Year 10 predicted grades for GCSE. Far too low. School wont listen

Check he's being put in for the papers that allow him to achieve the higher grades, if he's capable of getting them.

Then encourage him to do his best and prove the computer wrong.

This is a prediction, it does not mean the certificates have already been printed.

good luck.

My son was predicted a string of Cs in GCSES at begining of yr10. He did much better in actual exams and is doing maths & sciences at A1. I know that some trips at his school were for G & T only. Some of these pupils got lower grades than DS at GCSE.

I don't think it has much to do with the schools tbh - the funding for a lot of these things is ring-fenced and can only be spent if certain criteria are met; the provider of the money gets to set the criteria, not the schools.

It is very unfair of you school to only let those with predicted A and B grades. When my DD's were at school if there was a visit to a uni planned then all intreseted pupils went no matter what thier predictions were. Also a C is still good pass in GCSE and they can go on to take A levles with that Grade. DD2 didn't do as ell as we expected at GCSE she got didn't get higher than a B ( although she told us too late to appeal that she got one mark off an A in Drama)and only she got 3.5( the .5 was for a short course RE) B grades and 1 C and the rest wre D's and F's. But she went to college did her A levels and came out with 2 A's and a C and is now at university.

Hang on - if the school haven't sent anything in writing about targets are you sure DS has got the info accurate? For one thing, schools often talk about C+, meaning the whole range of grades from C to A*. So it is possible that your DS has been told his class are expected to get C+, and more accurate predictions will be shared with you?

Also, without question a 7a at KS3 would give rise to an A target so there's been a misunderstanding somewhere. In fact, I'd be concerned that the school hadn't moved him on from his KS2 levels, particularly in Science.

I think you are right to make a fuss starbuckslover as targets that are incorrect can be unsettling and demotivating for children. DD2 was very upset when her Maths target at the start of year 10 was a B, she felt that after being at the school for three years they didn't actually know her very well. Her Maths teacher didn't have any idea how the target was produced other than it was something to do with KS2 sats (I think he thought I was a bit of a mad woman for making a fuss). If I hadn't clarified the situation I think DD2 would have thought the maths teacher had made an incorrect judgement of her ability.

I'm still mystified as how they came up with the target as she got a level 5 in maths at KS2 and a level 8 at KS3 - surely that would come up with an A as a conservative target? Anyway she got an A* and is now doing A level Maths and Further Maths although the target only finally changed to an A just before she took her GCSEs. In her case it was just slightly puzzling but if it had meant she was excluded from doing something on the basis of the target I would have been livid. Surely schools just need to do a bit of a reality check before the targets go out?

I think you should definitely query the English predictions at the very least. I would've thought that a level 7a for English in Y9 would equate to an A* prediction at GCSE?!

Problem is that this isn't an exact science, but more like a black art.

I used to predict GCSE grades for my subject based on a combination of their year 11 mock and what I knew they were capable of.

agree with the other posters that you need to check which level of exam he is bein entered for.

To be honest, I found the predicted grades that DS and most of his friends got quite ridiculous. At times it felt that some of the teachers were just plucking grades out of the air and not even considering the student.

One teacher predicted he would get an F (in a 2nd foreign language that he'd only been studying for 2 years) and he got a C grade and another predicted two Cs and he got As.

Agreed wicked - they should be given the opportunity to do Higher level mocks, then decide if it is right for them.

When you think about it the entry for a summer exam (may/June) is around march that same year so there is no need for these decisions to be made so early.

My friends son was predicted a and bs and was getting a place at college on the strength of it. Of course he only came out with c's tops and therefore it was a real fight to secure his place. Luckily they still took him but not everyone is so lucky.

She naturally presumed he was doing the higher level from the way the teachers had predicted his grades.

Sorry that is awful my laptop keys are sticking.

Predicted grades are very different. Most targets are based on the statistical chance of a child in a school similar to yours with their educational history getting different grades.

As wicked says they don't need any knowledge of your child. Throughout the twi year course I report back to parents what grade their child is working at and then in the summer of year 11 I issue predicted grades based on my knowledge of your child.

Some schools issue lowest expectation targets, they often take lower percentile targets from the data. Others take the higher targets which are seen as aspirational, although in our school aspirational means you will get it! It is important you understand how the school uses targets.

Because of they way the targets are created there are going to be some which are not quite right. I have noticed from my targets that the middle to lower ability targets seem quite low. That is where my knowledge of the student comes in and I will talk to them and say officially your target is this but we need to be aiming here.

*once

It needs to be said more than ones, seeyou!

OP, please check out which papers your DS is likely to be entered for, and if they are already limiting the teaching to foundation only.

You would hope that they would give the pupils the benefit of the doubt until at least their Year 11 mocks, but you never know. It is important for you to intervene now as 'too late' will come along really soon.

:cynical:

Targets and predicted grades are well over my head. I would just want to know that my DC was given the full opportunity until the last minute.

Target grades are just a thing to fool you into thinking that the school knows your child. Don't be taken in by them - actually you are not, are you?

I didn't know all this then! Dd1 is now in Yr13 so it is all in the past really. Maybe I should have investigated further with the Head of YR10. TBH the Head of Student Progress came across as slightly scatty and asked me quite crossly if I wanted the predictions changed ("Although it will be difficult as it's all in the computer now!"). She completely didn't get my point that dd1's self-esteem was the issue.

OP the feedback from Morosky is almost certainly the situation at your son's schol. Don't confuse predicted grade with target grade.

sorry wicked just noticed that you had already said about the foundation and higher papers and i repeated the same!

Very important that parents are made aware that schools will just put them in for foundation just to secure their 5 A to C results.

Hocus, if your DD had top band Cat scores, and the school were holding her back, they would not be doing themselves any favours in the value added dept.

If VA is based on Y7 Cat scores, the school can't really do anythign positive for themselves by holding her down. They would be better placed to put her forward for higher things.

The school has to assess students at the end of the key stage (eg year 9) giving them a level for all subjects, and inform the parents of those levels. Although the external SATs were stopped (more to do with not being able to sort out getting them marked properly IMO) schools still had a statutory duty to assess the students - most opted for in-house testing.

I'd start there - find out what he got at KS3 (if you don't know) and then see how that compares with his predicted grades. Should give you a more accurate picture of the current situation than tests he took 4 years ago.

That is shocking, I would report them to OFSTED hocus.

Dd1 was predicted Bs and Cs in all subjects and when I queried it the Head of Student Progress said they base it on KS2 scores. When I mentioned dd1 had got 5As and and NAGTY membership based on their own CAT scores she mumbled something about the school needing a good 'value added' score. I checked about the higher papers. Dd1 went on to get all A*s and As but at the time she was cheesed off that they'd undervalued her.

So OP, I understand your annoyance - I was the same, hopefully he will prove them wrong.

there are different categories within FFT target grades, sounds like his school have opted for the easiest to achieve, FFTD will put it against the top 25% whilst FFTC is nat average. I would be severely miffed by this and think you should make an appointment

Please check with your school that they are not putting him in for the FOUNDATION level gcses. That way you can only get a C grade tops, but ensures the school get their good results for the league tables. Lots of schools do this 'play safe' method.

If he takes the higher paper he would have the chance of getting the B or A

Lots of schools do this and the parents only find out when it is too late. Just happened to a friend of mine. Predicted Bs and As then they put him in the lower level. She is steaming.