School fiddling the NC level figures to show higher added value - teachers' opinions particularly pls.

[iamonmyipad]

I have name changed for this in case anyone recognises details...

I have long had suspicions that our school has kept EYFS and then KS1 levels/ scores lower to show higher added value in KS2. The school has had good level 4 sats but poor Contextual Value Added.

I have always felt my own dc's scores were very strangely low compared to what the teacher said they could do verbally. I also know several other, typically quite sensible parents who have been perplexed.

Anyway, now I have heard quite strong evidence that this does take place from a teacher who has admitted she was asked to lower SATs scores at the end of last year by the headmaster as he was concerned about his CVA. This seems so unfair on the children and also must affect planning for the year after if the new teacher takes it all at face value.
I don't believe it was a one-off or that the teacher was necessarily just being over-generous and the head was moderating fairly because this fits with my and other parents long held concerns that this goes on.

What can we do about this?

The first clue to a child not being challenged is consistently correct answers ... few or no errors a moderator would question the level

okay that's reassuring.
Are they always moderated by someone external?

I would say that it is entirely possible for the attainment of a child to be limited by the tasks set - particularly in maths, and especially if the child could potentially work very far above the expected level.

Exceptionally bright children do not always score perfectly on easy tasks (there's research around this) and so are not always given the very much harder tasks that they could do. This places a ceiling on what they can demonstrate - HOWEVER it is definitly not a ceiling at the 'level 2a or 3' type discussion, more at the 'should this child be assessed against the EYFS or the criteria for Level 3/4', it occurs predominantly at the extremes.

Personal example of this - DS could confidently add and subtract negative numbers in Reception. He could also mentally add and subtract 3 digit numbers at the same age. He occasionally got number bonds to 20 wrong, because he was rushing to go and do something more interesting. The Reception teacher thought he was 'fairly able', but it would never have occurred to her to give DS the opportunity to add and subtract negative numbers... (it came out eventually, when I pointed out that he could calculate e.g. the difference in goal difference between the top and bottom perfoming teams in the Premiership).

In my LEA they are moderated every year on a cycle - first year in school with the moderators looking at the children and teaching and work produced compared to national standards and the following year externally teachers from a group of schools meeting a number of times over the year with moderators to "level" work against national standards and to ensure continuity (this happens in reception and Y2)

Mrz: The first clue to a child not being challenged is consistently correct answers ... few or no errors a moderator would question the level

I wish I could get that concept into the heads of all bar one of the 15 teachers who have so far taught DS in maths. (we have had a few job shares, maternity leave part way through the year etc., he is only in Y6), but they have almost all had pitifully low expectations in maths.

I went in this week to discuss what to do about giving DS something a bit harder, and teacher said, "yes, i'm very worried about him, he's starting to rush and get the odd question wrong..he's very able you know" Then assured me that they are doing Y7 work, as if that makes it OK. The work he is doing was easy for him 3 years ago, when they first covered it. Then gloatingly told me that he'd got one algebra question wrong, because he didn't know that 5a means 5 times a, but worked out the sum as if it was 50something.

He reckons all his (top) set, and most of the next two sets find most of the work easy. (getting 18-20 out of 20 in weekly tests). They seem to always revise the work as a whole class before starting, then give them easy ones, then finally give them a few harder ones, then if they finish them in 2 minutes, give them a few more of the same. A few of the children were discussing amongst themselves that the homework only took five minutes, and she said, "I'll gve you some extra work as well if you like". Some of the children actually said "yes please", but DS declined, because he didn't see why he should have to do the easy ones as well. (Following the meeting, Teacher has now agreed she'll give him the harder homework whether he asks for it or not)

Anyway, getting back to the point of the OP, for the last two years, the teachers have given me the line that "you can only get up to a level 4, or 5 in year 4 or 5". So the massaging of NC levels goes on THROUGHOUT our school, so as to ensure a smooth progression of 2 sub-levels per year.

and breathe....I've been seething for two days,

Gosh, I did get a bit carried away there didn't I?