Thanks Kriston.
It is really hard - I too was a gifted 'compliant', and as a result was put up a grade when I was 7. The thing is my boy doesn't show up as gifted on the maths.English radar as you have noted.
I am really frustrated and exhausted, and am afraid of confronting his teacher with the 'my son is gifted' line, as that tends to raise hackles. In the UK they have a program for identifying the top 10% of the brightest kids - but these kids are not (necessarily) gifted. I will certainly take your advice and see what I can find out
thanks again
P