go straight from yr5 to secondary. Where in the year is her birthday? You need to consider what happens at the other end too would she go to Uni a year early, what about learning to drive and going to the pub etc. It is up to the secondary school so I would investigate what they say. Bear in mind too that if she is in yr 5 all of the places have been allocated so it would be a waiting list situation.

Could you take her out and home educate, do a trip etc?

Its extremely rare for children to be educated out of year in the state sector

Has she already been working in year 6 for over a year then? If not you'll see the jump after Christmas when it steps up for exams.
Year 6 in state schools is an important year, it's the year most people remember the most from primary. It's not just about formal learning. It's the year of fun too before it becomes full on in high school.
I can't think for the life of me why anyone would want the child to miss it. Sounds like you don't think just being around friends and having fun has any value for your child.

I got moved up a year as a child, I wouldn't recommend it really. Academically I could easily keep pace but socially it was not easy at all.
Much better was when my parents realised and moved me to a school that was able to stretch me. They also did lots of extra, stretching work at home because I wanted to (eg I would do all my older brother's homework alongside him) and they made sure there were lots of interesting books (fact & fiction) available

The social side of school is very
Important too, I can't think of many jobs where social skills aren't key.

There is no "assessment" that will allow your child to miss a year of primary. There are ways it can happen, I know a boy who went from Year 5 straight into a local grammar school. But his family had to jump through numerous hoops to do so.
First he had to persuade the grammar school to allow him to sit the 11+, which he obviously passed with flying colours ( he was working at "old" level 7 across the board and had been working with year 6 children since year 4) Then he had to persuade his primary school to effectively say they were unable to teach him anything ( which no school will want to do!) and get a report from a child psychiatrist to say that his mental health was being impaired where he was AND that he would be able to deal with early entry ( which they were reluctant to do in case there were to be any future problems!) His family then had to persuade the local authority and the governors of the grammar school that early entry was in their best interests too!

It took some doing!!

Have you discussed with the teacher what work is set for the children who are working above that expected for their age? Or is she just finding the teaching and work dull and not inspiring? There is a difference.

So many parents are complaining about how difficult the new SATS are and the fact that the national curriculum has been made more challenging, teachers really are striving to ensure their high ability children are stretched by setting extension tasks and making sure they do the hardest questions in class work. Where I am a Governor, children who are the highest ability will automatically do the hardest tasks set and then additional work if they have grasped the concept really quickly. They are encouraged to read widely and write in greater detail for example. This is the sort of teaching you should be looking for. I am in a grammar school county and it is very rare for a child to go to a grammar school early, even the ones destined for Oxford and Cambridge. I think discussing the problems with the primary school and making sure you ask relevant questions is the first thing to do.

Why on earth would you want to?

DD's old school suggested she move up a year (independent) as they couldn't cope with the fact she was so far ahead of the others, that was their problem so we moved her as we felt she needed to be with her peers. She also wasn't one of the oldest, mid year so she could have been with some children who were 18 months older. We moved her to a selective independent but she was still a good way ahead and we took all the opportunities the school had to stretch her or provide completely different activities including lessons from the senior school. We are home educating for last term of Y6 and focusing on what she wants to do as well as techniques for self study. She starts at Grammar school in September and I am glad she will be amongst her peers and not out of sync. I appreciate it is a fine balance for a bright child to either be singled out for being so very bright amongst their peers or singled out for having changed years - for us that problem was never going to be avoided. We felt strongly that DD needed to learn to cope with her ability and not have a major upheaval with all the social problems that causes - it has been the right decision for us but every child is different.

What a ridiculous idea, your dd will be setted at high school.

Does the school agree that the work is too easy?

I have had parents tell me the very same thing - however, quite often the child in question is not showing signs that the work is too easy. Just going home and telling the parents this.

It's not a totally ridiculous idea, I was bored out of my mind at my first primary. But there are other, arguably better, options than skipping a year with all the social implications that carries

Your DC might be ahead educationally but may not be emotionally mature enough to be in a class with older peers. The knock on effect would be a child leaving school not really ready for university.

I did the opposite with my smart DD. We moved her from state school to private and moved her back a year. She went from being one of the youngest in her year to one of the oldest. She was able to consolidate the work she was doing whilst learning new subjects. Now, at 18 she says she is so very glad she is a little older as she heads into her final school exams and off to uni.

Maybe you need to find other things to stimulate her thirst for learning. After school language classes, cheese club science clubs etc to supplement what she is doing in school?

No way would I consider this. Insist on extension work, find some yourself etc.

I have 2 youngest in year DC, one of them is academically top of her year but I can tell she would have hugely benefitted from being in the year beneath her

No, they need to be with their age group. If you think she's academically way ahead of her peers then see what her teacher suggests you do.

As PPs have said, in a state school, it's extremely unlikely for a move out of year to take place. Have you spoken to the school about it? Has it been mentioned at parents evenings?

I'd be more interested in getting the school to offer enrichment and extension ork than a move out of year. Differentiation can be up as well as down and if she's so able, there must be lots she can do independently.

If she did move up a year, she would be out of age for the rest of her schooling and what would you propose at age 17? It's really important to be socially adept and that could be compromised by moving her.