DS Report card says he's waaaaay off his target grade.

[HarrySnotter]

For maths anyway. His predicted grade is a 6 and he's currently working at a level 1. He's year 10 so still a little while to go but he's come home saying he's crap at maths and is going to fail it etc etc. His maths teacher has written in the report that he has an excellent attitude to learning, always does his homework etc etc. So my question is - how do I help him? I was going email his teacher and ask for some suggestions but he's genuinely upset and asking if he can have a private tutor. Is it too soon to arrange a tutor for GCSE or is it a good idea? For clarity, we put no pressure on the DCs when it comes to exams, I hate that it's all they seem to talk about at school but it's important to DS and I want to help him.

I don't think 4-6 weeks at this point in the term is too bad. She will have to liaise with his other teachers, HOY, her hod, possibly his form tutor. It's a week and a half until the end of term and if it's anything like our term rammed till the bitter end, then two weeks off for Christmas. I'd expect a formal action plan by the new year (4-6 weeks away)

She will have to liaise with his other teachers, HOY, her hod, possibly his form tutor. 4-6 weeks for an email? Why will she have to liaise with all his other teachers? I don't think his Spanish teacher needs to have anything to do with this and she is his form teacher.

Isn't it his actual maths teacher that OP had emailed though? Surely she can say SOMETHING before the end of term - 'Yes, that is the mark he received, clearly there are issues which we will address in the new year' or 'I will be double check g his mark over the holidays as I'm not sure that reflects his expected grade'... It is her subject!

Thats shocking and surely if her student has dropped to a grade 1 the teacher would want to know why that had happened themselves. Not just think when a parent emailed in... oh yeah, now you mention it that is a bit odd. Am not suggesting that a teacher should have immediate recall of every current and target grade for every pupil but surely at some point the teacher must have thought... 'hold on, a one? whats going on there?'

Forward email chain to both head of dept and cc head of year/form teacher. Teacher is very unrealistic and I would be surprised if 4-6 weeks is school policy!

Ask for clear SMART targets to work on over Christmas break and what strategies school is putting into place for underachieving students as you are keen to support. Check their class work book and any feedback they have had to date via marking.

If still unhappy I would contact head teacher . . . That would generally get a quick reaction.

I’m not normally super supportive of schools but this is clearly ridiculous.
Email the head of department and copy in the year head/head of studies whatever they call it. Ask for an urgent meeting unless they can assure you it was a typographical mistake.

If the response is unhelpful, email the regional schools commissioner.
At Yearv10 it is essential he is given every possible chance of achieving a GCSE in maths to continue studies, for future jobs and for his own sense of achievement.
Don’t wait 4-6 weeks. That’s half a term.

4-6 weeks is ridiculous and I say that as a teacher. I would contact head of maths.

If he is doing his homework and behaving in class achieving a grade 1 with a target of a 6 is a huge concern

I'd imagine that they did one test on a unit of study, say on algebra. Your ds didn't understand it/didn't revise and got a 1 on that test. You can't actually lose 3 grades worth of mathematical skill in 6 months.