Average levels end of Y7? (sorry!!)

[kitnkaboodle]

Sorry for yet another levels post. I realise that they can border on an obsession.

My Y7 son has started at a school I had some reservations about, and I am trying to discreetly keep an eye on where he and his peers are at, and how this compares with other schools.

Could someone in the know kindly let me know what the national average levels are at the end of Y7. Any stats/tables, etc, gratefully received.

We have had no meeting with teachers yet, and none on the horizon (I know I could ask if I was that bothered). But he has his end of year targets written in his journal, and I've sneaked a look at the grades he got for assessmetnts before half term. They are, at present, pretty meaningless to me.

[titchy]

4a / 5c is average attainment for end year 7, based on 4b being average for end year 6.

[lottysmum]

Not sure whether this will work...

www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CFQQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.princehenrys.co.uk%2Fattachments%2Fdownload.asp%3Ffile%3D61%26type%3Ddoc&ei=TwyWUoOIL6TN7AbgyYCoCQ&usg=AFQjCNEbYX9le9fKmBCORPozLI-5zKKSeA&sig2=k_oUA-rDJR8ek_KD4cdw0Q&bvm=bv.57155469,d.ZGU

[kitnkaboodle]

Oh, brilliant link, thanks! I guess answers everything. I'll file it away!

[Takver]

I was wondering a similar question. DD has a note in her French book congratulating her on 'achieving a level 3 in her test and speaking and writing' (rough paraphrase)

Now, my dd is clearly a genus but I don't understand how anyone can be a curriculum level 3 at something they have been learning for approximately 7 weeks - they are definitely at the 'my name is X, I like swimming and animals' stage . . . Surely at this point they would be a level 1 if that

[ThreeBeeOneGee]

I also find the levels in MFL difficult to understand. DS2 also started French in September. After three weeks they had an assessment in which he got a level 2 "because I was able to speak in sentences". His end of Y7 target is 4A if that helps.

[Takver]

Its a bit weird, isn't it. Obviously, it isn't really a matter of great moment, I'm more hoping that in 5 years' time she'll have a working knowledge of the language

[KatAndKit]

Levels in mfl are not really comparable to the levels of reading and writing in English. Level 1 in mfl is being able to read and say single words only. Your above averagely intelligent child in year 7 will skip straight through this and be learning to communicate in sentences from the word go. The trouble in mfl is that kids can get stuck on a level 4 for quite some time as the jump to the higher levels is more difficult than progressing through the lower levels.

[Marmitelover55]

My DD1 also has a target for French and Spanish of a 4a and has currently been assessed as a 1 for French and 2 for Spanish. It also says that the target fof the end of year 9 is a level 6.

[lottysmum]

My dd has been doing French for 2 years and she's at level 4 (leaving year 6) but like KatandKit has stated she has just started Spanish in Year 7 and is picking it up allot quicker than French - I'm not sure how they are taught but it does seem to make it more interesting ...

What i thought funny was that my DD has been set a level 7 for RE at the end of this year ... when we have had some interesting conversations about religion since she started secondary school ...

[spanish11]

My son is in year 7 in the middle set. His levels are 6b in maths, 5b in english, history and science. The rest I dont know because his tutor has been sick for a moth.

[urbancupcake]

@Spanish, is that a regular comp? Quite high for middle set (assuming middle is set 3), although I could be talking poop. Do you have any idea what the top set children are achieving? That would have to be around 60 all on level 6 already across all the major subjects and it's not even the end of the year yet. having said all that, it's not impossible.

[spanish11]

It is a comprehensive secondary school. The school did the setting according to the cat results and not sat. Maybe after the holidays he will change setting ( he is in the same set for all of the subject).
One of his friend is in the top set and is already level 7 in maths.

[urbancupcake]

@Spanish. Thanks. I know it wouldn't be unusual for the odd child or so to be at a level 7 for Maths in year 7. Be interesting to know what his English level is like as it's not uncommon to have a few whizz kids at Maths but who are less whizzy at English (one child I knew, for example, in a regular comp was a level 7 in Maths but only a 4 in English).

With regards to CAT's versus SAT's, I thought it not to be unusual also for there to be a discrepancy between CAT's and SAT's results, but not so big to warrant there being so many talented children in the top two sets.

Does your DS school keep them in the same sets across all the topics for all the years until options? I'm so anti that system for the reason's I mentioned above: a level 7 in Maths but 4 in English yet in top set.

[spanish11]

Can somebody explain this to me.
My son is in year 7 and his English target is a 4b.
I think is too low, because the teacher has market two assessment and in one of them is level 5c and in the another one is a level 5b. In year 6 he was a level 4a in writing, a level 5c in comprehension and 5b SPAG.

[noblegiraffe]

It sounds like a mistake, I would phone the school to query.

[titchy]

Probably supposed to be 5b

[Marmitelover55]

My DD1 had an English target of 5c for the end of year 7, which I found weird as she got a level 5 for her year 6 SATs and a teacher assessed level of 5a. I emailed the school and her English teacher called me. She said the target was based on other tests - can't remember the name (but not CATs). DD1 had already had a few things assessed as 5b, so she agreed the target was too low and changed it to a 6c instead. I would contact the school to check.

[ISawMamaPizzaKissingSantaClaus]

MFL teacher here. For reports we use an average of all four skills - listening, reading, speaking, writing.

Generally (there are obviously always better / worse ones) expected is to reach level 4 by end of year 7, level 5 by end of year 8 and level 6/7 by end of year 9 which is equivalent to a D GCSE grade, so they then progress onto C and above grades after. Obviously all levels then subdivided by a, b and c.

In a nutshell, levels go like this:

Level 1 - word level
Level 2 - short sentences and phrases
Level 3 - three to four sentences, starting to add connectives
Level 4 - five to six sentences, connectives, opinions
Level 5 - another tense is added, usually past tense, variety of sentences
Level 6 - third tense is added, usually future tense, variety of structures
Level 7 - complex sentences etc., conditional and other tenses

Level 4 is easy to reach, then it gets complicated.

HTH

[NoComet]

Y7 levels are very very very easy to understand.

You put pieces of paper with 3c-4a in a hat for MFL
And
4c-6a for everything else!

Draw a piece of paper write grade on book, report etc.

They are utterly meaningless and not worth stressing about.

[Takver]

at Starballbunny

The one that made me PMSL was the fact that dd has a target grade of 7 for PE end yr 9. Unless she has been hiding her light comprehensively under a bushel for 11.5 years, or unless they judge targets solely on sports conducted outdoors in cold water, I think they may be disappointed . . . .

[NoComet]

I also have a DD who would get L7 for staying in freezing rivers or sea water when no sensible person would put in their big toe.

Utterly hopeless at conventional PE

[Lancelottie]

Starball, mine too! I don't think she has normal nerve endings.

[TalkinPeace]

First term year 7 targets are indeed finger in the air or drunk spider in the ink
wait till the Easter figures
and just make sure the kids are happy, getting their homework done and making friends

[whyayepetal]

Thanks for the info ISawMama - my DD has just done a spoken French assessment, and I now understand where she is and what she needs to add to achieve the next level (eventually....!) This will help me to help her when she is preparing for the next round of tests

[Wishihadabs]

Is 4b average for end of year 6 ? Aren't they all supposed to be at that level ? Then it can't be average ? Confused