Setting for maths in yr 3-who does it suit?

[majorstress]

our junior school is suddenly abandoning this, just as we arrive-it's supposed to raise standards overall-GOOD.

But what does it do to the able ones?

So long as the class teacher is producing and delivering differentiated work to the pupils, for all the key subject areas, then it should be good.

I think they always got that in Infants but I wasn't too happy at dd being left at the "top" table with two kids better than her at maths but with poor English, who couldn't help her understand the instructions, while the teacher spent all their time seemingly on the other tables. She often did not complete the work, or sometimes get any of it right. The TA apparently was always with a table with a girl with behavioural problems, leaving the teacher to deal with the other 29 kids.

Of course if they are able they can get on with it on their own to some extent. But, we were sort of looking forward to streaming, and to her getting a little more attention in this area in which she is able but unconfident.

I can see the pros and cons.

I was looking forward to dd being streamed this year (she's also just started year 3) but so far I've been completely disappointed. The problem is that you completely rely on the teacher assessing their capabilities and dd's teacher has obviously not spent 5 minutes with her (or if she did, dd was pissing about at that specific time!).

She was spelling quite difficult words in yr2 and really enjoyed it and has now come back with 10 words all of 3 letters (like 'and' 'but' 'old') and she's been put in the bottom group for everything! Seems as though what they have done is streamed on age to start with and then they are going to try and jiggle them about but it is incredibly demotivating for her and even though we are the laziest family alive, even dd said to me that she was worried about being given work that she'd been doing in reception/yr1.

Yet again, as we've found throughout state school in this country, the children who get the most attention are those that shout the loudest - and I don't mean the ones with special needs (as our school is very supportive of special needs children and they have helpers and are looked after well) - I mean the pushy/shouty/disruptive children and those that quietly get on with it are basically left to their own devices.

Whilst I'm sympathetic in general, I do think they are not going to get this streaming thing right till at least half term and by then, children in the 'wrong' streams would have basically wasted 6 weeks!

Our school streams in Numeracy and Literacy from the 3rd term of Y1. I've read that setting tends to help the higher ability progress more rapidly, while the lower ability progress more slowly. I don't think this is true at our school, but then I don't know really, as my DSs have always been in the upper sets.

There is a lot of irritation every year from the parents of the children at the 'top' of the lower sets - those who are nearly good enough to be in the higher group. The school claims it is good for their confidence to be the best in a lower group than always to be slowest or struggling in a faster group, but the parents would rather they had the chance to be stretched.

I thought dd1 was pulling my leg when she said she had a spelling test for words like "at" and "is", but I guess it was true! She hasn't had any spellings to bring home yet, but is getting the right level of reader at least.

The maths homework was simple but I agree with that, as it will be a battle to get the homework habit going at first as it is. I have decided to let her take the responsibility to remember, and consequences of not doing it (detention) instead of nagging her myself, and told her so, which has helped us all no end.

DH's response was we'll just have to continue doing workbooks with her at home to make up for the poor maths teaching approach that just doesn't suit her.

It's a shame it's so boring compared to the literacy they do, and now of course she can enjoy reading her own stories so THAT will be self-sustaining for her. for her, she should only be allowed to read when she has done the maths, as a treat!