Starting school gifted?

[BabiesDontNeedDaddies]

I got told that to be classed as gifted going in to reception all the kid has to be able to do is read a simple sentence, ie "a cat sat on a mat", and do simple addition/subtraction, like 7+2 or 4-3. That seems quite basic to me for gifted. Is that right? Or is it like a local thing since I don't live in an affluent area

A lot of schools don’t have any g and t coverage until ks2.

Really? Why? 3 years is a long time to not be taught at the right level

Gifted in UK schools just means the top 5 or 10% of the class. So yes, your examples above mean that the child would be classed as more able as many children of that age can't do those things. However, skills are very fluid at that age. DD for instance started school unable to do any of those things. She wasn't the best reader or the best mathematician or the best at anything. However fast forward to Y6 and the picture has changed substantially. Children learn at different times and different rates.

Gifted is a rubbish term, as being in the top 5 or 10% even of the entire population just means you have the potential ability to do well at school and go to a good university should you wish to. I think gifted implies something out of the ordinary which definitely isn't the top 5 or 10% - this is bright and capable but not unusual within the wider population.

Money and staff time. You won’t necessarily get anything more than pull out clubs either.

French2019 so what would they do with a gifted child?

Gifted is also an awful term as it’s not always a bloody gift, for either parent or child.

That's not fair on the kid

Because four year olds need to learn to socialise, interact and get on with their peers, develop physically, improve their strength and balance etc etc, not just exponentially improve one tiny aspect of their range of abilities.

The Colour of Magic is not suitable for four year olds- just because they can read it doesn't mean they should!

Depends on the school. Some schools are brilliant at providing differentiation within the classroom. Others do very little at all for "gifted" children.

Reception is quite easy tbh, as most of the learning is child-led. It gets more challenging as they move further up the school and learning becomes more formal.

It's not fair?

It's not fair on your child that you are obsessed with him being academically advanced, yet do not seem interested in developing him in the areas he is struggling in. He needs assessing, and an EHC sorted for him.

Colbu24 don't be homophobic

If only we could just let 4 year olds be 4 years old

Umm what? 😂

Perhaps you could explain what you find difficult to understand about my post? Did you add in the laugh because you think my comment was funny?

Well it has nothing to do with this

You know what OP, based on your posts throughout this thread, I think it’s safe to assume the child in question isn’t yours.

Have you read “why love matters”? That might help OP

Rainbow

You took the words

Again... Nothing to do with this. Why?

What is your dc doing to demonstrate giftedness op?

MaisyPops speaks sense here. Schools can recognise a gifted/bright/whatever you want to call it child a mile off. I have one who is off the scale of brightness/giftedness (my others are fine, but nothing exceptional). It was recognised as soon as he started school. It has continued to be recognised, and he's now doing GCSEs.

Also agree with KoshaMangsho that social skills might possibly need work if a child is particularly able academically or musically. Still working on the GCSE candidate's social skills. No child is perfect, and extreme ability in one area doesn't mean they're skilled in others too.

Crikey no. Both my DC could do that at reception. At 8 and 10 though I would say they were average. Good at some stuff, not so good at others.

So if they weren't considered "gifted" what were the "gifted" children able to do?

There is one particularly ‘gifted’ child at our local school. It is a nightmare for her and very isolating. She is in yr 3 now and taught/set work by visiting secondary teachers working on GCSE level work. She struggles to make friends with her age group and her academic equivalents are so much older/adolescent that it would be inappropriate to have them as friends even if she were emotionally mature enough. She has no one to work with in school on most stuff. It is not a happy place to be. Her mum and Dad had the same (‘gifted’ family) and hated school because of it and while successful are not especially so.

This feels like a revolving thread

Mossandclover surely she would be better homeschooled.

Tomorrow quite possibly but still might not help the social isolation (home educated kids won’t be at her level either) and both parents work.