Sets in Maths- should I make my views known?

Thanks for flagging this up OP. I have a Year 10 DD in a similar situation to @peppajay (although she's not in the bottom set, she's in one where she will be on the foundation rather than higher trajectory). Having not had any proper maths 'learning/teaching' since mid March, I wasn't really sure that the setting for this year has been accurate. DD really upset but we are biding our time until we see what happens after they get their late September maths test results - I suspect there will be some movement between sets pretty soon.

I did however point out to DD that her rather laid back attitude may count against her sometimes in such situations. They are probably more likely to give the benefit of the doubt to someone who they knows will work hard to get the result, don't you think?

Contact school asap. Probably an oversight but, even if they don't move him now, he will be on their radar and they will pay attention to how he is doing. I'm a teacher, by the way.

My DD is in year 10 and has moved to bottom set in maths,. Maths is not her strongest subject but she was in set 3 last year and coped fine. I thought there had been an error so contacted the school and they said she works so hard but there are "children cleverer than her" than deserve the place in a higher set more but if she works hard she should be able to move up a set in January. 3 weeks in and she says there is no way she will be able to move up as she isn't learning anything as it is diabolical she is constantly distracted because all the kids just mess about and the teacher is constantly having to deal with verbal abuse and very little teaching takes place!! Don't know whether to complain again!!!!!

Ours usually do 2 or 3 exams a year but do regular class tests on top of that to check understanding of topics. Did the school get back to you?

Our school used both the set test and the kids' classwork in determining their sets. Everyone can have a bad day and the teachers do not want a bored or struggling child in their set.
Good luck, OP!

Worth checking with them though about the fire alarm and seeing what they say

Usually schools do regular tests throughout the year rather than just one exam. They'd normally go by those rather than work done at home as some parents help out a lot with homework.

If he can't work independently that would be a reason to be in a lower set. It's one thing to pick up things quickly if you have a 1:1 teacher; another to do it in a class situation.

Why can't he work independently?

If he really excels then yes he should be in a higher set. Its not just the work he'll cover its extension material and competition with other bright students.

Hegaty maths is very popular round here, but from what I've seen it doesn't encourage them to think about the maths and understand it.

What set was he in last year?

It's difficult because we don't know how they did the setting but it's worth noting that just because he covered that curriculum stuff during lockdown it doesn't necessarily mean he did it correctly or with an adequate level of comprehension. I don't know if you then understanding of year 8 maths to know that for sure either.

My understanding is that sets are quite fluid in the first few weeks while everyone finds their correct place.

Of this were my son I would be asking what gaps in understanding had led to the drop in set and take it from there.

Good one savetti, don’t take any shit from the teachers. Hold your ground.

I think that I would just because in a year or two they will decide who does higher and who does foundation maths. It can be hard to catch up if they haven't covered the work.

I recently had a similar situation with maths sets. I emailed the school and there had been an administrative error and it was all rectified.

Email but don't show your hand straight off, let them investigate and come back to you with why they have done it. You can then counter with his reports/exam situation etc.

Yes. Email and explain. If any of his exercise books from Y7 are knocking around I’d use those as evidence of his ability and compare that work with what he’s doing know.
This will help you show his ability over a prolonged period not just an end of year test.
I write as a teacher in Sec Ed and we use past work to prove pupils are in the wrong sets to SLT/SMT .
Also mention that as a more able student he won’t be stretched or challenged and might run the risk of becoming ambivalent to the subject .
Too many High Schools use sets to manage behaviour as well.

I’ve looked at the curriculum for set 3 and it’s all stuff that he did by himself in lockdown via hegarty maths.

I'd contact the school based on this, he'll just be bored if he is redoing work but depending on how good the teacher is they might not realise and he wastes time when he could be covering new work.