West Walton mother slams Marshland High School for not letting ‘exceptionally gifted’ daughter, 10, join a year early

A mother has expressed her disgust that her “exceptionally gifted” daughter who skipped a year of primary school has been denied a place at secondary school this September.

Viktoria Limontaite, 10, from West Walton, was moved to an accelerated year group in 2022. She is currently in what should be, according to her mother, her final year of primary school.

But Viktoria’s mother, Svetlana Limontiene, said that her daughter has been denied a place at her preferred secondary school, Marshland High School, in September.

This means that Viktoria, a Walpole Highway Primary School pupil, would have to repeat another year at the school and not move up to Marshland High with the rest of her classmates.

The school has told the Fenland Citizen that it cannot comment on individual cases, but stated that the number of applications it receives “far outweighs” the places that are available.

Ms Limontiene said that the decision made by the secondary school’s head teacher Craig Jansen has left her daughter feeling “excluded and demotivated”.

She said: “Despite her demonstrated capabilities, she has been unfairly denied early admission to secondary school.

“This shocking decision not only undermines her academic progress but raises serious concerns about how the UK education system treats gifted students.”

Ms Limontiene described Viktoria as an “exceptionally gifted child” with her cognitive abilities placed in the 99.1st percentile.

She added: “This situation is not just about one child—it’s a warning sign of a systemic failure that could impact countless other high-achieving students across the country.

“Why are schools turning their backs on children who excel? This decision completely disregards her academic progress and contradicts both national and international educational standards for gifted children.”

Ms Limontiene says that she has “exhausted all avenues” with Marshland High School, which is run by the West Norfolk Academies Trust, and has escalated the matter to the Department for Education.

Viktoria has also gained the support of her local councillor, Julian Kirk.

He said: “Society ought to encourage gifted children and, in this case, help them move to the next level of education.

“These children are the future scientists, doctors, surgeons and engineers, we must encourage them.

“I hope the school rethinks its decision.”

Ms Limontiene claimed that Mr Jansen “refused to reconsider Viktoria’s admission request” after being provided an independent assessment by Potential Plus UK - an organisation specialising in gifted children.

A spokesperson for Marshland High School said: "Our school has an excellent reputation for the quality of education we provide.

“As such, we are the school of first choice for many parents within the communities we serve, and the number of applications we receive far outweighs the available places.

"Admission offers are made on our behalf by the local authority following the Department for Education statutory guidance on school admissions and in accordance with our published school admissions policy.

"This inevitably means, given the school’s popularity, some parents and students will be understandably disappointed in not securing a place at our school.

“We cannot comment on individual cases."