Precocious children are those who fall in the top 0.5% of the the population on intelligence tests. Their high intelligence renders progression through the standard school curriculum at the normal rate a largely pointless task. They become frustrated and bored, which can lead to class disruption and bullying.
Accelerating the rate of progression by placing the child in older classes often leads to the child's social isolation, because he is socially immature relative to his classmates. Another alternative, teaching the child individually, robs him of the social contact with other children necessary for his social development. Special educational programmes exist for precocious children.