Hi everyone, just after some opinions about central auckland primary schools. Our daughter has been assessed as gifted across the board (99.7 percentile) and we are looking for the best primary school to send her to in central auckland. She is very social and outgoing, and we are considering asking for her to be moved forward a year (I am pretty sure she will cope emotionally) She has been at a private school for a term now, and is bored and switching off.
I have heard Gladstone primary is fantastic, but has anyone had experience with Edendale in Mt Albert?
Hi Kyla and Confused, I replied to both of you on this thread privately (via your emails) but haven't heard back from you. Did you get my messages? If you would like to discuss our experiences with these schools I am happy to talk off-forum.
My son goes to Gladstone. Teachers anywhere are not equipped to look out for behaviour outside of the ordinary. Gifted kids get lost in the system unless the parents really, really push. Even then, there is no funding for anything to help them. I'm enrolling him in ODS and am considering the possibility of Steiner schools. Gladstone may not be the right place for some gifted kids. No money.
Will Gladstone allow ODS attendance? I know under the old principal, Iain Taylor, they established their own one-day programme so that kids did not have to leave the school to go to ODS, but this may have changed with a new principal.
I have had an excellent experience at Edendale School with my gifted 6YO boy. He was a self taught learner and taught himeslf to read before 3 years old. He hates "boring repetition" and can be fixated on a topic of interest so I knew we could have trouble at school. The RTLB onsite at Edendale have set up a special programme for him to extend him using his current areas of interest. They are also working closely us and with his teacher.
Gladstone does now allow ODS attendance. OTOH they seem to be phasing out their designated enrichment classes in favour of 'clustering' of GT kids in mixed ability classes.
My 7 year old attends Gladstone and ODS. I have had no problems with Gladstone on him going (but they find my boy a problem so they're probably quite glad to be rid of him one day a week!!).
As he's only in the junior level of the school, he gets teachers with no experience of giftedness or recognising that he's not "bad" he's just BORED BORED BORED. They continued to be shocked that he's been assessed as "gifted".
Hi everyone. We live abroad and it looks like well be returning to NZ soon. Were in zone for Edendale Primary and I wanted to please ask for some feedback on the school generally as well as academically? My boy currently attends a small private school and is doing well....In not sure hed be considered gifted though. Thanks in advance for your help.
Gladstone is THE biggest primary in NZ (rumour has it). That will be a big switch. Big schools have the advantage of many resources and opportunities due to the large population.
If you're happy for the mainstream for your child, then I highly recommend Gladstone. As mentioned previously, the school zone is ironclad with families tripping over each to live in-zone.
I only know Edendale by reputation. It's smaller and it has a positive reputation. I have heard nothing negative about it.
You posted your thread on thus forum sometime back but I would be very interested to hear your feedback on Gladstone or Edendale as options for "gifted children - thank you in advance, Rebecca
