KS1 NC levels - do they matter?

[onthebus]

DS is in Y2 and we will thus be told his NC levels in reading, writing etc at the end of the school year. I get that this is a big deal for the school (as Ofsted looks at them) but what do they really mean for me as a parent (as long as he is making progress, set work of correct level etc)?

Question particularly raised as we've recently had a parents' evening and were given interim levels. A lot of DS's levels seemed to be artificially low. In writing he had not satisfied one objective at level 1, so his teacher had said she could not give him higher than level 1a, despite him having been assessed as having met many objectives at level 2 and even at level 3. So the actual "level" seemed pretty meaningless, and what was important was knowing the areas that DS was competent in and which he needed to work on (which were set as his individual targets).

Or am I missing something?

You are mostly right. NC levels should matter more to the teachers and school than to you.

And as long as your child is doing OK and making progress the NC levels don't matter.

Your child should be at least a level 2 by the end of Y2. But if they're not, I think it's useful for you to know this. Especially as a lot of schools will never admit there is a problem and always claim your child is fine and making progress...

The NC levels however matter very much to me because my child is not doing OK nor making progress. (Has been on the same NC level for a year and a half).

Even without the NC levels I would still know my DD was doing badly and making no progress - but now I have 'teacher speak' ways to force school to admit there is a problem. (Not that they will actually admit it....)

So, basically, unless your child is one of the extremes like mine, I think you're doing totally the right thing by ignoring it.