Swanley boy, 11, takes GCSE Maths five years early

An 11-year-old schoolboy has taken his GCSE Maths five years early.

Brian Idogun, from Swanley, sat the exam earlier this year as a Year 7 pupil at Orchards Academy in the town.

His mum Joy Lawson, who teaches business and finance at Wilmington Academy, told KentOnline: “His elder brother Jason took the Maths GCSE when he was in Year 6, and he got a 7, which is a distinction.

“That was the motivation for Brian – if his brother can do it, he said he can also do it.

“We coach them at home, we challenge them, give them work to do, and that was how we realised their mathematical skills.”

Joy and her husband Mudiaga registered Brian with a private centre so he was able to take the exam.

She added: “After taking it, he told us that he's very sure that he's going to make a distinction, so we're hoping that he gets his desired outcome.

“He decided he was going to go for the exam a few months before the maths GCSE, even though he had already started practising with the textbooks before that time.

“But about four months before the exam, he said to us that he was confident, that he was very sure that he had covered a lot from the maths textbook, and he was going to sit the exam.

“We started coaching him to pass questions, practising questions with him until the day he wrote the exam.”

Brian, who will be going into Year 8 next month, says he is aiming for higher than a 7 – the result his older brother got.

He says that while he was nervous before sitting the exam, it “wasn’t as difficult as [he] expected”, and he is confident for results day, later this month on August 21.

He added that maths is his favourite subject as it is “easier than the other ones”.

Joy, who also has two younger children aged six and nine, says she feels “very proud” of her children.

She explained: “Considering the effort that we also put in as parents, I do not expect any less from them.

“I graduated as the best student in school, and my husband is also very smart – he's a chartered accountant too.

“So I would say it may be hereditary, and it could be hard work too.

“I always say to my students, success comes from determination, and then when you put in some effort, then you can achieve what you want to achieve.

“It all starts from determination and then the willingness to put in an effort.”