Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

To Be Shocked That DS Got A 'D' In His First Half-Termly Report At Grammar School

113 replies

gazzalw · 12/11/2012 13:19

Not sure if I'm looking for reassurance or what but here goes...

DS has always been regarded as very good at maths by his teachers and us (well he was at primary school) and got a Level 5A in his KS2 SATs. He did do Level 6 and didn't pass but we assumed that was because he was actually ill when he did the exam (not an excuse but he did have slapped cheek virus quite badly) and the primary school teacher who was coaching his year to the Level 6 curriculum was off sick for the last half term so they didn't complete the work.

We had always assumed that he had passed his three 11+ exams on the basis of his maths, NVR/VR skills rather than his English (for which he got a 5B in KS2 SATS) which has never been his strongest subject not one that particularly interests him.

Note he hasn't been tutored in maths at all.

Anyway, going to a super-selective we were under no illusions that he would be a top dog in any subject, but in maths would have probably expected him to be average in the class. Looking at how he's been getting on in his homework it doesn't look as if he's had any major issues with not understanding the work.

So imagine our shock (and his) when he got his first report and although he has got Bs for most subjects (including English) which put him in the middle of the class (no problem with that especially as he is quite lazy), he got a 'D' for maths and is apparently one of the bottom three in the class of 30 boys!

What would your opinion be? I guess it might just be a reflection of the fact that in a boys grammar school they are generally maths whizzes, that a lot of them have been tutored and are working well above the baseline levels that you would expect even of grammar school children, that maths is one of those subjects that it's easier to coach ahead in and a lot of them have been coached ahead (he says that most of them have tutors although difficult to know whether that is indeed true), that he wasn't taught to such a high standard as other boys at his primary school or that he just isn't naturally as good at maths as his cohort?

I know that as parents we can think our children are brilliant when they're obviously not, but the thing is we have always wholeheartedly felt he has some latent skill at maths - maybe he has but just compared to his classmates it doesn't seem that way!

That would essentially put him in the bottom group in his Year (unless he just happens to be in the class most capable at maths!) which I find hard to believe as he is quite clearly a lot more competent than we were at the same age (and we went to grammar schools and were not in the bottom sets)

Hope to get some insights rather than being shouted down....I guess the bottom line is that in high achieving grammars someone has got to be at the bottom ;-(....

OP posts:
tiggytape · 12/11/2012 13:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Blu · 12/11/2012 13:44

When is the next parents evening?

middleclassonbursary · 12/11/2012 13:42

My DS is at a super selective boys independent he very very good at maths he finds it very easy got an A in a maths GCSE at 12 when at prep. At his senior school he changed at 13 he's in the third set out of 8 the first term was not great he didn't like the teacher methods and he didn't really like him he was near the bottom of the class after the first half term and hating maths. We spoke to the teacher who I didn't feel was overly helpful. He was offered a few weeks extra help by another maths teacher persevered and by the end of the first year he was top of the class and now talking about keeping it up to a level and beyond. OP it's early day and its a new environment have a chat to the teacher maybe he can just give a bit of help to get over this little blip.

GooseyLoosey · 12/11/2012 13:39

Sounds a lot like me in my first report at secondary - the grades were not good at all. Having coasted through primary, I believed I could do everything without trying and put little or no effort in to my work. Homework was not focused on at all and I did nothing outside of school. The report came as an almighty shock to the system. It took another term or so, but I became (and remained) a straigh A student. All it took was the shock of doing badly. This may be the case for your son - certainly sounds like he could do with working harder.

Yellowtip · 12/11/2012 13:38

Maybe an e-mail Sparkle, not a special appointment - or poor gazzalw will be flagged up as an over anxious dad.

musttidyupmusttidyup · 12/11/2012 13:36

Might be interesting to find out what the grade is based on (test score? Homework? Classwork? Teacher assessment?) and whether its a grade which has used his ability as a baseline (ie his ks2 score) or is assessing him in line with his peers? Has he been given a target or expected level for the end of the year? Is it judged against that? Does he get any other grades in his report - ie is this an attainment grade? Or effort? Or both?
Difficult to assess what the problem is unless you are sure of the criteria.
Also - did he do cats tests? If yes what is his Q and NV score? These combined can give a good indicator or his ability and strengths/weaknesses in the subject.

Blu · 12/11/2012 13:36

Hello gazza!
If he was shocked, it sounds as if he has not been struggling with the work - do you know how this level was arrived at? Was it the result of a one-off test or based on the whole half term's work? How do you know he is one of the bottom 3? Maybe they have ALL been marked relatively low? By which I mean is the D relative to everyone else in the class or relative to some absolute benchmark?

I think you need to talk to his tutor or maths teacher. There could be all sorts of explanations - they have been covering ground that the heavily tutored have covered, he hasn't quite adapted to secondary school pace and environment, he had an off day, or whatever.

I don't think you should assume that this result defines his school career from now on.

I am watching anxiously - DS has gone into the top stream of a comp not a million miles from you, with the same SATS results. he comes home saying he feels 'rubbish' at maths because the girls sitting next to jim is much faster. They seem to work at great speed in secondary, and the naturally genius and the Kumon tutored seem to be shining.

How does your DS compare in age with his cohort? DS is late summer born and while enjoying it all has sometmes felt daunted and overwhlemed by the overall-ness of secndary school, and gets very tired.

Yellowtip · 12/11/2012 13:36

Eek: 'probably have some tutoring' Sparkle. No! Why? Bad!

Sparkleandshine78 · 12/11/2012 13:35

.... I would be talking to other parents about how much their kids are doing / being tutored etc.... and the teacher - have a special appointment to see what she thinks.

Original poster
gazzalw · 12/11/2012 13:35

I think you are right.....he has coasted right through primary school and never really been stretched.

Always felt it would take him a time to actually see what they would expect of him at a grammar school and I think he's now beginning to see. He did say himself that the "only way is up."

I just think that there are other subjects (such as Art or DT) which we might have expected him to get a 'D' in (but he didn't) because he would himself admit that he has neither aptitude nor interest in those but would never have had him down as being 'weak' at maths which is what this report is currently indicating....

OP posts:
Yellowtip · 12/11/2012 13:34

This is D for attainment rather than commitment I assume? I only ask because on the reverse side of our reports there's an explanation of each grade. If he's D for commitment in his first half term I wouldn't get myself wrapped around the axle tbh, I'd probably just say sharpen up. If he's D for attainment but B for commitment I might dig a bit deeper but it really is very early days. Even my golden child got Cs in his first report (never mind the less golden DC :)). He's a boy, don't panic!

mateysmum · 12/11/2012 13:29

It could be lots of reasons. You need to talk to his teacher and seek clarification, ideally have a meeting with your DS present.

Sounds like it's the shock as much as the actual mark that is bugging you and if your DS is performing below par, then the teacher should have made him/you aware of this.

If this is his first term at the gammar school, don't panic, some kids just take a bit longer to settle in and pick up the pace and it sounds like suddenly he has come up against lots of other talented mathematicians. Once you know the background, you can agree an action plan with the teacher to support your DS.

Sparkleandshine78 · 12/11/2012 13:27

I think this is probably quite simple.....

He is clever enough to pass the 11+, and get into a good selective school.

however especially as he is quite lazy is your key comment....

he needs to understand (and here is the wake up call) that he needs to work harder and probably have some tutoring to make the most of the fantastic opportunity he has.

I imagine if you have gone from state school to grammar, it may be a shock but the 'top set' put in lots of outside work. He has probably been able to float towards to top of the class up to now and coast a bit, whereas now the writing is on the wall - in a class of 30 boys, they are all working harder.