Year 7 sets

[Hidethecrisps]

Posting for traffic, as no response in education yet so please be gentle!
My daughter has come home today saying she has been put in set B for English and is really disappointed. She got a level 5 and 5+ in her 2 assessments (Wales if that makes a difference?) and was mosltly upset as others with the same scores were placed in set A. The teacher told her she was really close and needs to work on her spelling. It rubbed salt in the wounds that she is now also not with any of her friends and says she will be with the ones that play about and don't listen. Now I don't want to be 'that parent' and I certainly won't go storming in demanding for her to be moved or anything! but this is the type of thing I would have liked to discuss at parents evening. What can we do to help her move up next time? When will the next setting assessment be etc, but there are no parents evenings this term due to covid not even online ones. So I'm torn what to do. A - nothing, see how it plays out, B - give the teacher a call and just have a chat (can you do this at comp?) C - send in a little note just asking the above in the assessment book she has brought home asking to be signed (for parents to acknowledge the sets). Any advice appreciated!

Just phone and speak to the teacher. There is only so much room in a class and sometimes that does mean people with the same scores end up in different sets. I would say we generally don’t get it wrong - the pace of top sets can be too much some students. In all schools I’ve worked in, if we have ever made a very obvious mistake with setting - someone getting 100% every time in a bottom set, for example - we make every effort to move them as soon as possible.

I would write a note in the book saying you appreciate having the information but would also like to arrange a phone conversation to discuss how you can support her to make the necessary improvements to move up. Do bear in mind though that not everyone can be in the top set and it’s likely that someone else will also have to become worse (in the A Group) for her to move up.
I would also focus on helping her realise that her potential remains the same whichever group she is in and by responding positively to her lessons, working hard and listening to feedback, she will be able to do as well as the others who may even be in the group above.

Honestly, this sort of thing happens every year.

For example, in an typical English school there will be 32 places in top set. Starting at 120 (top y6 score) you can count down 32 places and probably find theres more students on 115 than there are places remaining in top set. Some go in top set, some go in second set. Neither is a bad option but some act like it is the end of the world.

A child might have been high for their primary school, but in a bigger cohort there's lots of people who were high in primary school. There's not infinite spaces in top set.

Her not being with her friends is irrelevant. Teaching groups aren't dictated by who people are friends with.

Apologies if this sounds blunt but she (and you) need a thicker skin. I'd acknowledge the sets and tell her that as long as she works hard and listens to what her teachers are telling her then she will make progress, and progress is more than having top set written on your timetable.

Try not to worry about it. There are only a certain number of spaces in the top set. She is clearly a high performing student. Work with her on her spelling. You have all the information you need.

It can be better for some kids to be the brightest and quickest in a lower set rather than the one struggling a bit with the pace of the higher set. It doesn't have to be a bad thing.

In my DCs school they set them for maths in year 7. I recall there being a fair amount of movement between sets for the kids who were borderline between 2 sets.
I would suggest if your DD works hard esp on spelling, she may get to move up. I would also try and speak to the teacher, not to demand a move but to express your concerns, so he/she can be aware

Thanks everyone. She was assessed for dyslexia in y6 and was said to not be dyslexic although in her scores so was only just below the threshold. Is this worth relaying? I don't know if they take dyslexia into account when setting (although I know she doesn't have dyslexia, but in my opinion was borderline). Thank you for all the advice, really helpful.

If she doesn’t have a diagnosis of dyslexia, they aren’t going to take her dyslexia into account, OP. That would mean discriminating against another student who is performing better, and would be unfair.

She doesn't have dyslexia and calling to say she's almost dyslexic would come across as a parent clutching at straws trying get their child pushed up to top set.

Students can do well in a range of sets. Top set is held as being the be all and end all but it really isn't.

Often sets are flexible with some room for movement, especially at the start of the year if it becomes apparent someone is really out of place.

I think some parents need to step back and let schools do their groupings. In my experience some parents can be quick to argue their child needs to be in top set/moved up for any number of reasons (including because their child got 1 mark higher than a couple of people in the set above in one piece of work/they need to be with their friends), but then never want the same approach applied to moving their child down. For example, they'd (rightly) not be happy with their child being moved class because someone else's parent complained DC wanted to be with friends / their DC had an off day and was moved down on the basis of one piece of work.