key stage 3 What is average? Advice needed tlease

[maddiemosthorrid]

I suspect that a level 5 is average. Is that right?

My ds1(year 8) has received a level 5b in his recent English assessment. However, as he can not join his handwriting, spell very well or use simple punctuation I find this very hard to believe.

He is on the 3rd set of four and we were told last year, at parents evening, that he was slipping into a dangerous area and that he would be put On sn reg. Teacher thoughthe was bright but unable to get it down on paper. His reading was described as just passable. Teacher provided 30 minutes per week 1:1 from his own time for which we are grateful.
The teacher has since left and we are now being told everything is fine, he is not on sn reg and SENCO has not returned my call from before half term.

I just cannot believe that his standard of work is average for his age. Why would the school be giving the impression he is doing well though?

Thank you.

bump

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I think that is exactly what worries me Cod, new English teacher gave him a low mark, which I think was accurate. Now he has shot up and I suspect it is more to do with the school not being able to provide any additional support than real progress.

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level 5 is average at the end of year 9 UK wide. there is a general trend for the levels at 'average' to rise. I think it will depend on what they were assessing regarding the level 5b.

For example children in science may be lat level 5 for some parts of the sylabus and level 3 at others.

I can't comment on the english criteria for level 5...have a google for the national curriculm web site, they have the level descriptions there

Fully agree with cod, btw

No, I don't feel he is progressing very well.

The school have said he must join up his writing but have given us no advice on how to achieve this.

Do agree, SAT's can be pretty meaningless.

Think I will ask for meeting with teacher and SENCO.

Here's the description of a Level 5 writer:
Level 5
Pupils' writing is varied and interesting, conveying meaning clearly in a range of forms for different readers, using a more formal style where appropriate. Vocabulary choices are imaginative and words are used precisely. Simple and complex sentences are organised into paragraphs. Words with complex regular patterns are usually spelt correctly. A range of punctuation, including commas, apostrophes and inverted commas, is usually used accurately. Handwriting is joined, clear and fluent and, where appropriate, is adapted to a range of tasks.
It's from the QCA website.

Thanks janeite, very useful.
No, he is not at that level.

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We were told that level 5's give you a good chance of 5 GCSE passes.

My DD took hers last yr & top sets were all expected to get level 7's (8 in maths), with level 6 minimum expected if in top 2 sets.

However, they only test 3 subjects & there are a lot more GCSE's to choose from!

some useful info here and here

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In science it is harder to get a level 5 at ks3 than it is in ks2 IMHO. In part this is because the language in the KS3 sats is very difficult . Two years aho it reqired a reading age of 15....the kids taking it are 13. Crazy, isn't it?

On average a child getting a 4 at ks2 should get a 5 at ks3. A child who gets a 5 at ks3 on average gets 5 a* to c grades at GCSE, but obviously children do vary

think sats are a load of boll**ks my self, and why on earthe arent primary scales the same a secondry. A level 5 in year 6 is not the same as level 5 in year 7..why?

Because the tests are different, crap isn't it?

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