Contact us 0800 368 7694 (UK) or +44 203 286 6824 or consultants@goodschoolsguide.co.uk
You will probably be exhausted. Stimulated, educated, fascinated – but also, quite possibly, exasperated, confused and, yes, exhausted.
Having a child who is genuinely gifted or talented (and we’re not talking here about the generally bright, sparky and eager to learn) can be a very mixed blessing. The questions can be endless, as can the demands for more books, equipment, instruments, outings, extra tuition. It can be an expensive business to be the parent of a genuinely gifted child. There will also be implications for other members of the family – living with a demanding sibling is not easy!
Phonics Schmonics
These are the children who, for example, not only read by the time they are four but who have already read the school’s stock of books. No point teaching them phonics – synthetic or otherwise. Or reading may not be their thing but they know their tables – literally backwards sometimes, by the time they are 5. Or maybe they can play a Mozart sonata at 7 and wonder why you can’t. Or maybe they simply master facts and details at one glance and retain – and understand – extraordinary amounts of complex information. A gifted child may be gifted in one specific area but be perfectly like his peers in other ways. Or he may be a whizz in just about all things.
The Good Schools Guide website has numerous helpful articles explaining what it is to have a gifted child and how they should be identified and supported.
Just not good enough?
However, whereas all schools now are meant to identify and support gifted and talented children – along with those with a specific learning difficulty – many do little more than keep a register of these children and do little to stretch and stimulate them and teach them to anywhere near their capacity.
We at The Good Schools Guide Education Consultants understand how frustrating it can be to have a child of this kind and know they are not getting what they need. You may be dealing with tantrums and anger – or, worse, withdrawal and sullenness. Being gifted or talented way above the norm is a special need like any other and deserves special attention.
What We Do
Our SEN specialists are ready to work with you to find a school which is eager and able to give these children the support and normality they need. Once you have a school, we can also help you manage the relationship and deal with any knotty problems as they occur.