target setting secondary school

[sitlux]

I'm a soon-to-be year 7 parent. My daughter is starting secondary school in September in our local comprehensive school, based in the borough of Richmond.

I'm a bit confused with target setting in secondary. I've just learned they band children - for the purposes of target setting - based on KS2 SATs results and I'm not entirely sure how it works. Also, for Maths (but not English) they group them in ability groups. Apparently it's 4 ability groups.

These are the secondary target setting bands, based on scaled scores at KS2 score, average of Maths & English:

1. 80-100 Launching
2. 101-105 Progressing
3. 106-111 Securing
4. 112-120 Mastering

Can someone tell me what this really means? If a child is placed, for example, in the "Mastering" band, does it mean they will work at a higher level with that band?

Will the school also use these bands for ability grouping in Maths, initially? It does say they will be tested again in October.

Or perhaps they will all work at the same level, but simply they are expected to get very high GCSE scores because they came in with high KS2 scores - and therefore they will be considered as failing expectations if they don't get high GCSEs? (Isn't it better if the child gets low KS2 scores then, so that they are banded low and they have great progress by the end of secondary?).

Thanks.

[Seeline]

It sounds very school-specific. I think you need to ask the individual school concerned.

[noblegiraffe]

Oh wow. That’s pretty special.

I expect that those bands will translate to a flight path with your Launching band expecting to get between 1 and 3 at GCSE, your Mastering band getting 7-9 and the other two somewhere in between. We don’t know how KS2 scaled scores progress to new GCSE grades yet as the first cohort to sit them haven’t sat their GCSEs.

You’ll probably get some sort of graph at some point.

Grouping for maths may be done initially on banding, but they should reset them based on their own internal tests.

[TeenTimesTwo]

Isn't it better if the child gets low KS2 scores then, so that they are banded low and they have great progress by the end of secondary?

If they score below their ability then they might not be targeted for intervention if they start under achieving. Ideally your child's SATs scores reflect their true position, neither too high nor too low.

Many schools only set by ability for Maths at the start, setting more at the years progress.

[TeenTimesTwo]

'special' is a great word noble

My DD would be 'launching'. I don't think I'd be at all happy with those words. Especially as it kind of implies she'd not been 'progressing'.

[sitlux]

Thanks everyone.

@noblegiraffe you are so right, the school website actually mentions flight paths exactly as described by you with Mastering expected to get 7/8/9 and Launching expected to get 1/2/3, and the other 2 in between. It says these are minimum expected grades.

What isn't clear for me is whether they will also teach children differently based on these 4 bands, but probably not, apart from perhaps Maths - the only subject where they appear to have ability groups in year 7. I guess we will find out in September how they will create the Maths groups.

[Teachermaths]

I'd imagine the maths groups will be taught differently. Ours certainly are at the top and bottom end. The middle band are slightly more mixed and follow an "intermediate" level scheme of work.

If the pupils aren't set for subjects they will be exposed to the same content, like at primary.