I was super-advanced for reading and writing at school. At first, I was given more play-time because I could do all my reading, so I got to pick which books I wanted to read and would read them to myself (hmmm, maybe they should have given me socialisation lessons instead!). I wasn't bored because there's so much to do at school, not just reading and writing (eg art, sandpit, play house).

Later, I had read every book in the school, I was given the chance to help the slower classmates - ones with learning difficulties. I spent time helping them to read. This was because the teacher had picked up on the fact I was getting bored; I couldn't be given more work because I was ahead of the children a year older than me in the same class.

I'm not so sure that early streaming is the best idea; children need to know everyone has different abilities and not everyone can keep up with them - and that others are better at some things than they are. I remember one teacher would put work on the board and give us a half-hour in which to do all the maths. The slower ones may only do 10 of the questions, the easy ones, whereas I'd generally do 25-30 (of 30) and get to the hard ones at the end. That way the slower ones could have a go and the brighter ones be challenged - and the whole class learnt when the answers were put on the board.