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Secondary education

If your DC got a Level 5 in maths in y6 (not this yr)

8 replies

ragged · 21/07/2011 10:10

What kind of things did they do in math class at secondary, in y7-8? More graphs? Algebra? Or?

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exexpat · 21/07/2011 10:21

Um, pretty much everything, as far as I know.

DS has just finished yr8, top set for maths (his school sets them as soon as they start yr7, but there is quite a bit of movement), and they are well stuck in to all sorts of stuff - algebra, geometry, graphs etc etc - actually I don't know what they are doing most of the time as he just gets on with it.

He did bring back an IGCSE textbook a couple of months ago, and was really excited because the maths teacher was letting him do some more interesting/advanced algebra by himself - but maybe that's just him....

why do you ask - are you wanting to help prepare? Or are you worried that your DC doesn't seem to be doing anything new? Do they set for maths at the school?

mnistooaddictive · 21/07/2011 10:29

They would do the whole curriculum, number, algebra, shape and space, data handling

ragged · 21/07/2011 10:29

I saw very little of any work that DS did this past yr (y6, in a tiny private school). His report said Level 5 in maths. He agrees he's not being stretched, I am pretty sure I'm ok with that because he had other issues to sort out.

Still, I'd like to know more about what he should be doing in y7-y8, so I can be satisfied in the near future that he's progressing about how he should.

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ragged · 21/07/2011 10:32

oops, X post with Addictive -- so presumably the top sets do the same topics as bottom sets but in more depth, with more tricky bits tacked on?

See because yr group so small at DS school (just 11 of them or so) the teacher will have to differentiate a lot between least & most able; they get some good GCSE results, I know school can do it; I just feel some duty to monitor, too.

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MrsDmitriTippensKrushnic · 21/07/2011 10:39

DS1's Maths group (also streamed from beginning of Yr7) were monitored throughout that first year, and the children who continued to make good progress (so SATs results weren't a blip) started their GCSE maths course at the beginning of Year 8. He seems to be doing well at that level - having to work hard, but not beyond his ability iyswim.

mummytime · 21/07/2011 10:40

AT my DCs school (a very high achieving comp), they start off in mixed ability groups and are re-assessed. Then about half-term they are put in sets, all the top groups certainly go on to starting algebra, reflection and rotation as well as some topics they have done at primary. I think secondary school maths is far more interesting than primary.
However if you son is staying at the same small private school things may be very different. Are they working for CE? That would reassure me to some extent.

mnistooaddictive · 21/07/2011 10:42

As a private school, they are allowed to do their own thing so this may not be relevant but most schools follow the national numeracy strategy which details what they learn. It is split into support core and extension for each topic. As a level 5 your Ds would be extension. You used to be able to access it online but this is no longer the case due to the change in government and money saving.
I have found it <a class="break-all" href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110202093118/nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/110233" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">here but it may not all work.

ragged · 21/07/2011 14:21

Don't think the school does CE, they go thru to GCSEs themselves so wouldn't bother. Thanks for link, Addictive.

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