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Gifted and talented

Talk to other parents about parenting a gifted child on this forum.

Original poster

Exam results

26 replies

Givealittlerespect · 25/06/2014 22:13

So , I am looking for a little perspective here.
Ds is in yr seven and quite quiet natured although loves sport and his academic subjects at school.
He attends an independent school which is fairly broad based academic wise and is a very sports , general achievement and music etc orientated school. He has an academic scholarship.
He has got about 95 to 100 % ( 100% in two, 98 in two and 97 in one, 95in two etc in all his June exams.

I have no idea what this really means except that he has understood and been able to answer the questions. He is according to him, on a G and T list academically which the Head of G and T showed him on a PC recently .

His subjects do mention gifted a lot int the reports for history, Latin and science and maths
What do I make of all this... Are the exams probably fairly easy or is he G and T ..there is no way to know is there and nothing to compare against?
He hasn't been invited to anything special... The science teacher told us h would be on the g and t for science and later in there would be trips etc possibly to museums etc.
I wondered if other parents with similar reports etc could say what this really means. He had a test after school entry and on the school site it says if you score above a certain mrk you get a letter...we haven't had one.

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 25/06/2014 22:39

Is he finding it too easy and does that mater?

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tenderbuttons · 26/06/2014 08:14

I think if his school reports are saying gifted, given where he is and that he has a scholarship, you'd be pretty safe to assume that he looks exceptional to his teachers and probably is gifted.

Although in this situation, it's not a label that is particularly useful. There are no rules about what independent schools should or shouldn't do for g&t, so what it means will depend entirely on them.

But I think your last two questions are the key ones. What does he say about the work? And I think it would be entirely reasonable, after a bit of flattery saying how pleased you are that he is doing well, to ask the school if they think he is being sufficiently challenged? But I think your instincts are right: 100% in particular suggests that he could coasting a bit as things stand and I would be going in to have a chat if DD was in that situation.

Lonecatwithkitten · 26/06/2014 13:34

I would go and see the head and ask the questions directly. I did at DD's school challenge and extension is for all children with CAT scores above 120.
Independent schools also give different names likes challenge and extension.

Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 26/06/2014 23:39

He is in a higher maths book and they say in his parents nights ' he is such a gifted historian, mathematician , scientist etc..... But actually I don't think the work is that hard and he does try but I would say finds it easy... He reads through the work and knows it.
My only worry is, I don't actually tp think the work and exams are that hard and coming too in every one with over 97 % in virtually everything seems like he might get a bit over confident or lazy maybe.

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 26/06/2014 23:43

I've tried to explain that it's effort not just results that matter so if he makes the same effort intwo subjects he might be ahead in one but average in the other.
If he finds a subject really easy and has read around I like history, he would put the same effort in and be way ahead to be achieving his potential.
It's a tricky one.

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 26/06/2014 23:45

In other words, if he starts to believe he is some sort of gifted genius, I don't think that's either true or healthy.
I went to a super selective school and the work was pretty demanding and people were very very clever, while still living normal social lives etc I don't think his is the same.

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 27/06/2014 23:48

Time will tell.we haven't had hs school report yet

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 28/06/2014 22:13

Any other views welcome.

His school is not the most academic by any means , it is incredibly sporty which he does enjoy and most of the scholarships are for sport and it does have a positive ethos but I have heard that academically it is not as strong as other schools in the area. It was the nearest without boarding..we are in a very rural area

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LadySybilLikesCake · 28/06/2014 22:19

I'd say if he's getting these results he's not being pushed. If the work and the exams are too easy, he's going to get top marks (and be bored in the process). Only you know if he's bored though.

Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 28/06/2014 22:40

Well in the first term he was excited and keen to learn all the new subjects secondary school offers.
He seems to have gained a reputation for being very " academic " now and has come top in everything... But how hard can it be if you can get 100% ?
The danger is its a bit too easy and he's always top, and the teachers are praising him a lot which is lovely but there is no challenge without it becoming that he is streets ahead and just working from other books etc.
He is old in the year btw.

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 28/06/2014 22:42

Because he's becoming known as a bit of a brain box I have a feeling he may get fed up of this label and tone his performance down a bit... No one wants to stand out too much.

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 28/06/2014 22:43

Having said that, there was an academic prize for yr seven which he didn't get, yet he is top in every subject in jan and June...

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LadySybilLikesCake · 28/06/2014 22:55

I see what you mean. I used to worry when ds scored 100%. He's in year 10 now and he's doing very well but not quite above 90% for everything and it's keeping him on his toes. Ds is at a very academic school and even he stands out, it's one of those things.

I'd say he's not being challenged enough. It's a tell tale sign when the work is too easy for them. I see ds having to work (which makes a difference from years of coasting) so I know he's being challenged.

Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 28/06/2014 23:12

But how can he be challenged more without actually raising the level of the exams?

My eldest son toned down his performance as he didn't think it was cool to be clever and I chose a more academic school for ds on purpose for this reason..

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LadySybilLikesCake · 28/06/2014 23:18

They can do a lot. Have you heard of stretching sideways? Where they give him extension work which takes the topic they are doing in class in a different direction?

Ds's school seems to have skipped a few years, so didn't teach them things over and over again just at different levels (like the life cycle of a plant, ds did that 4 times in primary). His GCSE's are not quite GCSE's, he's done a little calculus for maths and his chemistry is A'level standard.

stn24 · 29/06/2014 12:59

Getting 100% or very close to 100% in tests mean the tests are too easy. A lot of subjects, especially maths can be extended sideway without the need to go up a level or being taught more materials. At some points, things will need to be taught but that can wait till a level at least.

Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 10/07/2014 22:35

Just waiting fr his school report now, wondering what they will say about his effort etc

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JulieMichelleRobinson · 10/07/2014 23:53

My best ever test mark was 125% in an A-level chemistry past paper/mock. But that's because our teacher BZ used to write his own answers, not use specimen ones - and he awarded bonus points if our answers were better than his. I also did the 90min/2hr/whatever paper in about 10min during break time, because it was homework I hadn't done. ;-)

Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 11/07/2014 13:34

Got hs report..very good, all As for effort model pupil and outstanding etc but levels are Midyis levels and some are quite low despite fore g French..a gifted linguist etc level is 4a ? Science 6 a in exam
A bit confusing but they don't give is targets or cat scores etc so in a way am none the wiser
:S

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 11/07/2014 16:34

Actually totally confused as to whether the midyis grades on the report are the predicted ...think they are and he has exceeded

Have e mailed the tutor

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Original poster
Givealittlerespect · 11/07/2014 20:20

If anyone understands midyis
Grades ..and whether the ones on ds report are likely to be end of Yr 7 actual attainment grades or target grades for yr 7 pls enlighten me

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ZanyMobster · 21/07/2014 10:34

This is interesting to read, we have just got DSs Y3 report and his scores are all in %s, he is at an independent school.

Scores range from 89%-100%, mostly mid to high 90s, he had one 84% for history. They quote class averages which on average were around 60%, some as low 50% lower than DS1s score.

I am not really sure what this equates to NC wise, obviously he is ahead of most of the class (also his scores are making the average higher), the teachers reckons the class as a whole is above national expectations. She said she is happy with his progress etc and I guess they must being teaching him well for him to achieve high scores.

I am not interested in where he is in comparison to the class or even nationally but it is hard to see how much he has progressed from scores like this.

Do private schools just use the SATs papers for each level/year and then just quote %s rather than NC levels? I am a bit paranoid as at his last school he was on the same NC level for 18 months as 'they had no group to put him in' so I do worry about whether he is working at the right level for him.

JaneParker · 21/07/2014 11:32

It rather depends on the school. My children were in top 20 schools in the UK by exam results from age 4 so very very few children got 95%. They might well have been top of the class in many other private schools. Anyway it certainly sounds like he is very bright. I would concentrate on what will be the best next school for him at 11+ or 13+ and go for the very selective best ones and start working towards that.

I have found the 4 private schools where our children were / are differ in the marks - some use A - E and some percentages. My boys' maths year is apparently very mixed ability so the grade boundaries were made very wide so that even someone incredibly bad at maths seems to have got a C or D with 34% and the marks for A* were a much higher figure. At the end of the day just keep encouraging him and make sure he is pushed enough. Does the school have top sets for things like maths or a top scholarship set which most private prep schools have for the brightest children?

I have always felt very glad I pay fees to avoid SATs so I have no experience of what they are or how they work.

ZanyMobster · 21/07/2014 12:05

DSs school grade them as A-E but an A+ is 90%+, C is 65%+.

I try to be on the ball with how he is being challenged due to such a bad state infant school experience. They do put the children in groups, he is in the top set for all subjects and there are only 3 or 4 children in that group (not necessarily the same children for each subject), he is there on an academic scholarship which is great but it also means he scored higher than their own children in the Y2 SATS (which they do at the private school also) so I am not sure how his abilities relate to others in the class, whether the children in his set are similar ability I don't know.

My main worry is the fact his scores were so different to the class average, it makes me nervous all over again.

Aheadofyourtime · 25/07/2014 19:13

Sorry I lost this thread from my feed.

I had an e mail back from the Head of Learning saying his reports were excellent ( yes but aren't nearly all reports very positive nowadays?) and they will redo his Insight which I think is testing, at start of yr 9 to plan how to push him for GCSeS.
Reading between the lines I think his grades on report are the attainment grades but he has exceeded expected grades by ++ which I find confusing because I don't know what his expected ones are.

I guess I have to put a Certain amount of faith in the teaching system that they know what they are doing and I don't know much about it as I am not a teacher.
I know in my work, I can try to explain but there is a whole system of work involved that I couldn't possibly explain to everyone there has to be some trust too.