Schools failing bright pupils says teen taking 28 a levels
Schools are failing bright pupils like me, says teen taking 28 A-levels https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e05469f1-0cf8-407c-a8cf-55cebf8fa0bc?shareToken=f57bb851c10bf52f797924de1745836b
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
(edited 2 months ago)
Scroll to see replies
They sound absolutely insufferable.
Reminds me of this meme 
I don't see how her sleep pattern is sustainable, especially once you reach uni when some classes finish at 6pm. Although after doing 28 A Levels, 1 undergrad degree will probably seem like a breeze, so good luck to her
I don't see how her sleep pattern is sustainable, especially once you reach uni when some classes finish at 6pm. Although after doing 28 A Levels, 1 undergrad degree will probably seem like a breeze, so good luck to her
Spoiler
(edited 2 months ago)
Original post by Admit-One
They sound absolutely insufferable.
She was on the radio this morning, did my head in.
Original post by Chronoscope
Reminds me of this meme
I don't see how her sleep pattern is sustainable, especially once you reach uni when some classes finish at 6pm. Although after doing 28 A Levels, 1 undergrad degree will probably seem like a breeze, so good luck to her
I don't see how her sleep pattern is sustainable, especially once you reach uni when some classes finish at 6pm. Although after doing 28 A Levels, 1 undergrad degree will probably seem like a breeze, so good luck to her
Spoiler
It won’t be, it’s not a thing to be celebrated. Just looks like she’s gunning for a Guinness world record. Her time would be better served doing an open university course or something
Original post by Andrew97
Schools are failing bright pupils like me, says teen taking 28 A-levels https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e05469f1-0cf8-407c-a8cf-55cebf8fa0bc?shareToken=f57bb851c10bf52f797924de1745836b
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
She's completely misguided. Enrichment isn't about collecting A levels it's about developing more than academic bits of paper. What volunteering does she do? How does she 'give back' to her school?
Thinking skills isn't a valued A level and many schools would see huge overlap between some of her list.
You can't get 100% in an 11+ test; the scores are standardised and aren't %
Original post by Andrew97
Schools are failing bright pupils like me, says teen taking 28 A-levels https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e05469f1-0cf8-407c-a8cf-55cebf8fa0bc?shareToken=f57bb851c10bf52f797924de1745836b
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
No one is worrying about the likes of her. Sadly, though schools do often fail those who have additional needs or who are the poorest in society. But then when you have a system of one size fits all, despite the best attempts of the profession as a whole and individual teachers there will always be winners and losers.
Original post by Andrew97
It won’t be, it’s not a thing to be celebrated. Just looks like she’s gunning for a Guinness world record. Her time would be better served doing an open university course or something
I didn't say it was to be celebrated, if anything she's on the road to burnout and will possibly struggle with the adjustment/indepence, and not being spoon fed the content at.uni...
(Also maybe one or more people on a thread can be nicer compared to all the other comments she's going to be getting on every social media platform).
Having watched the Child Genius (UK series) someone like that really isn't going to change their mind, true they could always drop a few subjects e.g. Thinking Skills (what the bleep... ). I bet they've already paid for them. If she does drop some she'll probably only spend her time with more studying... also shes probably making ££££ with the newspaper articles and will probably bank some more £ on results day. I can't remember who it was, but in one of the series there were people who've been on those programmes, definitely seemed to think working part time or volunteering was beneath them.
I do agree that she's misguided and is only it for the title. Once she gets to uni she'll hopefully see sense at what a waste of time everything was.
(edited 2 months ago)
28 A Levels?! I am sorry but how...?
Original post by Andrew97
Schools are failing bright pupils like me, says teen taking 28 A-levels https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e05469f1-0cf8-407c-a8cf-55cebf8fa0bc?shareToken=f57bb851c10bf52f797924de1745836b
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
ik that she has a high IQ but i feel like doing 28 alevels doesn't do anything for her.
I don't understand why she couldn't have taken 5 (thats extreme enough) and then just did more research on the side? She says she wants to go to oxford and i feel like she would get in if shes hella smart and actually has a bunch of extra curriculars on the side/has a personality. idk i don't see how this will help her in the future, she's only doing it because shes a gifted kid but i feel like theres different ways around this.
I don't think many schools can adapt to gifted kids unless they are the majority in the school, while they can offer a little extra support - i wouldn't be surprised if they find it difficult to match her level of intellect. I think it would be better if the parents or her would find harder things to do outside of school, things that are more tailored to her.
All i know is that she's hella smart and i look forward if she ever makes any big discoveries in the future in whatever career she has chosen to pursue.
She's obviously an amazing student and the fact that she has an outside life too just shows how shes capable of balancing her work life and how good her memory is, shes a gifted child and i understand what shes saying but unfortunately i feel like in order for her to be pushed more, she needs to find another external source other than school to push her. its still insane tho and im jealous lol, im struggling with 3 and barely have a social life
(edited 2 months ago)
If she has Oxbridge aspirations I would not be at all surprised if she gets a rejection, pre-interview even. She is placing more value on collecting A Levels than expanding her knowledge on a subject she is truly passionate about.
It’s understandable that she needs a challenge but she would be better off channeling her gift into something other than A Levels.
It’s understandable that she needs a challenge but she would be better off channeling her gift into something other than A Levels.
What on earth is the point of that list of A Levels?! And no art or music among them ... something with a creative and practical element would slow her down a bit - she could spend all hours on an art portfolio and still be challenged!
I wonder if she can make pancakes yet
She’s claiming superiority to her teachers about how she should be studying but doesn’t seem to understand basic concepts of pedagogy.
She’s claiming superiority to her teachers about how she should be studying but doesn’t seem to understand basic concepts of pedagogy.
(edited 2 months ago)
I wonder what her TSR username is.
Spoiler
(edited 2 months ago)
As others have said, she's essentially massively wasting her time. There's nothing wrong with smart kids doing extra studies on the side if they want to, but what she's doing seem less directed towards any enjoyment or developmental benefit and more to just feel superior and/or to have something to boast about.
There are decent reasons for a kid like this doing a few extra subjects in their own time. Maybe just because there's a subject they enjoy which their school didn't offer. Maybe because they want to do a particular niche degree that means they need some additional subjects. Or even simply because they can't make up their mind about what degree they want to do and want to keep their options open. But none of these reasons seem to apply here. Despite mentioning wanting to go to Oxford, there's no mention of what she plans to study there (this reinforces my aforementioned sense that this is all more about boasting or feeling superior than real academic development or enjoyment) and she's doing many totally unnecessary subjects regardless of what degree she goes for (as others have mentioned, there's significant overlap and some of these subjects are not particularly well-regarded). Nor does she particularly seem to enjoy the subjects if she's rushing through them in only ten days each.
So, why is she taking them? My guess is that, as with taking all the school entrance exams, she'd claim it was “just for intellectual challenge”. But the reality is that she isn't really intellectually challenging herself that much. In theory, GCSEs across subjects require a similar level of skill, as do A Levels. So having more of them doesn't demonstrate a higher level of skill, just the same level of skill across a wider range of fields. If you found the Maths A Level easy and unchallenging, there's no real reason to think you won't find the Statistics A Level similarly unchallenging.
But surely it's challenging to do so many in such a short space of time, right? Eh, sort of, but still not necessarily that much. Being able to complete a course intended to take two years in just ten days demonstrates an impressive degree of industry as well as information absorption and memory skills, absolutely. But you've really proved that in the first two or three times you do it, you don't need to do it another 20 times on top of that. By the time you come to your 17th 10-Day GCSE in a row, having successfully scored the top grade on each of the preceding 16, what's the challenge? You know you can do it already, you really should just be finding it very easy by that point. Furthermore, ability to absorb information isn't necessarily the same as ability to evaluate, reason, or problem-solve.
The obvious question is, instead of having spent all her time studying for extra GCSEs, why didn't she study for A Levels back then instead of now, especially given she claims to have been able to do A Level standard Maths at age 8? Why is she spending all her time studying for extra A Levels now rather than - as others have suggested - trying to do a correspondence degree or some other more advanced course? She complains that her schools wouldn't let her move up to more advanced classes, yet she's repeatedly choosing to limit herself to less advanced courses.
There are decent reasons for a kid like this doing a few extra subjects in their own time. Maybe just because there's a subject they enjoy which their school didn't offer. Maybe because they want to do a particular niche degree that means they need some additional subjects. Or even simply because they can't make up their mind about what degree they want to do and want to keep their options open. But none of these reasons seem to apply here. Despite mentioning wanting to go to Oxford, there's no mention of what she plans to study there (this reinforces my aforementioned sense that this is all more about boasting or feeling superior than real academic development or enjoyment) and she's doing many totally unnecessary subjects regardless of what degree she goes for (as others have mentioned, there's significant overlap and some of these subjects are not particularly well-regarded). Nor does she particularly seem to enjoy the subjects if she's rushing through them in only ten days each.
So, why is she taking them? My guess is that, as with taking all the school entrance exams, she'd claim it was “just for intellectual challenge”. But the reality is that she isn't really intellectually challenging herself that much. In theory, GCSEs across subjects require a similar level of skill, as do A Levels. So having more of them doesn't demonstrate a higher level of skill, just the same level of skill across a wider range of fields. If you found the Maths A Level easy and unchallenging, there's no real reason to think you won't find the Statistics A Level similarly unchallenging.
But surely it's challenging to do so many in such a short space of time, right? Eh, sort of, but still not necessarily that much. Being able to complete a course intended to take two years in just ten days demonstrates an impressive degree of industry as well as information absorption and memory skills, absolutely. But you've really proved that in the first two or three times you do it, you don't need to do it another 20 times on top of that. By the time you come to your 17th 10-Day GCSE in a row, having successfully scored the top grade on each of the preceding 16, what's the challenge? You know you can do it already, you really should just be finding it very easy by that point. Furthermore, ability to absorb information isn't necessarily the same as ability to evaluate, reason, or problem-solve.
The obvious question is, instead of having spent all her time studying for extra GCSEs, why didn't she study for A Levels back then instead of now, especially given she claims to have been able to do A Level standard Maths at age 8? Why is she spending all her time studying for extra A Levels now rather than - as others have suggested - trying to do a correspondence degree or some other more advanced course? She complains that her schools wouldn't let her move up to more advanced classes, yet she's repeatedly choosing to limit herself to less advanced courses.
It just seems sad honestly.
If she has the time to do 28 A-levels then she probably could have instead done the standard 3/4 A-levels then get a part-time job or work experience.
Could have got a job then put all of the money earned from the job into a savings account.
If she has the time to do 28 A-levels then she probably could have instead done the standard 3/4 A-levels then get a part-time job or work experience.
Could have got a job then put all of the money earned from the job into a savings account.
Original post by SilverPebble
What on earth is the point of that list of A Levels?! And no art or music among them ... something with a creative and practical element would slow her down a bit - she could spend all hours on an art portfolio and still be challenged!
This is crucial.
Imagine how beneficial to her studies and mental wellbeing it would be if she dedicated her spare time to learning an instrument.
Learning and developing as a person is about so much more than stacking up certificates
Original post by Andrew97
Schools are failing bright pupils like me, says teen taking 28 A-levels https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e05469f1-0cf8-407c-a8cf-55cebf8fa0bc?shareToken=f57bb851c10bf52f797924de1745836b
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
Original post by Andrew97
Schools are failing bright pupils like me, says teen taking 28 A-levels https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/e05469f1-0cf8-407c-a8cf-55cebf8fa0bc?shareToken=f57bb851c10bf52f797924de1745836b
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
While I think schools may or should be able to do more with those who are ahead, like those who are behind I think she’s asking too much here.
She’s clearly a huge outlier, what can the school actually do?
Also. 28 a levels not very healthy.
There’s a debate to be had here but she’s too extreme for her bit to be taken aeosuly
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