Maths Sets

The setting is exam based at DC school, too, and a little bit based on quality of in-class work. I've heard many stories about kids going up & down, only b/c of exam results. Sometimes the rises & falls are striking (3 or more sets). The brightest lad in the year group is on verge of going down for English because he faffs about so much. (DD is dismayed b/c it's one of her buds, but his own fault)

I'm every school I've taught at, and the schools my friends have taught at, maths sets are based on test/exam results. So the top 30 in the year are in set 1, the next 30 are set 2, etc. So it's probably not about how he n behaves, it's about the results he got in tests and how they compare to others in the year. If there were a few children in the set below who performed better than him in exams last year then they deserve the place in the set above.

I am currently teaching my y11 class about fractions. They've done this topic every year since year 7. This year we're starting off with a reminder of what they should already know (but quite a few of them have forgotten over the summer because that's what kids/teenagers do), then moving on to more challenging work asap. Don't assume that just because he's done a topic before that he won't learn anything new, he will, they're just covering the basics first as a reminder for those who've forgotten. And just because he can already do one topic don't assume he can already do every topic they're going to do, he won't have mastered every topic thoroughly and the practice will do him good.

So yes, speak to the school, but be prepared for them to tell you that other people did better in the tests last year and unfortunately there just isn't space in the set above. They may also be able to give you ideas for what your son can practice so he does better in tests this year.

I agree with noble. If he's been moved down that means he wasn't keeping up with the higher set and his assessments will have placed him more in line with his new set.

The way to move back up is to make sure that he's top of this set. He needs to work hard and show that he has really mastered the work he's given in this set. It's not just about what he's been taught, it's about what he can do correctly without having to be reminded.

It seems odd that moving down a single set means he is covering work he did in Year 7! Is is possible that they are simply revising old topics and will move onto harder stuff soon? As you've already spoken the teacher I have to admit I'd be tempted just to see if the work stays too easy - and if it does and DS "proves" himself you can go back and ask again.

Maths is usually taught as a spiral curriculum so it is entirely normal to be taught in Y9 stuff that was first taught in Y7 - obviously the Y9 teaching would push and extend the topic. I'm currently teaching my Y10 top set trigonometry which they first met in Y8, but we're doing much harder questions.

Take the teacher at their word. If he wants to move back up, he needs to prove himself - that means working hard, completing all the work, doing really well in assessments and asking for extension work. Once you have that evidence, you can go back to the teacher and ask about set changes. Without it, you've got a kid moaning to their parents that the work is too easy, which happens quite a lot and isn't always true, e.g. They go 'this is easy', do a cursory amount, and never actually get onto the more challenging work.