Bad grades

[PuddyMuddles4]

I received my DCs school reports today, and I'm really pissed off.

Their PE teacher has given them each a D for PE. All the classes have been done on Teams, so he can't see the children and doesn't know what or how they're doing. My DDs have been doing every lesson, plus they go on long bike rides every weekend, and they do martial arts two to three times a week. He knows this. So how on earth can he justify giving such low grades?

Most of their other grades are As and Bs, so this will really bring down their average and there is no justification for it.

AIBU to be pissed off and WIBU to contact the school and say I do not accept this?

🙄

Is it secondary school PE? There is a lot of theory work involved so the grade is probably not based on their bike rides

Is it more important to be putting the effort in or to be noted that they are putting the effort in?

@Bunnybigears - It is high school and they didn't do any theory in any of the lessons - they were only given workouts to do.

@BeyondMyWits - they have been putting the effort in - just because he hasn't been able to see it doesn't mean they haven't.

Well did everyone get a D or are other pupils doing things during the online PE lessons that your DC aren’t?

@PuddyMuddles4 no theory in high school PE? That's the bit I would be contacting the school about not the grades. Are they going to do PE for GCSE? If not then does it really matter.

I'd say if you really think they're doing well enough in line with the syllabus then why not ask the teacher to go through the grading with you and ask for their constructive criticism. Obviously not in a
confrontational manner.

I remember my PE teacher giving me really low grades for no apparent reason other than being a bit of a fat kid (I wasn't brilliant but did ok at most sports and better than a lot at some things). I can honestly say it's ruined my confidence in sports and exercise, it just isn't something that feels like it's for me. Not to go off on one with my own story but I feel like it might be worth getting some clarity on this.

@Jackieweaverhasauthorityhere - in my days PE wasn't graded, it was just a subject you had to do once or twice a week. I don't understand why they grade it, as some children just are not athletic at all.

Does it matter if it "brings down their average"?

Are you in the US or something?

What year are they in?

I don't know of a single school that still grades kids A-G.

Is this school real, OP?

[quote PuddyMuddles4]@Jackieweaverhasauthorityhere - in my days PE wasn't graded, it was just a subject you had to do once or twice a week. I don't understand why they grade it, as some children just are not athletic at all.[/quote]
Yes but you could say that about anything. Some children are terrible at learning foreign languages so why grade French? Some children find reading really difficult, so why grade English? Some children struggle with arithmetic, so why grade Maths? Some children can't draw, so why grade Art? Some children are tone-deaf with no sense of rhythm, so why grade Music?

GCSEs are graded by letter in Wales.

Are you sure it's not a D for Distinction (BTEC)?😃

We're in England, it is an Ofsted Outstanding school, they're in Y8 and yes @AOwlAOwlAOwl - they still grade kids, although it's A-E.

What is the ‘D’ for? At my school, we give a grade for effort, a grade for homework and a grade for behaviour. Is this an all round grade?

I have also had glitches with our software system before where a student has been given a D but I definitely did not enter that.

Is it for effort though? Or is it an assessment of their skill level in particular things?
Maybe instead of flying off the handle you could contact the school and ask the teacher why they got that grade and how they could improve it.
If it bothers you that much.

@merryhouse - yes, of course I know that. However, they do need to learn stuff like English and maths to actually use in life - they don't need PE to be successful, or even semi-successful.

@PuddyMuddles4 if you are in England I would definitely query the lack of theory if your DCs did want to do PE at GCSE they are going to be at a disadvantage if they haven't done any theory yet!

[quote Bunnybigears]@PuddyMuddles4 no theory in high school PE? That's the bit I would be contacting the school about not the grades. Are they going to do PE for GCSE? If not then does it really matter.[/quote]
DD didn 't do any theory for PE. I don't think it is usual TBH, unless you are taking it for GCSE. At KS3 it's just a way of getting the pupils to take a bit of exercise.

I wouldn't worry about being graded at PE. It's a non issue really.

A 'D' is 'Erratic and Disappointing'.

I once got a low mark for PE at secondary, I was in a class without any of my friends based on the options I’d picked and kept to myself for most of it. On the report it said things like ‘Sparkle does spend a lot of the lesson talking to her friends and should be more focused’ etc - even through I was Norma No Mates so no idea who that was apparently with

You can question it if you like of course, but as it’s year 8 I think I’d let it go myself.

At KS3 it's just a way of getting the pupils to take a bit of exercise. oh I didnt realise my kids are both at different schools and both did theory from year 7

If your child does do GCSE PE you’ll be in for a quite a shock, it’s one of the tougher subjects, heavy theory based, very full on, the physical aspect to it is quite minimal. Very different to your experience!

Does your school use an online gradebook so you can see scores on individual assignments and teacher feedback? If yes, you should have been checking it at least weekly, if not, I would contact the teacher and ask for a detailed explanation of the grade. Approach it from
The perspective of wanting to be sure your students perform better in the future. If you uncover something amiss after that conversation, then address it at that point.