Teaching shouldn't be in tutor groups?

[fleurdeliz]

Secondary School - going back start of September. All teaching done in tutor groups up to year10, no sets at all.

Wouldn't it be better to swap tutor groups around so that they reflect general ability?

I'm aware that those who are great at English might not be good at Science but in general there's a fairly standard aptitude (I'm a teacher but not secondary).

Won't it be hard on the kids and teachers to be teaching such a massive range of abilities?

Additionally most children seem to hang out with those from their sets rather than tutor groups. Which means that outside of school all the groups will be mixing anyway.

I get why it's a good plan to get teachers to move rather than kids but I don't get the mixed ability tutor group thing.

Anyone think this is a good thing?

I would have been one of those kids unplacable by general ability. DS1 will be similar.
Since you cant place by ability across the board, surely mixed groups are better than having one or 2 kids wildly out of place in a set (I'm talking top set for maths/science, bottom set for English languages - where do you place me?)

I’m a teacher and at my school we have never taught them in sets. We were always told that evidence for setting pupils is actually very weak and generally pupils perform better in mixed ability groupings.

Although considering they should be in year group bubbles it shouldn’t really matter anyway but I guess it reduces movement around the school.

What about after their options?

Ah ok secondary is from year 7?

It is going to be the same at my son’s school. I think from a behaviour point of view, it makes good sense. Teens in one classroom all week with teachers coming to them - some classes will bounce off the walls and be a nightmare to settle. Mixed grouping gives the lesson 5 teacher half a chance!

Schools near me.

1 is doing this approach. All in day 1
2 is doing first 2 weeks 2days in and online learning
3 same as 2
4 all in day 1 with areas for year groups

Others I don't know about yet.

I think they all have their benefits and consequences.

But I suppose keeping them open in priority?

My school also always teaches in tutor groups. It's a PITA and I wish they were set

Places like Italy have always had a tutor group and the teachers do the moving around. It doesn't hurt bright children to support less able peers; it does them good and helps embed learning.

We don’t set any year groups, all mixed ability classes even at GCSE, works very well.

At my sons school they have put them into three loose streams in year 8. They also mix them up for technology, art PE and music. I really thought that they would be sensible and teach in tutor groups in the upcoming school year.

As a secondary teacher I think this is a great idea (though it's loads of extra work for teachers who are used to teaching sets).

There's loads of excellent research that shows mixed ability teaching results in students making better progress than they do in sets.

Most secondary schools have been terrified to try it (until now) for 2 main reasons:

1. in case it doesn't have the positive impact on results seen in research trials
2. They'd have to give teachers extra time to plan as it's essentially retraining to teach in a totally different way. They probably aren't doing that now and I really feel for the teachers affected

@User0ne

Have you got links to those trials? Would
Like to have a look.

Feel like DD spent most of primary having to help others. I know that teaching something can help embed learning but she was spelling words for her partners...

if the groups are smaller (I am an optimist!) than I would say it is OK - because teacher would be able to give attention to each child's needs & discipline

I wonder how easy this would be in something like Maths.

I’m an adult who had no sets in secondary school back in the 80s. Was terrible. Less able kids messed around disrupting the class, brighter kids were teased and those in the middle largely ignored. Not a fan of it at all personally.
My kids secondary is keeping in tutor groups in one class for the majority of lessons but still streamlining English maths and science so the kids will change classes for those I suppose in this mad world it’s the best they can do !

My son's school is keeping to year group bubbles within separate zones around the school- teachers moving to them, kids staying as stationery as possible. They're registering etc in tutor groups but being taught in sets as normal which I'm happy with.

I haven’t even thought about this. I’ll have two in secondary this year at a school that traditionally teaches in sets. I hope they still will. Last year my eldest with slight SEN was in Year 7 and was in the bottom set for most subjects with only about 8 kids In each class. He would have really struggled emotionally and socially in a mixed class with kids so far ahead of him academically.

My brother was at secondary in the early 90s and was in his form class for the first 3 years. He hated it. The behaviour was horrendous and he was so pleased when they were finally set ready for GCSEs. I started 2 years after him and was in the form class for Year 7 but set after that. Year 7 was awful. Not especially for me. I had a couple of friends and we kept our heads down and worked but the class in general literally drove one teacher to a nervous breakdown. I would have hated to be mixed for the whole of secondary. However, I was quite academic and in all the top sets. The behaviour in those was always good. I assume because kids could be moved down if they didn’t work? I appreciate that it might be difficult for less academic kids with good behaviour if they’re stuck in sets with kids who want to mess around constantly.

My DCs school is being grouped according to maths/English setting

In Singapore there is no setting at all and mixed ability learning is advocated 100% of the time. They are the absolute world leaders in maths education (and I'm sure other subject areas too). Many primary schools took their approach 3 or 4 years ago and as a primary teacher who piloted the approach I can say it was incredible how it changed my way of understanding children's learning. I cannot speak for how this will work with teens/pre-teens who haven't experienced it before but it COULD be incredible.

All teachers are trained to differentiate, so should be able to teach mixed ability classes. I definitely prefer it. We used to group students by ability but scrapped that a few years ago, and results haven’t been negatively affected. It’s also eradicated some of the snobbery/superiority that can often be found in top set students.

They tried it at DS’s school for a bit a couple of years ago and lasted a term. DS hated it. That was with year 9s.

God if that's what they did for me I'd have been stuck with the most disruptive kids. I'd have hated it. We were mixed for a couple of subjects and it was horrible. Brighter kids never got any help or time and the naughtier kids ruined everything and made you embarrassed to put your hand up as they'd say you were showing off.

Yabu. Show me one child who is good at everything across the board and I’ll be amazed. I’d venture that most kids who are good at Maths are usually also good at Science, but not necessarily English or Languages.

@Girlmama in Singapore isn't there a culture of hours of extra tutoring at home & a great deal of competition & I remember an article about autism & other special needs not being catered for - being excluded from mainstream.