GCSE at nine for Max, the computer whiz

LIKE MOST NINE-YEAR-OLDS, Max Hoffman likes nothing more than to come home from school and play on his computer.

But unlike most boys his age, Max has a GCSE to back up his interest.

The Rosh Pinah Primary pupil found out in August that he had attained a C grade in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) — after sitting exams designed for students almost double his age in May.

“We are beside ourselves with pride,” said Max’s mother, Gillian Hoffman, from Mill Hill. “Never in a million years did I expect him to achieve this. But he worked really hard and is over the moon.”

Ms Hoffman said she and husband Marshall, enrolled their then eightyear-old son into a oneyear course at Ryde College, Bushey, last year, which he attended on weekends while still in year four at Rosh Pinah. They were encouraged by his tutor, who praised Max’s talent for computing.

Max rose to the challenge, completing two pieces of coursework — which involved building a website and an online database — as well as sitting two end-of-year exams. One piece of coursework he submitted scored 95 per cent.

“He isn’t a child genius, he just has such passion for the subject,” Ms Hoffman said.

“It’s like a hobby for him. But of course, it was also very difficult and highly academic: the GCSE is designed for a 16-year-old after all, not an eight-year-old.”

She added that Max would now be taking a well-deserved rest. “He is about to start year five, so I doubt he’ll be going on to AS Levels just yet,” she said.

“But he loved the experience. It has given him amazing confidence, which is a wonderful thing to give a child.” Max added he was “very surprised when I found out what I had got. All my friends are proud of me.”