Tutors International founder, Adam Caller, issued a statement expressing his concern this week that, while SEN children rightly remain a priority in UK classrooms, gifted students are still not receiving the focused attention and support they need to thrive.
Referencing a recent article by Michael W. Ferguson, Mr Caller, founder of private tutoring firm Tutors International and an independent education consultant, questioned whether academically gifted, and higher IQ, children are being properly motivated and guided to reach their full potential by disinterested British schools.
Mr Caller commented: “The provision of educational services dedicated to the super-bright is virtually non-existent in the UK. Schools receive extra funding to support those with special educational needs such as dyslexia, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorders – and rightly so - but children who are academically gifted are ignored. This is happening in both state and private schools. As long as the child is deemed capable of passing exams, they’re considered to be okay, or in no need of extra attention, and they’re not being given the time and focused one-to-one support to enable them to perform to the best of their unique ability.”
A gifted child is generally considered to have an IQ of 140+, however, this has been lowered from 160+ in recent years, sparking concern that super-bright children are now being taught at the same levels as other children who, while still considered to be highly intelligent, cannot perform to the same standard, which is unlikely to provide a challenge to the truly gifted. Mr Caller believes that this leads to a ‘dumbing down’ of exceptionally bright children who, with the right support, have the potential to achieve much more than teachers give them credit for.
Mr Caller explained: “These are children with the potential to become our best inventors, lawmakers, diplomats, and could one day even help solve some of the world’s greatest problems, but they’re not being made aware of this. If children with this level of ability are left to stagnate, very much the same as with SEN children, we start to see behavioural issues, bullying, and even pressure from teachers and peers to not be ‘too clever’. We see private tutoring as a valid solution here, as a tutor can very quickly zone in on a child’s individual strengths and talents and nurture them one-to-one according to the child’s own interests and learning style, but schools still need to dramatically improve. Tutors International is currently advertising a UK placement with a 10-year-old boy, who we fully expect to be able take his GCSEs at age 12, but his school – and three schools prior to this – have been unable or unwilling to support his level of capability.”
Tutors International has a reputation for placing exceptional, hand-picked private tutors with children all over the world – from SEN children to the academically gifted – and prides itself on its commitment to finding the perfect tutor for the individual needs of each family. Adam Caller welcomes any enquiries from parents of super-bright children to advise on the support options available.
To find out more about the services offered by Tutors International, visit tutors-international.com. Tutors can browse the latest vacancies and submit an application by visiting tutors-international.net.
