If your child was "ahead" academically going into secondary, did it help alot?

[Explodingatomickittens]

Just thinking out loud really!

I think it does. Not always hugely academically but more about attitude. Dc have always felt confident about school learning because they were capable. It just meant they carried on working and having a good attitude about school work.

I think it absolutely did, it helped my DDs feel they could cope with the massive change that going to secondary was. It also meant they went in with the attutude that doing well academically was a good thing and so they were less vulnerable to the cohort that tried bullying those who were academically able.

Yes, being a bit ahead tends to mean you end up in higher sets for English and maths, get better teaching, higher expectations etc.

Yes, it helps. It helps them to keep a "work hard" ethos and in my experience, they want to remain in top set.

However, if your child is not ahead at this stage, don't worry if the school they are going to is decent.

I say this because there is a child in my daughters school whoweas in the 2nd to bottom set who has moved up 5 sets from year 7 to year 11 and are now in top set with her. A decent school will also move children down sets if necessary.

Nah.

Thanks for the replies. I was just thinking the child who is slightly ahead in the core subjects can really focus & throw themselves into the new ones such as a mfl.. Dd1 is excited about learning Spanish!

No. My DS has always been ahead because he’s bright, but because he hasn’t had to work hard he’s taken this attitude in to high school and cba to apply himself. He’s in top sets and happy to coast with minimal effort. It’s not going to end well.
I would say that being ahead through hard work would be a head start moving to high school though.

@MiniDinosaur I 100% hear you! Exactly the same here, sadly. So much potential, so little ambition (it feels like anyway). I agree that what helps with secondary is both aptitude and attitude to learning and working hard. If you have a child with average or below average ability who wants to do well, is organised and keen, they will do well regardless of what set they are in.