DsS in year 7, grades deteriorated rapidly

[LuceeeeeLoobieeee]

My eldest DS is in year 7. We are British and live in NZ so 3/4 of the way through the year. He has always done well at school, in maths has always been way ahead, reading age end of year 6 was 14-15 and writing was "where he should be" for his age. Bear in mind also that he attended a UK primary until half way through year 2 (so not all education has been here). Never any concerns raised at either primary school, always done well.

He started his new intermediate school in Feb. Since then has missed at least 2-3 weeks due to sports tournaments through the school but also we took him out for 3 weeks to visit family in the UK. I fully accept that is on me. It's a long story as to why we had to go in term time. It won't be happening again.

He recently did an external maths test and did really badly. I was starting to worry when we then got an email from the school asking him to go into the writing extra help support group. This has never ever been flagged before.

I guess I am just trying to figure out what has gone wrong from more experienced MNers. Is it totally my fault for taking him out? Is it the new school or starting year 7? We are starting tutoring next term for English and Maths.

PS I should add that when we were away we still did Maths and English work.

I think you need to go in have a conversation with school and get them to detail where he is, highlight any gaps. Was the external exam a true reflection of his ability- did he actually want to do it?

What has led you to believe he was way ahead? I cant think a 3 week break is going to make him drop dramatically - it might mean he has missed out on new learning. Is there something else going on you are not aware of which is affecting his ability to apply himself? Bullying? Sorry lots of questions in there.

A dip at the beginning of Senior school is not unusual, there is a big step up in the expected level of independence compared to primary school and some children take longer to make the leap. Five weeks away from school is a very large chunk so that will have definitely had an impact but, as you say, it's not going to happen again.

It is good that the school have flagged this and are wanting to work with you to plug the gaps nice and early. Take all the support they offer and make sure your Ds is ready to learn. If there have been no issues previously then it is likely that all will be well.

Ex secondary teacher.

what was the content on the maths test?
if they’d spent time learning new material and he’s missed six weeks then he potentially just doesn’t know the new stuff.

if the content was everything so far in his schooling that’s more concerning.

I'd say try not to overthink it and put more pressure on. A big move and making new friends in a new country is a lot and his brain is growing to adapt. I had similar around this age with my daughter and a very stressful situation and basically her brain just went on safari. She couldn't deal with it all and her brain coped by coasting for a few months, prob 6? I'd just try to keep an even keel for him, get his confidence up and keep him happy and comfortable. We bounced back as soon as she felt secure again and she's fully caught up. Y7 having a brain fart year is better than in Y11, for example. He will be fine.

Thanks all, already feel a bit more reassured. To answer the Qs:

• Exam was a paid external one you can opt to do. We have never done it before but it is a "thing" here. He wanted to do it but just for maths as that's his subject. I have not yet broken the news about the result. I might not (he seems to have forgotten about it).

• It could be the content was all new. We had done practice tests though and he did much better on those than the actual exam. But I am not confident they reflected the material on the test he did.

• The schools don't do SATs here but on other methods of testing he was always excelling at maths - several years ahead of his level. He is in a maths accelerant class at new school. Always "known" to be good at it.

• As far as I know no bullying, he seems to love it. But it makes me wonder why (he moaned a lot about school in year 6 but his teacher was excellent and got the best out of them). I also wonder if he is trying to fit in and be "cool" which is what happened to me at high school.

Six weeks out over that period is plenty of time to miss entire topics. It's the equivalent of not attending from the end of March and only coming back for the end of year exams in mid May.

@NeverDropYourMooncup I agree. Your reply puts a very good perspective on things (6 weeks = 1 and a half months).

But......, what is done is done. A lot has happened that, under normal circumstances, would not have. Not only did he just start at this new school, but he also soon missed six weeks of school exposure. This outcome is to be expected.

Do not forget that he has to cope with adjusting to a new school, travelling, and the pressures of his sport. Obviously, he will not be missing six weeks of school on a regular basis.

I agree with @LuceeeeeLoobieeee ,the best solution for your child is definitely tutoring. It will help rebuild his confidence quickly, fill in any gaps, give him space to ask questions, and keep him motivated.

I would strongly advise against waiting until next term, though. The longer the wait, the less confidence and motivation he will have—and those are the least of the problems. Starting now means he can address the issues while they are still fresh and will not have to carry this term’s problems into the next.

I will PM you details of a tutoring place I recommend. They do excellent work.

Thanks. Slightly reassuring to think it is perhaps the time off. Which can hopefully be repaired.