your Y8 top set children - what levels?

Hakluyt - could I have your thoughts on my post above about a dd who feels she isn't being challenged in science & after we approached the teacher her levels fell from 6c to 5b.

What's an 8a equivalent?

My daughter was 8a equivalent in maths and sciences, 7b in history unsure about the rest

As far as i am aware, there are no published criteria for a level 8 in any subject but Maths.

MissMillament: this page says level 8 in maths only, but could well mean something entirely different.

I go more on 'seems bright-ish to me'.

What's the etiquette about trawling people's posts to "out" them? Somebody did it to me and I found it very uncomfortable- even thought their Sherlocking in fact led them to the wrong school................

Wow impressed carslife - have I outed myself somehow? Sorry notv good at this obviously!

I really don't understand why on MN parents are so concerned if their dcs are not in the top set.
The ability range of this set is going to vary across different schools depending on intake.
All pupils achieving more than level 6 at the end of Y9 should have the opportunity to take Triple Science if the school offers this. This entitlement is a national requirement. Also all pupils achieving above average levels at the end of Y9 should be more than capable of taking Higher tier GCSE papers and achieving at least 5 A*-C grades.
Marmitelover55 is quoting the figures for 2013 exam results. Knowing which school her dd attends, I have looked up the figures: for this cohort of pupils there were less than 10% low attainers (less than 5% with SEN), just over 30% middle attainers and the rest (more than 60%) high attainers. That's a fairly high ability intake and not fully comprehensive IMHO.

% requiring FSM over last 6 years is 30%, not sure where comparative for our area would be.

Also don't agree that it's like the faith schools - don't they require a massive commitment from birth etc ?

All this is, iis a non verbal reasoning test and There are several opportunities to sit it.

dfe website : shows what the school is and what the local area is : can be revealing

I think it has quite a high proportion of FSM but not sure where to check this?

Marmite
Its like the faith schools
only organised parents can comply with the requirements
so children of lower ability parents do not get in
and it shows when you look at the demographics of the schools

any sort of test means its not a Comprehensive.

I don't really agree that it's selective as that implies selection by ability or income. eg like a grammar school. No amount of tutoring will help you get into this school, not will having the money to move into the right catchment area.

"I think it is fully comprehensive in terms of ability range, but parents must be a bit more motivated/organised re application."
Otherwise known as a selective
school......

Marmitelover
but parents must be a bit more motivated/organised re application.
which definition rules out the low motivation families
so its not a comp
any school with an entrance test is not a comp

Kitties -I'm not sure where you got the idea that a L8 was only possible in Maths, but as an English teacher let me reassure you that L8 is possible at KS3 in English (and all other subjects AFAIK). At least for the next year or two until we have all made up our own new systems to replace levels.

I think it is fully comprehensive in terms of ability range, but parents must be a bit more motivated/organised re application.

If it has fair banding it's not fully comprehensive.

Could be right -- I've certainly heard it said that it doesn't matter what the entrance criterion is (fair banding, catholic upbringing, sports prowess, knitting ability...), you will still eliminate families who can't or won't play the game.

I thought Level 8 was only applicable in Maths?

Kittiesinsane - it is fully comprehensive but has a fair banding entrance test, so in that sense I guess it is sort of selective, as only the more motivated families will play the game. The intake is very diverse and multicultural though.

My DC1 is YR8 and is 8a in English, Maths and Science and 5c to 7a across his other subjects, except PE which he hates.

He has extension groups for the cor subjects as well as normal lessons and they are tackling GCSE work. In Science ( which is his first love) he also goes to a G&T after school club where they look at all sorts of topics and regularly discuss university topics.

We live abroad though and the DC's go to a private school, no other options for us.

Marmitelover, that's not just a 'good' comp, that's bloody amazing. DS's genuinely outstanding comp gets about 80 to 85% through the 5 A*-C mark each year (slightly more get both English and Maths but not enough other GCSEs to count for the benchmark). They are renowned for their hard work with both very low and high attainers, including SEN at both ends of that range.

Hats off to any fully comprehensive-intake school that does better than that.

Just asked DD2-12. Not as high as many here but top sets English and Maths. Maths 6b Science 6c English 7c