ABSTRACT
Numerous studies (Worcester, 1955; Hobson, 1979; Alexander and Skinner, 1980) have shown that when under-age gifted children are admitted to formal schooling on the basis of intellectual, academic and social readiness, they perform as well as, or rather better than, their older classmates. However, schools considering early entrance generally focus their attention solely on whether the young child will be mature enough to cope with the demands of the school day. A requirement of equal importance, but usually given much less consideration, is that the school which enrols a young child of exceptional ability must provide a curriculum that is academically rigorous, intellectually stimulating and flexible enough to meet the demands of the child.
