Thanks everyone for your thoughts.


Just quickly before I dash off to school. The australian system works slightly different. My eldest is in (the same) private school precisely because she has issues that would not qualify for support in our public system but is well supported privately. The private school is really very good at dealing with an "MG with quirks" kid. DD#2 on the other hand they think they have lots of gifties and they know what gifted is about and they just don't get her. Their program is just the wrong fit for her personality and it's also clear that if doing what they do naturally works then it's a great school but if you need to have an opinion they won't listen (and are deeply offended).

She would not qualify for any services at the public school, but the teacher will certainly do what she can about the hand writing and the principle is currently saying "we can work with that" re the asynchrony.

gender balance - the yr1 cohort is only 1/3 girls, they have dealt with this by heavily loading the 1/2 class with yr1 boys and then dealt with that gender balance issue by having only girls in yr2... Just to clarify being a 1/2 class there is one class of 28 kids, half 1s half 2s, with one teacher, it's not an open plan class room with a yr1 class and a yr2 class side by side. Although I am going to clarify the class size today, I may have it wrong.

grinity - my DD will officially be a yr1 but will be grouped by ability with whoever fits at the time within the class, the teacher doesn't really label work "yr1" or "yr2" work, she just gives the kids work at their level. Yes the classroom is much more chaotic and much noisier than her current school or the Montessori, as well as being a larger class group it's also in an open plan space with a second class across the way.

As far as we can tell DD is asychronous in terms of understanding v. output not one area v. another, and if an area is weak it is lack of exposure rather than ability (that we can tell so far).

I think you are right in all three reasons for wanting to go to all three schools. It's also that she likes different things about all three and wants them all.

She's going to have less chance of having other kids close to her LOG at the public or monti than she would at her current school.