Just to stop me worrying, could any teachers/experienced parents

[FirstLeg]

advise me about SATs levels in Yrs 1 and 2?
If my summerborn (year 1) DS is to get 2A's in his SATs next year, what sort of level should he be working at now?
I know all children are different, learning comes in fits and starts, and SATs aren't the be all and end all etc, but what sort of level now would mean definite 2A, possible 2A, or unlikely 2A?
I am mainly concerned with numeracy and reading, rather than writing. I know that 2B is the expected level all children will achieve, and that as a summerborn boy, he will be doing very well if he achieves a 2A...
If you could help me now, I promise never to mention SATs again .

Just coming back to this. The reason I asked about winterborn children getting more help than summerborns who are at the same attainment level is because the school do numeracy and literacy support groups. All the winter and spring children on DS's table (3 of 4) and the one below (4 of 4) go to these groups. DS is the only one who doesn't. These groups go over the basics, reinforcing things and are taught by a HLTA with about 5 children a time.

I could see that DS would benefit from this just as much as the others, but he wasn't selected/invited. Hence me wondering if his (relative to the rest of the class) low attainment is more acceptable than the same level of attainment from a winterborn child. It just seems a little strange, that's all.

Could just be paranoia, but if he doesn't need this intervention, then why is he on the same table as all the other chldren who do?

Sorry, am just rambling now.

I would go and ask his teacher, but she is young (first year post NQT), and while lovely, flaps a bit if asked anything more challenging than 'did DS have a nice day' . Actually, I really like her, just think I would prefer someone with more experience tbh.

The person who would have selected the other children would be an intervention manager - I doubt it would have been the teacher's say so if she is an NQT, although her teacher assessment would have contributed to the decision. NQTs are monitored though, and have certain standards that they have to demonstrate they have met.

Perhaps your ds is attaining slightly better than the others on his table - numbers will be limited. It won't be anything to do with summer/winter birthdays though.

That is reassuring Feenie - so the decision about who gets support won't just be up to his teacher then? She, like I say, is nice, but this is her first year after her NQT year, so she's not very experienced.

I imagine that as an inexperienced teacher, your instinct would be to be more concerned about 'under-performing' (lol!) winterborn girls than summerborn boys, assuming the girls were more in need of catching up, rather than having the wisdom to treat each child as an individual. Hope I am wrong...

You should be pleased he's not been selected for an intervention - it means he is not under performing.

It means he is doing better than all the other kids on his table (but presumably still a tiny bit below the kids on the next table up...)

Interventions are done purely by attainment/ability. Ie all kids who can't do X do this intervention. He can obviously do X.

There is absolutely no way on earth that he wouldn't be selected for an intervention based on his birthday.

My kids are on numerous interventions - and I can promise you that you are lucky your child isn't. Being on interventions means your child is having problems.

I'd say you are wrong, FirstLeg - birthdays come up on the radar as in 'is it your birthday today? How lovely, are you having a party?' or 'Lovely, we'll give out the chocolate at home time, shall we?'

Senior management, when number crunching, might notice a gender/birth pattern and would flag it up so that action could be taken, either as an targeted intervention or as a school. But a teacher's job is to ensure all the children make as much progress as they possibly can, and yes, as individuals.

Levels at KS1
W: 'Working towards' level 1 - very weak
Level 1: Below average
Level 2c: Just about level 2
Level 2b: A solid level 2
Level 2a: Good skills
Level 3: Excellent - likely to reach level 5 at KS2
Level 4: Amazingly able (and extremely rare)

Levels at the end of KS1 - before several MN parents start panicking!

Crikey, I am happier than ever that we plumped for a super-average state school.