Level 8c Maths end of year 9, but not top set?

[Jinglebells99]

My dd moved school this year mid year to a large secondary state school. Her current level is 8c and she has been put in a target group next year of 8 which is second set and only top set can do further maths GCSE. Just wondering what level the top set are likely to be? She was 5a at end of year 6 (her school didn't do level 6 maths ) and 7b at end of year 8 at her old school? Thanks for any advice.

[Lurkedforever1]

Top set standard will depend on the cohort. One school could have a top set that is mainly made up of y9 level 6 pupils, another might have a top set who were all 8a standard by the end of y7. Most will be somewhere between. And it won't just be on sat levels, it is also the pace/ style of learning that varies between sets.

[noblegiraffe]

Unless it's an extremely high achieving and large school, an 8c really should be good enough for top set and further maths GCSE. I would phone up and ask their reasoning. My school sets on the total of test scores throughout the year and if she joined mid year then they might not have noticed why her total is lower? Just double check there hasn't been any sort of error.

[mumsneedwine]

Depends on cohort and size of school. In my 250 per year school then an 8A or B is needed for top set. In fact our year 9 too set have completed the old GCSE syllabus so they are ready to do Add maths and rest of new curriculum. Range in the year is from 2B to 8A. 8C is very good.

[ErrolTheDragon]

If she's really keen to do further maths (if that is what it's called under the new system) because she plans on being an engineer or physicist and therefore do FM at a-level, then it would be a good idea to see if you can discuss it with the head of maths.

Otherwise - depending on the school - set 2 isn't necessarily a bad thing. At DDs school, the lower the set the smaller the class.

[LockedOutOfMN]

Further Maths GCSE or IGCSE is good fun for students who love Maths, but it means doubling the % of Maths lessons, Maths hw and Maths revision so it isn't a decision to be taken lightly, particularly if your child likes other subjects and wants to dedicate lots of time to them (e.g. coursework for things like Art, Media Studies, Music).

Your daughter will be well placed to access Maths A Level and Further Maths A Level if she gets an A or A* grade in her Maths GCSE or IGCSE. (Many schools will let students start the A Level course with a B grade at GCSE).

As others have said, there is presumably one top set of, say, 28 or 30 students, who have the highest marks at the end of year nine, and they go on to do the Further Maths GCSE or IGCSE. (Bear in mind that these marks might be a total or average of their test grades across the year rather than just the final exam. mark). I would imagine that they're aren't as many as 56-60 students in the year group who'd be up to doing the Further Maths course and that's why Set Two does the Maths GCSE.

As others have said, ask the Head of Maths as it may be there is a student in Set One who isn't interested in taking Further Maths and will drop down to Set Two leaving your daughter with the option to move up (if she is one of the top ranking students in Set Two).

I hope this helps.

[Jinglebells99]

Thanks for your help. It is a large year group (250) but split into two house streams so there are two top groups, and 6 groups in each half of the year. I think it's probably worth me at least emailing. When she first moved there in January, they placed her in a middling set where the work was far too easy and then moved her when I contacted them. She'd had a new teacher at her old school who'd downgraded all her group so the latest report from her old school didn't reflect her true ability.

[Haribow]

For what it's worth, DS and DD attend a high achieving comp. 360 kids in the year, two parallel top sets (one in each of the two houses). Each top set has about 32 kids, so about 64 out of the 360 total.

DS got an 8b in his end of Year 9 exam (and was working at this level during the year). He stayed in the second set (no further maths exam, no stats exam, no maths challenge, no enrichment).

DD has just finished Year 8, and got an 8c. She will stay in the top set.

I guess their school has a lot of kids good at maths. I think DS is about middle ability for the second set, and is predicted an 8 at GCSE. I am a bit peeved he misses out, when perhaps in other years he might have made top set, but in a way, given the new exam is harder, at least he will solely be concentrating on that, so will hopefully get the grade predicted

Good luck with your conversation with the school OP.

[swingofthings]

It is definitely worth having a discussion. It might be that she's been put in the middle set because they'd already worked out the sets and the top one is already large (because of other parents pushing for their kids to be there) whereas the middle set is smaller. If that's the case, your DD might do well in the middle set, assuming that teacher will be able to give work to challenge her.

What you would need to push though is for her to still be able to do Further Maths. For info, I think DD got an 8C at end of Year 9, and has just done her GCSEs and expected an A in Maths (got an A at both her mock tests and found the exam easy) and is confident she got all the questions right at the Further Maths GCSEs so expected A* or more, so your DD is definitely at the right level to excel.

[HereIAm20]

My son won't be doing Additional Maths at iGSE as only top set does it (2 classes) but last year everyone who took iGSE got an A* except for one child who got an A. The school have said it will not prevent him doing A level of Further Maths A level if he wants to. (yes it is a selective school).

[LockedOutOfMN]

Yes, HereIAm20 is correct, students can access - and achieve success at - Further Maths A Level with a good grade at Maths IGCSE. Having not taken the additional IGCSE isn't a problem.