SHE has an IQ of more than 150 — and she hasn’t even started school yet.

Now four-year-old Heidi Hankins, from Winchester, has been accepted into Mensa after a test showed she has genius-level intellect.

Heidi joined the society for people with high IQs after her father Matthew sent in her test results.

The average IQ for an adult is 100, but Heidi’s is around 159, making her one of just 90 children under 10 to join Mensa UK.

Mr Hankins, 46, from Winchester, who is a lecturer at the University of Southampton, said: “We always thought Heidi was pretty bright because she was reading early. I happen to specialise in measuring IQs in children, and I was curious about her and the results were off the scale.

“I got her the complete set of the Oxford Reading Tree books when she was two, and she read through the whole set of 30 in about an hour. It’s what you would expect a seven-year-old to do.”

Heidi can already do addition and subtraction, draw figures (people) and write in sentences, and her father said she has been impressing since a very young age, learning to read and count to 40 when she was two.

Mr Hankins, of Stockbridge Road, said: “She was making noises and trying to talk literally since she was born, and by age one, her vocabulary was quite good.

“Now it is really good. The other day I gave her mash and fish fingers for dinner, something quite boring, and her response was ‘That’s impressive,’ so she has a sense of humour too!”

He added: “The thing is she is not precocious, she is just a little girl who likes her Barbies and Lego but then you will find her sitting down and reading a book. We are really proud of her.”

Mr Hankins said he decided to test Heidi after her nursery in Winchester told him they had no activities capable of challenging her.

John Stevenage, chief executive of British Mensa, said: “Heidi’s parents correctly identified that she shows great potential.

“We wish them well, and are pleased that they have chosen to join the Mensa network for support, where we aim to provide a positive environment for younger members to develop.”

Mr Hankins and his wife Sophy, an artist, moved to Winchester a year ago from Lewes to be closer to their son Isaac, nine, a chorister at Winchester Cathedral who boards at The Pilgrims’ School.

The pair are now looking at schools for Heidi and are hoping to skip a school year to make sure Heidi is challenged by her schoolwork.