SATs levels question for year 9

90% A-C inc English and maths isn't good for a normal school, it's astonishing! I'd love to know how they achieve that!

If she got an A* in Y7 (that seriously wouldn't be possible in a year with a good teacher unless she was massively accelerated at primary so they should take some credit) then in equivalent levels, that would be level 11. As levels don't go that high, perhaps they are reporting her at level 8 because that's the highest the system goes? Seems a bit silly but the rules probably say a NC level needs to be reported.

Worried? Why? She already has nailed her GCSE and is on A Level work age 12/13. The level she is given is almost irrelevant because the school is clearer good for her and not going to hold her talents back.

All of these children must have gone to a very special Primary!

Hi pastoralacademia.
I see what you mean now. No just the one daughter. Is it because i put that she is level 8? She has assessments still and homework and is getting marked as level 8. Does that make it any clearer? Should dd not be getting marked like this now? Am worried.

Hi ibizagirl:
i understood from your posts that one dd is in year 8 at L8 and one dd is in yr8 but has already got her A* GCSE. As both cases are in yr8 I assumed they must be twins and I was wondering whether they are attending different schools.

Hi pastoralacademia.
Don't know what you mean by "do you have twins?" No i haven't. Just got the one. Not a selective school. It is a c of e school - just a normal school. Admittedly their results a few years ago were quite bad. There was a large intake of Asian children for a few years and the head said it was quite bad at the time. Results are going up quite steadily each year and children gaining 5 or more gcse's including maths and english are 90% which i thought was quite good for a "normal" school. The local academy is on 38%. Dd's school is changing to an academy in september and am slightly worried about it but at the moment it seems nothing is to change only the name.

Hi Kensingtonia. Dd did have a very good maths teacher in year 7 (he was head of maths. They tend to keep the same teacher throughout schooling but he had to leave through ill health) so obviously dd has a different teacher now and she is ok but does not push them much. Dd goes with some other children to another teacher sometimes to do extra maths and the rest of the class do the other work and they are averaging level 6 and 7. Yes dd is on g&t and has been since early primary but it isn't recognised now (i was told that it is now defunkt) and all her lessons (all set 1) are classed as g&t because they are in the top set.Some children do take exams in year 10 and have had good results from them so will have to wait and see.

Are they in the same school? ibizagirl, or one in a selective?

"Dd is 12 and in year 8 and also on level 8 and it is based on assessments. Her school does not have sats (aren't they abolished?). Dd has a report at end of every term and the levels are on there for all subjects. It has the "target for end of ks3" and "working at level". But i thought year 9 was ks4 as dd starts her gcse's when she goes into year 9."

"Dd has already got an A* gcse in maths after doing it in year 7 and some others have done it or are doing it this year (year 8) so class is now doing some a level work"

Do you have twins?

DD2 is also in year 8 - most kids in the class are working at level 8 in maths and the teacher is also introducing some A' level stuff. DD2 is at level 8 in English.

Ibiza your daughter must be so bored if she has already done GCSE - is she G & T in maths; or have a superb teacher? My DD1 is at a superselective and the earliest maths entry for GCSE is in year 10! But they can do a fast track A' level after that. The vast majority of GCSEs are sat in year 11.

They do GCSE maths and English in year 10 at DD2s school but they are now changing to the maths IGCSE. They finish KS3 in year 8 at her school and the GCSEs are spread over 3 years - not an advantage in my opinion!

Early entry where the child is going to get an A* is fine, a lot of schools enter early whether students are ready for their best performance or not, aiming for a C.

Your school is quite unusual if students are getting A*s in Y7 and 8. Is it selective?

Thanks noblegiraffe. Interesting to read that early entry has been shown to lead to lower results. Dd has already got an A* gcse in maths after doing it in year 7 and some others have done it or are doing it this year (year 8) so class is now doing some a level work. But dd's school has shown results have been slightly better with children doing early entry. The results are almost on par with the private schools locally.

Externally marked SATs were abolished but schools still need to report KS3 levels at the end of Y9 for every student. A lot of schools still give the kids SATs exams to assess these levels, the only difference being that they now have to be marked by teachers.

Y9 is KS3. Schools doing a three year KS4 and entering students early for GCSE are actually going against DfE recommendations as early entry has been shown to lead to lower results.

Hi shootingstarz. Dd is 12 and in year 8 and also on level 8 and it is based on assessments. Her school does not have sats (aren't they abolished?). Dd has a report at end of every term and the levels are on there for all subjects. It has the "target for end of ks3" and "working at level". But i thought year 9 was ks4 as dd starts her gcse's when she goes into year 9.

You'd expect a student working at level 8 in y9 to get an A or A, most likely an A, unless they sit GCSEs early.

It means Key Stage 3 levels based upon the National Curriculum

It means the National Curriculum levels, I think level 8 is the highest in KS3. DD2 now in year 8 has had her "levels" in her school reports since year 6 - now in year 8.