"I feel we are wasting so much talent in the UK."
A student who is taking 28 A-Levels is calling for more support for gifted pupils as she revealed her teachers struggle to keep up with her.
Mahnoor Cheema said that when she arrived in the UK from Pakistan at age nine, her school refused to let her move up a year.
At Colnbrook Church of England Primary School in Berkshire, she quickly got through her classwork.
However, the teenager said that instead of being allowed to progress onto the next stage of her education, she was given extra maths.
Mahnoor said the school also put her in a group designed to encourage children to make friends.
She is taking 28 A-Levels after achieving 34 GCSEs.
When Mahnoor moved to Langley Grammar School, she said teachers tried to discourage her from sitting her GCSE exams.
Meanwhile, staff claimed Mahnoor was overburdened and had “dark circles” under her eyes.
When her parents got involved, they were labelled “pushy”.
Mahnoor’s family said they expected more from grammar schools, which was one of the reasons why they returned to Britain.
A frustrated Mahnoor is now calling for more support for gifted students in public schools across the UK.
She said: “I feel we are wasting so much talent in the UK.
“I think there are so many kids who had talent to do so much but it was wasted because no one recognised their potential or knew what to do with it.”
Mahnoor has spoken to other talented children who also felt the same way.
She believes schools have a duty to support gifted children, just as they do with special education needs.
Mahnoor also said maths in the British education system is “very slow”, stating that year three children in Pakistan can complete tests given to 11-year-olds in the UK.
At school, Mahnoor admitted that she struggled to make friends as she found it difficult to relate to others.
While pupils read children’s books, Mahnoor read works from philosophers like Plato.
In addition to 34 GCSEs, Mahnoor sat every entrance exam for schools within a 20-mile radius of her home in Slough for a “challenge”. She came top in three counties.
Mahnoor has an IQ of 161 and is part of the exclusive Mensa.
Her family are also highly educated.
Mahnoor’s father is a leading barrister, her mother has two economics degrees, her 14-year-old sister is a national maths champion and her nine-year-old brother is a grade four piano player.
The student currently goes to Henrietta Barnett School, a north London grammar institution located 90 minutes from her house.