28 Wallis Close

London SW11 2BA

Email: info@giftedmonthly.com
www.giftedmonthly.com

GIFTED
MONTHLY

July 2002
Issue 14

The definitive guide to giftedness in the UK

Inside this issue:

Dear reader,
July is quite an exciting month
for us as the staff at Gifted
Monthly will be attending our
first Gifted and Talented Termly
Standing Conference in London.
We are hoping this will provide a
good opportunity to
gain the help and
support of Gifted &
Talented
Coordinators countrywide. We will also be
able to find out what
is new in the government pipeline for
gifted educationif
anything.
Now the summer
holidays are under way, it is an
ideal time for parents to spend
time with their children, and to
work through any problems that
may have arisen during the term.
The sorts of problems you may
be able to deal with will probably
be behavioural or emotional.
With young gifted children especially, it can be hard reconciling

an advanced intellect with a

childs body and emotions. This
discrepancy is often a cause of
stress on a child, which can
manifest itself in various ways.
The article this month covers
some of the issues involved with
this. If anyone has a comment to
add to this or any of
our articles, please
write to us or email.
Clearly, a parents
view is more valuable than anything
we can suggest in
this newsletter.
Lastly, many of you
will soon be coming
up for your last issue
within your subscription. For those who subscribed
with us in June or July last year,
I will be in touch with details.
I hope this month finds you all
well and happy.
Until the next time,

News. Whats going

on in education

Your letters and

Gifted Q&A

Useful organisations
you may not have
heard of

This months courses

and events

6/7

Patch up problems
this summer with our
rough guide

Mind-benders and
quiz for the kids

Contacts, websites
and books

11

Special points of
interest:
Education news - the latest
from the months papers
Organisations that every
parent should know about
Events and courses during
July
Contacts, websites and
books for parents and kids

Happy holidays.
The Editor

NEWS
Praising gifted children
may backfire
A study conducted at Columbia University, New
York, suggests that complimenting children for their
intelligence and academic performance may lead
them to believe good test scores and high grades are
more important than learning and mastering
something new.
The University conducted six studies of 412 11
year-olds in which they compared children praised
for intelligence with those praised for effort and hard
work. They looked at children under conditions of
failure as well as success.
They found that commending children for their
intelligence after good performance might backfire
by making them highly performance orientated,
thereby extremely vulnerable to the effects of
subsequent setbacks.
Children who were commended for their effort
concentrated on learning goals and strategies for
achievement.
The research found that children who were praised
for their ability when they were successful learned to
believe that intelligence is a fixed trait that cannot be
developed or improved. They blamed poor
performance on their own lack of intelligence.
However, those children who were praised for
their hard work when they performed poorly blamed
their lack of achievement on poor effort and
demonstrated a clear determination to learn strategies
that would enhance their future performance.
Head of the research, Dr Carol Dwek, said
Praising childrens intelligence, far from boosting
their self-esteem, encourages them to embrace selfdefeating behaviours, such as worrying about failure
and avoiding risks.
However, when the children are taught the value
of concentrating, strategising and working hard when
dealing with academic challenges, this encourages
them to sustain their motivation, performance and
self-esteem.
The researchers advise that teaching programmes
should emphasise meeting challenges, applying effort
and searching for new learning strategies.
When students succeed, attention and approval
should be directed at their effort and hard work.
Children should be praised for how they do their
work rather than for the final product or their ability.

Page 2

Teaching children to enjoy

reading
A research project by Warwick University is helping
children to learn to read by using techniques from the 1960s
and 1970s.
The underlying philosophy of the outdated techniques
was the belief that children could only enjoy reading if there
was more to decoding letters on the page than mechanical
processes. Learning to read should be about understanding
and deriving meaning, and in the 1970s they tried to do this
through real books with stories, not reading scheme books
with few characters, little context and no story.
The Warwick team, led by Dr Jonathan Solity, found that
100 simple words account for 50 percent of written English.
Teach children those and they can then read half of
everything written. Added to this, by learning a simple set
of 64 sound-to-letter correspondences (known as
phonemes), children could read 90 percent of all the
monosyllabic words in English. Under the reading strategy
devised by the government, children need to learn 550
sound-to-letter correspondences to achieve this.
Schools that have signed up to the project started off the
back of the research have been impressed by the progress of
their pupils.

Conservatives could give

parents the power to set up
schools
Plans currently being discussed by the Conservative Party
would allow parents, teachers or voluntary groups who are
dissatisfied with state education to set up their own private
schools.
The Tories have been examining alternative education
systems in Denmark, where the government pays most of
the cost to the school while the parents make up the
difference by paying fees. Damian Green, the partys
education spokesman, has also visited the Netherlands
where parents have a constitutional right to open a school.
Mr Green, who dropped plans floated last year to
introduce vouchers for parents towards the cost of
independent schools, said: The most important thing is, do
we have enough choice in the system? The people we are
most interested in helping are the least likely to be able to
afford to pay anything at all.
Denmark has a long tradition of private schools that
receive substantial subsidies from the government. However
the countrys education system is one of the most expensive
in Europe, and Danish students were outclassed by British
youngsters in all tests, ranking 16th of 31 countries while
Britain ranked 7th.

Gifted Monthly

YOUR LETTERS
If you would like to comment on this newsletter, our website, or would just like to share a general opinion with the other readers, then drop us a line at: The Editor, Gifted Monthly, 28 Wallis Close, London
SW11 2BA. Alternatively you can email us at editor@giftedmonthly.com
Dear Gifted Monthly,

Dear Gifted Monthly,

I am interested in enrolling my son in

the gifted academy, but I am not sure
if there will be anything operating in
our areawe live in Lincoln.

I would like to say that while the

idea of a gifted academy is sound,
it is wrong to plough all that
money into it, when it can only
reach a small proportion of able
children in this country.

Before I read your magazine I hardly

knew anything about the academy or
about the Excellence in Cities
scheme. I think the government has
failed by not reaching all the parents
in catchment areas to keep us
updated with new developments.

It would also be more useful to

have classes or courses at other
times as well as during the
summer holidays. It is unfair to
have our children give up their
playtime to make way for lessons.
More of the money should go into
the classrooms at school.

Perhaps you could bring up this point

at the conference in July.
T Hopkins, Lincs

Mrs Hunter, by email

Gifted Monthly Q & A

Q. What is the best way to support/
develop my two-year-olds possible
giftedness without being pushy or
hindering his development in other
areas?
A. Give your child toys that require
thinking. Allow him or her unhindered time to play. Discovery learning
is occurring at this stage of development so answer any questions fully.
Hell let you know when you go into
too much detail.
Take him/her to interesting places like
museums, the zoo or a nature centre.
Give him/her access to a computer
and software like drawing programmes and word processors. Bombproof a computer and then let your
child have full access.
Q. How do you broach the subject
of possible giftedness with your
childs daycare or nursery without
having labels put on your child and
without being labelled as a pushy or
overly-proud parent who is seeking
special treatment?

Issue 14

A. Dont make an issue of things unless

your child has behavioural problems.
Then, reframe the problem in terms of
how you do things at home and explain
how that works well for you.
Suggestions work better than directionsalways act as though your childrens behaviour is completely normal
and age-appropriate. The nursery staff
usually follow by lead and will no
doubt treat an able child as though he is
older and more advanced. If they dont,
find a different nursery.
Q. Our son is almost four and could
read before his second birthday. Academically he zooms ahead, but socially he is way behind.
He is not really shy, he just prefers to
ignore most conversation. I get answers from him only about twenty
percent of the time, unless it involves
learning something. Even worse is his
refusal to potty train. Im hoping
peer pressure at his pre-school will
help. What can I do?

A. With potty training, the myelin

sheath on the nerves has the be completely formed before the childs
nervous system is mature enough to
fully support independence on the toilet.
There is nothing a parent can do about
it, and some children do not reach that
level of physical maturity until age 6.
So far as social development goes, the
childs behaviour as described is perfectly normal and age appropriate. Being smart doesnt give a child more
life-experience.
Why not let the child continue to learn
in his own way and at his own speed
instead of pushing him into school
where he will be held back and prevented from learning at his rate and
according to his interests.
If you wait on formal schooling it is
unlikely to take your child long to
catch up when the time is right.

Page 3

Worth a mention ...

The Windsor Fellowship
The Fellowship is an educational charity that provides development programmes for talented Black and Asian young
people. Its two-year Junior Fellowship Programme aims to improve pupils' projected GCSE grades, encourage participation
post-16, help pupils make informed career choices and develop pupils' personal skills and effectiveness.
The programme is targeted at pupils in year 9, and involves 1-2 day training seminars. Currently 30 pupils undertake the
programme in London and 30 in Birmingham, but there are plans to expand this to 60 places in London and to open up
provision in other areas.
Contact: Cardon Yarde, The Director of School Programmes, Windsor Fellowship, 47 Hackney Road, London E2 7NX
Tel: 020 7613 0373

The Headstart Programme

This programme, run by the Royal Academy of Engineering, provides learning opportunities in engineering for gifted pupils
in Year 12. Headstart provides a week of residential activity in the summer at 21 universities throughout the UK. An
average of 800 students attend each year, and the course registration fee ranges from 90 to 150.
Contact: David Ozhall, Weltech Centre, Ridgeway, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire AL7 2AA
Tel: 01707 871505

Latin, Greek and Classics Summer School

Rowley Regis College holds a six-day Latin, Greek and Classics summer school with the aim of providing a taster of the
languages and civilisation. The programme allows the children to sample Latin linguistic structures, narrative and culture.
Rowley Regis summer school has been running since 1978 and combines Latin tuition (or Greek after GCSE) taught in
groups of 12 or less with aspects of Classical Civilisation.
Contact: Myles Walker, Rowley Regis College, Rowley Regis, West Midlands B65 9AH
Tel: 0121 559 5951

Education Extra
Education Extra is a voluntary agency for study support and a charity, founded in 1992 in the belief that after-school
activities play a vital role in school improvement and raising achievement.
Their aim is to put after-school activities within the reach of every child by stimulating, supporting and promoting these
activities in schools. There is a membership fee for schools of 30.
Contact: Richard Thompson, Learning Development Manager, Education Extra, 17 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green
London E2 9PI Tel: 020 8709 9900

The Brain Games Workshop

The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) is setting up 5 one-week 'Brain Games'
workshops around the UK (definitely one in Bristol). The workshops teach children about the way their brain works, and
also develops skills in game development and team-work.
To find out if a workshop is running near you, contact:
Cathy Bereznicki, Head of Special Projects, NESTA, Fishmongers' Chambers, 110 Upper Thames Street,
London EC4R 3TW Tel: 020 7645 9548

Page 4

Gifted Monthly

Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI)

MEI run a distance learning project called 'Enabling Access to Further Mathematics', which is funded by the
Gatsby Charitable Foundation. The aim of the project is to enable students in years 12 and 13 (and possibly year
11, if they have done GCSE maths early) to study for Further Mathematics A and AS level qualifications, even
when these qualifications are not offered directly by their school or college.
The project is currently in its pilot stage, but is already being used by a large number of students. There is no
geographical restriction on places.
Contact: Charlie Stripp, Project Co-ordinator
Website: www.mei-distance.com

Aspire.more able
Aspire.more able is a company concerned with designing resources for delivering lessons to gifted and talented
students. These resources cover both curriculum content and investigative skills. The resources facilitate a new
way to provide motivating lessons for more able pupils. There is a mixture of enrichment and extension activities
and pupils are challenged through problem solving, practical work and teamwork to synthesize new concepts
and ideas.
Parents might suggest to schools that they try these resources to accommodate gifted children in the classroom.
Contact: Matthew Hackett
Email: mj_hackett@lineone.net

Past Below Ground

With the help and support of the University of Manchester Field Archaeology Centre, John Crossland has set up a
service called 'Past Below Ground' to bring archaeology into the classroom through artefacts and the study of
sites.
There are a number of projects including practical studies and geophysical explorations of local sites; a two or
three day residential study tour to Wallsend and South Shields looking at Hadrian's Wall; a study visit to Pompeii,
comparing life in the Roman town with modern Italian life.
If you have any reasonable suggestions for activities anywhere in the UK, or would like to find out about current
activities, contact: John Crossland
Email: johncrossland@ntlworld.com Tel: 07950 795504

The Hanover Foundation

The Hanover Foundation was established in 1992 to bring benefits to school children by using coaching
techniques developed in the corporate world. Coaching programmes are about setting realistic goals and are
based on an learning personal responsibility and on stimulating individual motivation.
There are also individually tailored group workshop sessions supporting the gifted and talented children. The
support the Foundation offers is key to overcoming insecurity.
Work with able children addresses the effects of pressure (self-imposed and imposed by others); setting
personal goals through an individual agenda; behavioural issues such as developing tolerance to the less able
as well as development of mutual support groups.
For more information contact: The Hanover Foundation, Suite 15, Great Portland House, 305 Great Portland
Street, London W1W 5DA
Tel: 020 7637 5050 Email: standinguk@aol.com

Issue 14

Page 5

COURSES
GIFT Courses (contact Julian Whybra on 01277 654228)
12-14 July - Residential course for years 5-6 at Wicken Bonhunt, Essex. Cost 137
4-9 Aug - Residential course for years 5-6 at Etchingham, Sussex. Cost 310
11-16 Aug - Residential course for years 7-8 at Bradwell-on-sea, Essex. Cost 311
11-16 Aug - Residential course for years 7-9 at Etchingham, Sussex. Cost 311
CHI Courses (contact Ann Frogatt on 020 8347 8927)
12 July - Day course for years 1-6 at University of Westminster, London NW1. Cost 42.50
20 July - Day course for years R-7 at University of Derby, Derby. Cost 45
Scitech, Wilmslow, Cheshire (contact Philip Rose on 0161 903 9133)
29 July-2 Aug - Residential course for years 1-7. Cost 165
5-9 Aug - Residential course for years 1-7. Cost 165
Bradwell Environmental and Outdoor Education Centre, Waterside, Essex (contact John Perrott on
01621 776256)
29 July-2 Aug - Residential course for years 9-12. Cost 160.
10-11 Aug - Residential course for years 6-9. Cost 50

EVENTS

June/July

Cheshire
21st July
Chester Summer Music Festival's Family Funday in the Park - stalls, workshops, displays and environmental activities.
At: Grosvenor Park, Chester

If you know of an
event or day out
happening in
your area in the
coming months,
why not get in
touch and let us
know. If you are
organising one
yourself why not
advertise it for
free in Gifted
Monthly?
Page 6

During July
Get Stuck in! - Children's summer activity programme.
At: Chester History and Heritage, St Michael's Church, Bridge St Tel: 01244
402110

Cornwall
Daily, year-round
Britains largest marine rescue centre - Visit the sanctuary to see the many
seal pups that are washed up around the coast.
At: Seal Sanctuary, Gweek, Helston, Cornwall Tel: 01326 221874

Derbyshire
Daily, year-round
Go Wild - Visit this centre for breeding, caring and rehabilitation of wild
animals, in particular otters.
At: Otter, Owl and Wildlife Park at the Chestnut Centre, Chapel-en-le-Frith, High
Peak Tel: 01298 814099
Gifted Monthly

EVENTS June/July contd

Isle of Wight
March-Oct & Nov-March
Carisbrooke Castle - Discover the secrets of this castle which began as a Saxon camp.
At: Carisbrooke Castle, Newport, Isle of Wight Tel: 01983 522107

Kent
Daily, July & August
Diggerland - Grab the opportunity to drive giant JCB diggers and dump trucks, or go fishing for ducks. For
future mechanics and engineers there is also the chance to find out how the machinery works.
At: Diggerland, Strood Tel: 08700 344437
Daily, until 19th October
The Hop Farm Country Park - visit for more than a day's worth of fun, with Discovery World offering lots of
splashing and water-based games, a Wannabee Studio where kids can dress up, plus a huge indoor play barn,
bouncy castles, paddling pools, pottery making and a military vehicle display.
At: The Hop Farm Country Park, Kent Tel: 01622 872068
Open daily during summer
Fun on the Water - Visit this reservoir near Lamberhurst for glorious scenery, waterside walks and a huge
woodland playground complete with fort. Kids can also learn to sail, canoe or windsurf.
At: Bewl Water Reservoir, Lamberhurst Tel: 01892 890661

London
Open daily
Sea in the City - Visit Greenwich to learn about sea-faring history and to take part in the Hands On gallery.
Climb the hill to the Greenwich Observatory. Admission free.
At: National Maritime Museum and Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London Tel: 020 8858 4422

Nottinghamshire
Daily during summer
Wonderland Pleasure Park and Garden Centre - Large our door adventure play area, bouncy castles, trampolines, slides, crazy golf, roller coaster, indoor play centre.
At: White Post Island, Farnsfield Tel: 01623 882773

West Midlands
29 July
Fireworks Fantasia - a fantastic display of fireworks for all the family.
At: Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham. Entry 5
3-28 July
Anne Frank Exhibition - a display based on the real-life diaries of Polish Jew Anne Frank during the war.
At: Birmingham Rep Theatre, Birmingham. Entry free.

Yorkshire
Daily, year-round
Earth Centre - Millennium project, set in 350 acres close to Comisbrough Castle, it is split into 4 areas, Planet
Earth, Water Works, a childrens theatre and a wilderness area.
At: Earth Centre, Kilners Bridge, Doncaster Road, Denaby Main, DN12 4DY Tel: 01709 512000
Issue 14

Page 7

Holiday self-help
Many of the problems that
occur with gifted children happen
as they are growing up, and this
u su a l l y m e a n s t h a t t h e i r
intelligence is constantly
disproportionate to their physical
and emotional growth. Often it is
the very strengths that characterize
a childs gift that cause the
problems. This is especially the
case at school because it makes it
difficult to interact with teachers
and other pupils in a normal way.
That is why the school holidays
are an ideal time to help your child
out of destructive patterns and to
allow them to balance maturity
with intelligence.
It can be confusing for a child
that when at home certain
behaviours are accepted or even
praised, and at school they are the
cause of difficulties.
More
confusing still is when a childs
motor skills dont allow him/her to
carry out the ideas racing around
in his/her head. In young children
this often causes misunderstanding
with teachers who believe the
gifted child to be slow because he/
she cant write neatly or tie his/her
shoelaces. In primary schools a
childs abilities are often judged
on these things as basic
requirements before academic
abilities.
This sort of thing leads to
frustration for parents and
children. Frustration is a big part
of life for gifted children. Either
they feel it with themselves or with
those around them. Their ability to
acquire and retain information
quickly and easily will cause them
annoyance in a classroom where
the other children are slower to
pick things up.
Many able children are
considered, and therefore treated
as, strange because their naturally
inquisitive natures can lead to
Page 8

obsessive interests and cause them

to ask embarrassing or probing
questions. Teachers in mainstream
schools tend to have little patience
for the child who doesnt conform
to the conduct expected from the
rest of the class.
A childs intrinsic motivation
and energy can exasperate other
adults and teachers, and translates
to being strong-willed and
disruptive in the classroom. It is
natural for gifted children to resist
routine practices, preferring instead
to problem solve or carry out their

work in their own way.

Problems with peers go beyond
the classroom, as gifted children
often find it hard to mingle with
peers in a normal way. Their
instinct for organisation can lead to
bossiness or a tendency to make up
complicated rules for games, which
puts other children off playing with
them.
All of these problems have the
potential for remedy. It starts in the
home the place where a child
should feel the happiest and most at
ease. By spending quality time with
your child you can find out a lot
about them that may help.
One of the most important skills

you can help your child with is how

to interact comfortably with peers.
This is especially important as he/she
will spend over half his/her
childhood in school. One way of
achieving this is to compartmentalise
different groups with different uses.
Your child should make adult friends
to provide intellectual stimulation,
but for playing childrens games they
should be with children close their
age. If you can introduce new groups
of friends to your childs life during
the holiday, he/she will soon see the
value in their differences. To ease the
difficulty of playing harmoniously
with other children, suggest to him/
her that he/she work our solutions to
games that will be satisfying for all.
He/she should enjoy the challenge.
Problems in the classroom can
perhaps b e co unteracted by
encouraging your child to take some
work with him/her to school. Tell
him/her that if he/she finishes the set
classwork quickly, the teacher will
let him/her have time to work on his/
her own things. This might be writing
a story, designing something or some
mathematical problems, depending
on the subject of the class in session.
You can get him/her started on
projects towards the end of the
holiday, which he/she can carry over
into school. Ensure that you speak
with the teacher before term starts to
inform him/her of this plan. He/she
should be happy to comply with
measures that allow him/her to help
other children unhindered.
With a bit of your own
imaginative problem solving, you can
almost always find a way to ease a
difficulty, as long as it is not a deepseated emotional crisis that would
need professional help. These
methods may not always be
successful, but if you and your child
spend the holidays working together,
then either way you will both reap
the benefits.
Gifted Monthly

Fun Stuff
1.These twelve names of groups of
creatures have been mixed up. Can you
rearrange them?
Siege
Trip
Husk
Exaltation
Melody
Observance
Watch
Tribe
Kennel
Parliament
Colony
Cry

of
of
of
of
of
of
of
of
of
of
of
of

Hermits
Harpers
Larks
Cranes
Nightingales
Owls
Rabbits
Sheep
Hares
Goats
Raches
Hounds

2. There were 19 flautists in the Orchestra.

One day a consignment of flutes arrived.
The lead flautist took 1/19 of the consignment + 1/19
of a flute.
The 2nd flautist took 1/18 of the remainder and 1/18
of a flute
And so on
Until there were only 2 flautists left.
The penultimate flautist took 1/2 of the remainder and
1/2 of a flute.
The last flutist felt a little aggrieved.
A)
B)

Why did he feel aggrieved?

How many flutes were in the consignment?

3. Two farm labourers were arguing about a water butt. One said it was less than half full and the other
said it was more than half full.
To settle the argument they asked the farmer to adjudicate.
Although there were no other implements or vessels at hand with which to measure the water, the
farmer was quickly able to determine who was correct. How did he do it?

4. Two men A and B played a round of golf. A

said to B, let us play for a wager on each hole,
we will play for half of the money in my wallet at
each hole.

5. All of these except one have one thing in

common. Which is the odd one out?

A. 7 6 4 3 4 5 8 9 6
I have 100 in my wallet, so for the first hole we
will play for a stake of 50. If I win you will give
me 50, and if I lose you will be given 50. On
the second hole I will either have 150 in my
wallet or 50, so we will play for 75 or 25.

B. 1 2 5 6 1 2 4 5 6
C. 3 6 7 8 7 4 3 4 1
D. 4 5 6 5 7 8 3 2 5

After the 12th hole it started to rain, so they

stopped the game and went back to the club
house. As A had won 6 holes and B only 4 holes
with two holes being tied, A said I will buy the
drinks. To his amazement, he had only 71.18 in
his wallet. Why was this possible? It makes no
difference in the order of winning the holes.

E. 1 7 8 6 5 2 4 5 7
F. 2 7 9 6 5 1 2 3 8

ANSWERS ON BACK PAGE

Issue 14

Page 9

Gifted Community
Welcome back to the community. Unfortunately we have had some problems with the website in recent
weeks due to some changes made by our web hosting company, but hopefully this will be rectified soon.
Thanks to those of you who use the message board, it is a vital addition to the website and newsletter.

Message Board
Subject: Assessment
I would like to request information regarding how
I can get my son tested. His special needs teacher at
school believes that he is mathematically giftedhe
is five years old and I have experienced profound
difficulties along with other parents.
He has always been extremely quick at learning
new skills, prefers the company of older children, is
very articulate and has been since the age of two.
The school have an educational psychologist who
offers sessional input but it will be five months
before they can assess him. The special needs
teacher perceives that this may be to his detriment
and that if we can arrange it before this term ends the
school will have to respond to his needs more
appropriately in year 1.
Anon, by email
Hi thereI assume your mathematically-gifted 5
year-old attends state school? Im assuming this
because of the involvement of the Educational
Psychologist and this is just so typical of a state
school who are able to provide everything to aid
those children with learning difficulties (as they
should) but nothing to provide the very able with the
education that they also deserve. My own daughter
was bored and frustrated in Reception in state school
and became behavioural. She did not have to wait 5
months to be assessed by the local Educational
Psychologist but I was warned as to which of the IQ
tests the local EP might use. Warned is quite a
strong word but there is one particular IQ test (I
think its the British Abilities or something) that
gives a more generalised IQ score. I side-stepped all
of this by contacting the National Association for
Gifted Children and they gave me the contact details
for the absolutely marvellous Dr Peter Congdon who
is a private Consultant Educational Psychologist. His
fees are very reasonable and he tested Amara using
the Wechsler Pre-Primary and Primary Scale of
Intelligence. The maximum IQ on this test is 160
Amaras score was 158. We moved her in the middle
Page 10

of her reception yearat a high cost and struggle, but

worth itto a private school where she is a different
child and in a class of 9.
I do hope things are sorted out soon for your son.
Jayne Harsley
Subject: School Policy
My son started kindergarten last August and was
bullied from pre-school and into kindergarten by boys
of his own peers and children who were older. The
first incident happened with kids pushing him out of
line when they were supposed to be lined up and of
course he was the only one sent to the end of the line.
During the first week of school he took the bus
home and was punched in the face by a kid in grade 1
or 2 because he didnt want him sitting next to him.
Hes been picked on half the year and I complained to
his principle and teacher as I didnt think they were
doing enough to protect my son.
Due to these incidents and his teacher constantly
picking on him because he wanted to play with the
girls instead of the boys in his class (he said the boys
were mean) I was getting calls every other day. Now
my son in January started bullying those who picked
on him and those who just made him mad. Since my
son was the smartest child in kindergarten I felt he
needed to be challenged with harder school work
during school time. His teacher at the time told me he
was too smart for kindergarten but his listening skills
and following rules would hold him back.
My sons teacher said he was at a level 10 at 96%
for reading, but she had to stop testing him because she
needed to finish with the other children. My son tells
time, he can add and subtract and hes teaching himself
multiplication. He remembers everything.
Im not sure what to do. My son isnt bullying
anybody in the neighbourhood so I dont know how to
actually rectify it. I know I cant keep missing work
due to this. If anyone has a solution, please advise.
Tonya Scarber

Gifted Monthly

CONTACTS
Nursery and Pre-school Information Line
PO Box 5
Brecon LD3 87X
Tel: 01874 638007

National Childrens Bureau

www.ncb.org.uk

Dyspraxia Trust
PO Box 30
Hitchin
Hertfordshire SG5 1UU
Tel: 01462 454986
Medical and educational advice

CReSTeD
www.crested.org.uk

Kidscape
152 Buckingham Palace Road
London SW1W 9RT
Tel: 020 7730 3300
Information for parents and professionals to help
teach children how to avoid bullying or abuse

Center for Evaluation of Gifted Children

www.a-gifted-child.com

Gingerbread
49 Wellington Street
London WC2E 7BN
Tel: 020 7240 0953
Advice and support for one-parent families

School Psychology Resources Online

www.bcpl.lib.md.us/~sandyste/school_psych

Gifted Development Centre

www.gifteddevelopment.com

The Gifted Child Society

www.gifted.org

BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Psychology of High Abilities
By Michael J A Howe, 1999
Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 0 3337 5097 7
15.99
Puzzles and Games for Critical and Creative Thinking
(Gifted & Talented Workbooks)
By June Bailey, Paul Manchester, 1994
Lowell House
ISBN: 1 5656 5129 4
3.35
Supporting the Child of Exceptional Ability at Home
and School
By Susan Leyden, 2002
David Fulton Publishers
ISBN: 1 8534 6878 9
16.00
When Gifted Kids Dont Have all the Answers: How
to Meet Their Social and Emotional Needs
By James R Delisle, et al, 2002
Free Spirit Publishing
ISBN: 1 5754 2107 0
16.99

Issue 14

Creative Home Schooling for Gifted Children: A Resource Guide

By Lisa Rivero, 2002
Great Potential Press
ISBN: 0 9107 0748 0
17.57
Gifted and Talented: Brain Games for Ages 6-8
By Vicky Shiotsu, 2000
Lowell House Juvenile
ISBN: 0 7373 0346 8
3.95
Smart Kids with School Problems: Things to Know
and Ways to Help
By Priscilla L Vail, 1989
New American Library
ISBN: 00 4522 6242 9
9.43
Please note that all prices are approximate.
If you have recently bought a new reference book or have a useful
one at home, why not write us a review and we will publish it.
If you have any books on giftedness that you no longer use, you can
sell them through gifted monthly.

Page 11

Answers from page 9

1.

OBSERVATION of HERMITS
MELODY of HARPERS
EXALTATION of LARKS
SIEGE of CRANES
WATCH of NIGHTINGALES
PARLIAMENT of OWLS
COLONY of RABBITS
TRIP of SHEEP
HUSK of HARES
TRIBE of GOATS
KENNEL of RACHES
CRY of HOUNDS

2.

A. The lead flautist took 1/19 x 37 = 1 18/19 plus 1/19 = 2 and so on

B. 37

3.

He tilted the water butt until the water came up to the top of edge without any running over. As the
level of the water did not reach the equal and opposite corner of the barrel the butt was not half-full. If
it had reached this corner, it would have been exactly half full. But if the corner had been submerged it
would have been more than half full.

4.

100
1st hole
2nd hole
3rd hole
4th hole
5th hole
6th hole
7th hole
8th hole
9th hole
10th hole
11th hole
12th hole

5.

E. All the others contain three consecutive digits.

Won by
A
A
Tie
B
B
B
A
A
Tie
A
A
B

Money in wallet
150.00
225.00
225.00
112.50
56.25
28.12
42.18
63.27
63.27
94.90
142.35
71.18

Gifted and Talented Termly Standing Conference

The July 2002 conference will be held at The Ambassadors Hotel in Bloomsbury on the
12th July. It will be a chance for G&T Co-ordinators, SENCOs, teachers, parents and
professionals to get together and share ideas and seminars about how best to help gifted
children.
I will pick up as much information as possible while there from all the different
contributors and delegates. There will be a full report on the days events in the August
issue. Hopefully it will be a useful and practical day.
If anyone has any questions about the conference or would like to share an opinion, please
post it on the message board on our website.