Not setting new yearc9's for a whole half a term

[Verbena37]

Hi....
Thinking I might find some helpful teachers who can comment on how good or bad this idea is....

DD is just moving to year 9 from a middle school system and the HT, even though the children at the end of year 8 did tests for setting them in year 9, has chosen to not set classes at all until after October half term.

I think this is awful and detrimental to both low and high achievers.
On the trial week before the summer hols, DD said she was sat next to a dyslexic child who was finding it so hard to keep up, DD had to basically read everything and teach her how to do it all. DD didn't mind but the other child struggled to understand anything and DD didn't finish her own work.

I've chatted to a relative who is a teacher and she thinks that whilst being tricky for the children, it would also be a complete nightmare for the teachers who will have to differentiate a massive range of levels.

The HT said he wanted to watch the kids for the first half term and make sure they were put into the right sets.
SIl said it would be much easier on everybody if they settled them using their Yr 8 results and current levels and then just shift one or two up or down should, they need it after assessment by their set teachers.

[Verbena37]

That's what I thought Tiggy.
I can see that perhaps, if in the past they have got children from the middle school whose work isn't consistent with their yr 8 test results, but it kind of implies they still don't trust the middle from which the children have moved.

And yes......it kind of doesn't matter if they aren't quite in the right sets as they can (and should) be moved.

[Verbena37]

I'm wondering if there's another admin reason....like they haven't yet got the timetablE sorted or haven't got enough new teachers (they are turning into a proper two tier secondary from a three tier system).

[noblegiraffe]

We don't set Y7 until half term because we do our own tests and don't trust the SATs scores from the various primaries that send pupils to us.

Are the children moving up from a variety of schools? My thought would be a lack of trust in the test results.

[Verbena37]

But they have literally just done year 8 exams in June for the very purpose of setting them in yr 9 at new school. Weird.

[pieceofpurplesky]

I think it is quite common in middle schools to give a half term to reassess the pupils. If coming from a variety of schools then they Gasprom at been inconsistent marking - it's ok to move one or two kids but not a whole school's worth.
As an aside being dyslexic does not necessarily make a child slow on understanding. Does your daughter know for sure this was the problem?

[pieceofpurplesky]

Gasprom? Wtf?

[pieceofpurplesky]

Should be 'there could have been'

[Verbena37]

I totally realise being dyslexic doesn't mean you are slower to learn however, this friend is usually in a much lower English set to DD and didn't understand what the sentences were asking and also couldn't see the board properly as the letter were 'moving' so DD was reading out loud to her.

DD's best friend is also dyslexic but is settled in the top science set with her.....DD understands about dyslexia and how it varies. It was just an example of how mixed sets don't really work.

[WildStallions]

It's not just about being in the right set I think. I think it's to help them settle. So for 6 weeks they're with the same pupils in each class. Gives them a fighting chance to make friends with each other.

It's very common in Y7 and not something that concerned me.

[pieceofpurplesky]

You forgot to mention it was a friend who is usually in lower sets ...taster days are usually done in tutor/form groups.
It's six weeks out of your daughter's education to ensure she is settef correctly. It's hardly going to impact on her education

[Verbena37]

But that's just it pieceof...... If parents take their kids out of school for two days over a long weekend, it's seen as irretrievable so I'm thinking six weeks is actually a long time not to be in the correct set.

And yes, whilst they are settling in, they will be with their tutor class for all of that six weeks.

[ninja]

There is evidence to show that ALL kids do better in mixed ability classes as long as they're taught on an appropriate way (generally differentiation by outcome works best).

One test can't tell a teacher truly about a child's ability. The new GCSE's have a lot of problem solving in them and I'm guessing the yr 8 tests are a lot more content and short questions. It seems really sensible to watch and assess them to get it right.

[ladygracie]

Did all children do the same test at the new school?

[Verbena37]

Perhaps you're right ninja. I'll try not to worry then.
ladygracie they haven't done any tests at the new school yet.

[Charis1]

It sounds normal to me. WE never use any test results sent from previous schools either.

[Verbena37]

Thanks Charis. So it seems pretty normal then.

[redskybynight]

DS's school doesn't set at all in any year (except maths). They seem to manage ok

[Verbena37]

In any secondary year group redsky?

[redskybynight]

Yes, no setting at all in any age group. Granted in KS4 there is "sort of setting" due to options choices (for example not all DC can take triple science - although still half the cohort do). English which is compulsory is mixed ability through to Year 11.

[kesstrel]

Our high school also doesn't do any setting in any year, except for maths. They achieve high results, but they also have been cheating blatantly on controlled assessments. There is little differentiation, according to my daughter; I suspect that once they can no longer rely on this method of artificially inflating grades, they will find their non-setting approach doesn't work as well. But I could be wrong...

[Scarydinosaurs]

Sounds to me like they doubt the quality of the year 8 data.

[Verbena37]

Perhaps, as someone above said, perhaps it's because there is such a large catchment of children coming from multiple schools with a massive difference in marks?