Pulling my hair out at lack of feedback from school

[Slummymummy2017]

I'm at a loss as to how to move forward frankly. DD st supposedly outstanding girls state school in Year 8. Diagnosed dyslexic and also takes meds for improved concentration. We have had fantastic external tutor for 3 years and recently employed a maths tutor as struggling in understanding phrasing of questions. DD got 4c in SATS despite primary school lack of support of issues, didn't even give her extra time which all paperwork says she is entitled to. Nonverbal cat scores place her on 99th percentile - she is very bright but has needed support to structure writing. Made amazing, amazing progress and reads beautifully and writes very well now.

Current school have based all targets off key stage 2 and will not allow for any movement. Stuck her in bottom sets for everything (gifted in music and very good at design and arts) But due to fisher family friends scoring system targets are really low, well below her capabilities. Behaviour from others on her teaching set is poor and disruptive. Not all but a large % of them.

School policy is not to give any info on targets to parents, for in house only. Only say if working below, at or exceeding them. Their stance is it creates a positive mindset. So you won't find out until Year 9 if your child is working at a level that means they will fail at GCSE. Will not give info to us to feed back to tutors about areas to work on or areas we can close gaps.

I have been asking for months but I'm now so fustrated I can't hold my temper any longer. We can't move her, no spaces locally and she has friends and is settled. I'm pulling my hair out here. I have no idea how to move forward from here. So upset, I feel like I'm failing her.

[CauliflowerSqueeze]

The school has to show progress by Fischer family trust fft Key stage 2 data.
The old "levels" are now defunct so each school has developed its own system.

When you go to parents evening you can ask how she is progressing.

Why does she have to have tutors? Why can't the tutors work out what her areas of weakness are? Are you sure all this anger is justified?

[CauliflowerSqueeze]

It's probably wise for the school to say she is working at or below. That's all you really need to know. Saying she is Level green subsection pink is going to be meaningless for anyone outside of the school anyway.

[Slummymummy2017]

I forgot to mention I'm also a teacher albeit primary. I have specifically asked each teacher where she sits against the end of year expectations as published on their website, however they make general comments about attitude or behaviour. Nothing specific about what she is hoid st or dress she need to work on. We only get one parents evening and that was in December. I have had to initiate contact recently to try and get constructive feedback, it's been pretty fruitless.

Her dyslexic tutor focuses on study skills
( how to chunk information down into manageable sections), spelling rules and similar.

[Lazybeans50]

Whilst it might not be the school's policy to routinely give out this info, they should provide you with more information if you ask for it. After all it's data they hold about your child. Have you tried putting your request in writing? Your local parent partnership should be able to advise.

[user1490123259]

The school won't have a clue, how could they? No ne has yet sat a single GCSE with the new levels, so no one in the country with a child in year 8 has any sort of genuine information of where their child is at. Some schools are using a mixture of old levels and guesswork, but it is all pretty meaningless. My school is using slow progress, steady progress or fast progress, to just indicate whether a child is learning at the speed you expect or not. We can't say anything about grades or predictions, nothing at all. NO data.

[CauliflowerSqueeze]

In state schools it's normal to have one parents' evening per year (that means 7 for each teacher across all year groups).

[Slummymummy2017]

I am. It asking for asking for GCSE grades though. I'm asking how she is doing against her peers and where her strengths and weaknesses are and I'm. It getting anything to work on.

Re parents being we could only see 4 teachers as of the 11 she has, 7 of them were absent that night.

[clary]

If you were asking me about one of my students OP I would not be over keen on telling you about where they were related to their peers!

However I would let you know any strengths etc. Are you able to email teachers direct? Especially if you couldn't speak to them at P Eve?

Odd not to share targets with you IME. If you don't know the target, I don't see what the use of A/O/B is really! Is she working above in most things?

[Slummymummy2017]

What I can't understand is as a teacher myself, if a parent were asking how to support their child with things they found difficult I would welcome that with open arms. I'm getting a brick wall. I understand that schools ate stretched and I'm providing this all at my own cost, all I'm asking for is a little partnership.

[CauliflowerSqueeze]

So when you asked them at parents evening did they not tell you her areas of weakness and strength?

[Slummymummy2017]

Clary I meant in relation to what try broadly expect across the year group not specific info about other pupils.

She is expected in everything but expected changes according to what set they refer to.

[Slummymummy2017]

Cauliflower squeeze - with the exception of French and English nope! Nada! It was like pulling teeth.

[Bluntness100]

Can your daughter not tell you? Where she is struggling, can you not see marked work? What she's getting wrong, what she's getting right? How about with homework, can you not tell where she is struggling?

[Megatherium]

Ask for copies of her school records, that might help. If it's an academy or free school, you are entitled to them within 40 days under the Data Protection Act. If it's a state school, you're entitled to receive copies within 15 school days under the Education (Pupil Information) (England) Regulations 2005.

[clary]

Hmm well broad expectations across the year group is hard to quantify though.

I teach top set year 8 and bottom set year 8 (French so lower targets than some subjects). Top set targets are equivalent to old style 5a/6c; some students in the bottom set have a target equivalent to an old 2a.

If the parent of the bottom set student asked me how they are achieving when compared to the year group, I am at a bit of a loss tbf. I don't think it would be helpful to anyone to say "Well, he is doing worse than all in my middle set and a lot worse than all in my top set..."

[teta]

My ds was similar to this in his junior school.We also have a Maths and a dyslexic tutor for him in year 8.I do sympathise with you.I had exactly the same issues.Is there a Senco you could talk to or a Head Of Year?
Can you find out which text books they're using and ask the tutor to see how she answers some questions?Are there any teachers there who would be willing to assess her privately?In my ds's case there was a specially trained teacher who was willing to tutor externally.

I think as a parent you sense when something is off or wrong and your senses are indicating some worry.You are very much doing the right thing in not ignoring but being proactive.

[TeenAndTween]

You say she is in bottom sets for everything.
Is that really true, is everything set, or e.g. humanities based on English set or something? Or are some things set and others mixed ability.

How flexible is the school when assessing and moving sets? At DDs' school the setting was so flexible that DD1 moved sets for all the 3 set subjects in year 7, and then continued to move sets for maths, the last movement being going in to y11.

So maybe ask what she has to be doing / achieving to move up a set for Maths / English / Science. is it achievement in class, or homework, or end of year tests?

Does the school agree she qualifies for extra time? Are they taking that into account in any formal assessment situation that impacts sets?

Can you ask a specific question such as 'under the old GCSE system, would she be on track for at least a B grade?'