To wonder why so many intelligent parents...

[FallenCaryatid]

Are still completely confused about reporting levels.
They've been around for years, they are searchable on an enormous number of websites, your older KS2 children are using them as targets, schools have curriculum evenings about them, many schools glue the levels into books as success criteria for children to use to self-assess and yet every year it's the same kerfuffle of parents wondering if a 3a is better than a 3c and is it OK for little Jocasta who is in Y1 to be a 3a for maths.
Every...year.

Those grades won't boast themselves you know. Get thee to Facebook for a boastpost toot sweet!

Mine are no longer in compulsory education thank the gods.
Sadly, I am.

How do you distinguish between intelligent parents and the not so intelligent ones?

OK, all the parents who do it year after year. Despite being literate enough to write extensively on MN about how they don't understand what the school is telling them.

The Facebook status of the less intelligent mother would've yesterday read "OMG 50 shades of grey your going 2 luv it! Lol!".

Alpine is on to something with the stealth boasting viz

"Should I be worried that little George only got a 3b for reading at the end of Y1; is being predicted a 4a good for the end of Y2 etc.etc.?"

All carefully wrapped up in supposed befuddlement at the system.

Or it could be that most people only deal with levels once or twice in relation to their own children so it isn't obvious at all. Whereas if you deal with them all the time it seems really simple.

What are you talking about? My dd starts school in september. I have no idea. I'd like to think I'm intelligent.

We received a covering letter explaining what they are. (Ok, she got 3 in all - if you must ask).

One could Google it.
National Curriculum sub levels. First hit
www.staveley.cumbria.sch.uk/documents/NCLevels.pdf

Google it? That could be said for most of the threads on mumsnet...

I suppose so.
It's just very like Groundhog Day, or being cursed to repeat the same experience every few months forever. I used to answer them politely for years...
I think I'll go and get a stiff drink and grope my OH instead.

Took me years to understand what the teachers were on about - guess I wasn't that bothered to google it

Took me years to understand what the teachers were on about - guess I wasn't that bothered to google it

I suppose it's a bit confusing in KS3 where the levels for new subjects like MFL can be so far adrift from science and maths, but... (IME) the school explains it all.

my dd is reaching end of y1 and never had a nc level mentioned to me yet, Im assuming it will be in her report,so when it does come I will have no actual idea wht they mean what is good what is average and what is low.

Im assuming she will above average though, y1 and top of y1/2 class stealth

No idea either. I have a September starter. Is this the sort of thing one should be au fait with now or should I wait till someone throws some literature at me?

Well I've been told for yrs that DD is a "gifted" writer, "marvelous" at English, only for her to come up with 4a in writing at end of y5. I mean it's good, I shouldn't complain, but it's not amazing, is it?! Hymph. I feel robbed. I won't get to participate in the "Is your child sitting Level 6 paper?" threads next year.

I think the problem for me lies in that I've been out of the education system for so long (20 years!) that things have moved on so much, all the terminology is so confusing. It's like having to learn a new language.

My mum worked in a school for many years once and picked up all the lingo. I once asked her how old the children in her class were as she kept referring to 'Year 1, Year 2', etc. She looked at me like this

I imagine once DD starts school in a couple of years I'll have just educate myself. So I can stealth boast on fb and that. And annoy her teachers.

I just think it's interesting that there seems to be a direct correlation between the befuddlement of the parent and the elevated nature of the level.........

I'm not sure but I do have to explain to dh every year what it is all about.

I have very little room to grumble though as although I don't share my dc's results with anyone outside the house I do make a document in excel to keep track of progress (making progress is more important that actual level imho).

Fallen - YANBU, (except for those with children newly at school) but please grope your DP in private. OK ?

My confusion is one minute I hear they are scrapping them, then they are not then they are... make up your minds.

Then there is the thought that the sub levels are all a load of you know what....

my dds school seem very cloack and dagger about the whole nc level thing, so they certainly never explain them to parents and most certainly never enter or entertain any discussion about them

'Fallen - YANBU, (except for those with children newly at school) but please grope your DP in private. OK ?'

No pocket billiards in the supermarket then?