Attainment levels in Year 1

[Dancergirl]

I still don't understand these levels and what they mean.

Can someone please tell me what you would expect a very bright Year 1 child to achieve in terms of levels at the end of Year 1?

Literacy - reads a wide range of books fluently, good understanding and comprehension, comfortable reading long chapter books including Harry Potter. Writes well, clearly and with imagination and uses good punctuation and spelling.

Numeracy - had a good understanding of numbers, can add and subtract and knows 10, 5, 2 and 11 times tables well.

Bit puzzled by your question really. If you know you have a very bright child, why does it matter what level they are?

But in answer to your question.

1B is the expected level for the end of Y1.

2C/2B is the expected level for a child that is likely going to go on and get a Level 3 at the end of KS1. About the top 20% of children nationally.

So I guess a "Very bright" child would be getting Level 3 or above.

Bear in mind that achieving any level requires a range of skills so it's possible that a child may display some skills and not others.

Can they get above a Level 3 at the end of KS1?

What level did he get?

She.

2c for numeracy, 2c for speaking and listening and 2b for reading and writing. Phonics 40/40.

redsky of course it matters to some degree. I already have concerns about the school so I don't think it's a bad thing that I want to know dd is reaching her potential.

That's very good for year 1. Do you think they should be higher?

Possibly. I know you shouldn't compare children but she's my third dc and having been through it all with my older two, I can see that dd3 seems much further ahead than they did at the same stage.

Is your child happy and interested at school? Can you discern progress over the year?
That's what you need to look at to judge how the school is meeting your child's needs.

My point was that you seem to have a good idea what your child can do. Why does knowing what "level" they are at change that? It doesn't mean that they are or are not meeting their potential. (unless what they are doing at home is markedly out step with what they are doing at school but those levels don't suggest that).

(hard to tell from a brief summary but she sounded very like my DD at the end of Y1 and those are exactly the same as the levels she got - and I wouldn't categorise my DD as a "very bright" child - just top end of year group).

The levels are only a rough guide, not a complete summing up of the child's abilities. You should look to her report for more detail.

A child can be a fantastic reader but not hitting the targets in writing so the fact that she's reading Harry Potter doesn't indicate that her literacy assessment is wrong.

The same applies to numeracy. There is an awful lot more to it than addition, subtraction and times tables. My DD knew her 2 x table before she was 2 because she heard my godson practising it so much and has a very good auditory memory. She didn't have the first idea what it meant, although obviously your DD does.

Children's work can be assessed at any level if the teacher thinks it's appropriate. I wouldn't expect a teacher to assess a child's work against criteria above level 3 if she's working at level 2.

IMO, whether your is DD is engaged in the work she's doing, resilient, enjoying school and confident in her own abilities is a much better indicator of whether she is fulfilling her potential.

If you're concerned that there is a problem, either in the teaching or in her ability in some areas of the curriculum you should go and speak to the teacher. He or she will be able to give you more details of her assessments and what has prevented her from getting the higher levels you were expecting.

I think the reason our school doesn't automatically give out levels at the end of Y1 is precisely what Gold says - it's not always straightforward, and kids at this age can be way ahead in one skill and not in another.

eg dd (just finishing Y1 and reasonably bright, but not exceptional) knows her 3, 6 and 9 times tables along with the ones you mention - because she has an excellent memory, and has heard her big sister learn them. But she is 'only' a 1a for numeracy, because knowing tables isn't the be all and end all.

Also...NC levels are going to be abolished any minute, so don't worry about not understanding them

Are they really? That's interesting. When will that happen do you think?

Schools as I understand it have the choice to keep using levels if they want.

As your dd has achieved level 2's wouldn't this mean that they are targeting level 3 for year 2 which is the expected level for year 4. Your Dd is doing really well.

I have wondered about whether school cap grades to show progress year on year.

I think this is the 5th post I've seen today where you advertise this website - you can't do that without paying MN.