Lynn Goldstraw writes about her four-year-old son, William, recalling the early signs of his sharp mental ability and her decision to move him out of the state sector and into private education.
I used to read to William from when he was just a few months old. As he got older, I would point at the words as I read to him. From an early age way before he could talk, I could go through an ABC 123 book and ask William where items were and he would point to the picture, which I thought was quite amazing. When he was one, he could easily count to 20 and he knew his alphabet.
From 18 months at nursery, William 'could read all the children's names on the pegs'
William started nursery at 18 months, just two half days a week to start with, and then I increased this to two full days. He went in with the 2-3 year olds. The staff were amazed at his knowledge, and constantly told me how advanced he was for his age. William told them regularly that the calendar needed changing. At this early age he could already read all the children's names on the pegs.
'A gifted child'
When he had his three-year assessment instead of playing with the baby toys that were given to him, William was reading the posters on the wall. The assessor could not believe it, and said that what William already knew was being taught to six and seven-year-olds. She considered William to be a gifted child. This was the first time I'd heard this term used to describe William. I asked what I could do and was there anyone in the area I could contact for help and advice. Her answer was to look on the internet. I did but found nothing for our area.
When he was three, I enrolled William at the nursery attached to the local school that I wanted him to attend. Fairly soon, he began to complain that he did not want to go because it was boring. He sobbed every morning when I left him. I was convinced he was only missing me due to boredom. I spoke with his teacher and also the gifted and talented person that they had at the school. It was agreed that William would spend time in the reception class.
Moving up to reception but still bored
William did enjoy being in reception for a couple of weeks but then was bored again. Even the teacher said that she did not think he was getting anything out of it anymore.
'At three years of age he had the reading age of a seven-year-old'
I took it upon myself to get William tested to see if there was another problem that maybe I was not aware of. The tests showed that at three years of age he had the reading age of a seven-year-old and that he was two years above his age in other areas. The results put him in the top 2% which qualified him to join Mensa. I gave a copy of the report to the school and asked if William could join the reception class full time. They said no.
No support
So I set myself the task to find him a school that would better suit his needs. I contacted local MPs for help but again the only help from them was to look on the internet. I never got a response that was in any way helpful.
Moving to the private education system
I was advised by a private school to contact Edenhurst Preparatory school. I did and took them a copy of William's test report. They had William for the day so that they could assess him. For the first time in months I left William and there were no tears. The headmaster offered him a scholarship. The change in him was almost instantaneous. I now have my happy little boy again and he is with children of his own age which is also good for him.
Hard work
Many would think that having a child that is advanced would be a lot easier, but I can assure them that it isn't. William likes to keep his brain active: he is always looking for new challenges. At only four years of age he is already asking questions that I cannot readily answer.
No different to other kids in many ways
Children learn at their own pace and my son is just learning that little bit quicker than most. Why I don't know; sometimes I wish I did. Both myself and his dad will do all that we can to support and help him the same as any parents do for their children. He enjoys the things that boys his own age enjoy, such as football, swimming, playing outside and going to the park.
William's feet are firmly on the ground as he is not aware of his ability. Even taking part in the programme has not fazed him at all; he just took it in his stride and got a lot of enjoyment out of it – albeit being more interested in the equipment and how it all worked!
Advice to other parents
My advice would be to trust your own instincts: you know you child better than anyone else. It hurts me to think I kept sending William somewhere where he clearly was not happy, and that I should have done something sooner.
A teacher at William's old school once said to me it is as if he has been on this earth before, and to be honest it does sometimes make me wonder.
What lies ahead
The future for William will be whatever he wants it to be, he has never been pushed and never will be. He and the school are in control of the pace at which he learns. What he will get is the education that he deserves that he was not able to get at a state school.
He is just a normal little boy. Just because he has an amazing memory and is advanced for his age doesn't alter this fact. The main thing is he enjoys a normal childhood, that he is polite and respectful to people and the fact that he knows and uses his manners is just as, if not more, important to me.
For some reason, it seems to me that a child who is above average mentally is regarded by society as missing out on childhood. This is not the case with William.
