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

Does your school set for English?

37 replies

RosaLuxembourg · 26/03/2007 23:13

I have various issues with the local secondary school where DD1 is likely to end up next year. One of them is the fact that they stream children from the beginning in Maths and other subjects but English is taught in mixed-ability classes all the way to GCSE. This is DD1's strongest subject and I was hoping she would have the chance to develop her interest in secondary school alongside other likeminded children. Other pupils and former pupils have complained that this not the case, that they are/were bored, unchallenged and spent a lot of time helping weaker pupils. The school openly admits that one of the reasons for the policy is that the weaker students do better in these classes.
I wondered if this is usual and what other people's experience is.

OP posts:
RTKangaMummy · 27/03/2007 10:58

DS is in year 7 in an indep boys senior

He is in sets for LATIN and MATHS

DS is gifted in English and is in top set for Latin which I think allows him to explore language etc.

I think his English lessons are fine for him he is so interested in what they do but he does extra reading and research he loves reading shakespeare and dickens etc

so perhaps get her interested in the classics and writing her own novels at home

IMHO the children can stretch themselves with english by what they are exposed to

ie lots of books, theatre etc.

confusedandignorant · 27/03/2007 10:43

Maybe works as school provides booster classes, workshops, revision sessions at lunchtime and afterschool which the kids both the "weaker" and the high achievers are "invited" to attend.

Always in the lists of top x comprehensives in most papers in August (gcse and a level)

Original poster
RosaLuxembourg · 27/03/2007 10:36

Some interesting responses guys. Interesting that not setting works for your school CAI. My gripe is that our school does NOT get very good results - slightly below national and LEA average which I think is not good considering that nearly all the feeder primaries are doing a good job so they don't have huge problems with getting their intake up to speed to start with.

OP posts:
confusedandignorant · 27/03/2007 10:16

Ours only sets for maths (from January year 7) but then from year 10 some subjects set themselves (ie have choice of single, double or triple science) plus some subjects history, geog, french are perceived as harder than art, business studies or media so get chosen by the more academic child. It obviously must work as the school gets very good results for english and english lit which are still taught in mixed classes

fembear · 27/03/2007 10:01

"I find it hard to believe schools don't set at secondary level, for some subjects at least."

I find it very easy to believe that stuff is going on that parents are unaware of! We run a similar 'two-sides' system and thus have 2 each of top/middle/bottom sets. I had never met this system before and it took me about two years to twig what was going on (not helped by uncommunicative DD and the fact that the school kept it secret which set anyone was in, despite me asking them.)

portonovo · 27/03/2007 09:17

I find it hard to believe schools don't set at secondary level, for some subjects at least.

Our school starts setting at Christmas in Yr7, and by the end of that school year children are set for maths, English, science, French or German and humanities.

The school is very upfront about the setting, every parent and child knows exactly which set the child is in for which subject. Some subjects have parallel top or middle sets, it really depends on the year group and that particular mix of children.

There are two 'sides' to every year group (a French and a German side), so sets are within that half of the group. Therefore, both 'left' and 'right' sides will have 3-5 sets for each subject mentioned above. Then in Yr9 for maths and Yr10 for other subjects, the two sides are merged and new sets formed.

Sets are also fairly fluid - although most children stay more or less in the same bands, there is some movement both up and down. Each faculty reviews its setting arrangements once a term.

fembear · 27/03/2007 00:34

Sorry, Rosa. I read "mixed ability all the way to GCSE" to mean that it was mixed to Y9 and then setted for Y10 & Y11 (which is what we do).

JanH. Apparently our Grammars don't stream / set either. Our friend used to moan like mad because, as you say, there is still a range within the school (eg those with true ability and those who only got in due to intensive coaching). She learnt very little in Y7: she was treading water, waiting for the rest to get up to speed.

JanH · 27/03/2007 00:01

DS2 is in Y9 at a selective grammar; they set for Maths at the end of Y8 but to the best of my knowledge (have had 3 older kids through the school) they don't set for any other subjects. Obviously in a selective school the range of ability is narrower than at a comp, but still there is a range.

They do mix the kids out of their forms at the end of Y8, apparently mostly in order to separate the ones that need separating, but maybe some sneaky secret setting goes on too?

AFAIK they don't set for GCSE either - apart from Maths - I think timetabling complications preclude that.

Original poster
RosaLuxembourg · 26/03/2007 23:41

But do they set for GCSE Fembear? Our school don't set at all, ever. I do see your point about the sex imbalance though, I hadn't thought of that.

OP posts:
fembear · 26/03/2007 23:37

Our school starts with mixed-ability in Y7. Once they have got the measure of them, after about half a year, they are setted for Maths and Science but not English. The Head Teacher says that it is because of different maturity rates in English: if he setted in Y7 then top set would be 99% girls and bottom set would be 99% boys. Like your school, we do not set until GCSE.

brimfull · 26/03/2007 23:17

yes ,dd school sets in most subjects including english

jampot · 26/03/2007 23:15

dd's school doesnt set as such but it is clear the higher ability students are all together. They do set for maths and science though

Swipe left for the next trending thread