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At what age / yr group would these Levels be appropriate?

44 replies

CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 19:09

Maths - 3B
English - 2B
Reading - 2B
Writing - 2C
Science - 2B

And would these levels average to a 3C?

I don't want to say what year group these are for until I know what age these would be the 'expected' levels for.

And where would I find a set of 'descriptors' for each level - because while I agree with the Maths level, I am thinking that the writing level in particular is bollocks too high - this child still reverses 'b' and 'd', and uses practically no punctuation (writes in long-ish paragraphs with no full stops, no capital letters, no commas), and his writing is just legible, not joined up either. Which makes me in turn question some of the other levels. And at the end of the previous year, this DC was still working towards NC level 1C in writing, so has supposedly made 4 sublevels progress in just ONE school year. Which I think, as his parent, is Hmm

School in question has been PROVEN to inflate levels in the past, to prevent SA being needed...And been forced by LEA legal team to put DC back onto SA/SA+ after taking them off it.

Hence needing some information.

TIA.

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CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 19:53

Bump.

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snowball3 · 09/07/2012 19:56

The level 2 scores would be average for end of year 2, 3B for maths would be good in year 3 and OK in year 4 ( but ot brilliant!)
4 sub levels progress is possible, although not common, and especially in years 1/2 is becoming almost expected, certainly a whole level a year is required.
Levels over different subjects are not averaged out, a "3c£ overall would be meaningless.

AdventuresWithVoles · 09/07/2012 19:57

targets for end y2- middle of y3.

snowball3 · 09/07/2012 19:58

I was clearly typing too fast!
it should say "but NOT brilliant" and "3c overall"
The writing would be slightly below average but 2b is expected at the end of year 2

mrz · 09/07/2012 19:58

The English and Science levels are expected levels for Y2 (writing is a bit low but not significantly so) Maths is expected level in Y4
Not they wouldn't average as a 3C that isn't how the system works.

AdventuresWithVoles · 09/07/2012 20:06

the quality writing you describe child doing might be quite similar to what DS was doing end of y2, and he managed 2b in writing (I was Shock too).

CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 20:20

This is for an Autumn born DC just finishing Y3...

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CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 20:25

So for the writing, last year at the end of Y2, in his SATS, he couldn't be given a level in writing, and had a scribe for the other SATS papers. Yet now he is most definately NOT IMO a 2C for writing?!

I knew his Maths was OK, if not ahead - when he doesn't have to WRITE it, but I would say he was easily a year behind in all the other areas.

In which case, would you take this DC off from SA+ at the end of Y2, and off SA entirely by halfway through Y3?

These are the levels he will go into Y4 on...

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mrz · 09/07/2012 20:25

Writing would be my focus as it is lower than I would like in Y3

CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 20:33

Would it help if you knew he had Hypermobility Syndrome, causing pain when he writes, and that before starting the school in YR, the OT told the school that he would need a laptop so that he didn't fall behind, and the school agreed, but told me that they were unable to provide this until the start of Y3 as an older DC had the only one they had?

And that despite that DC leaving, the promised laptop still hasn't materialised?

And I have now been told that despite the OT's recommendation, he won't be getting a laptop to use AT ALL due to budget cuts?

The lack of laptop IS holding him back in all the other subjects - his class teacher even concedes that!

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mrz · 09/07/2012 20:35

Find out if your LEA has a loan service

CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 20:37

They don't - the LEA say it should come out of the devolved budget for SA/SA+...

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mrz · 09/07/2012 20:48

We can access notepads from our LEA

oooggs · 09/07/2012 20:54

I have an autumn born ds just about to leave year 3 also. But I don't know anything about SATS and even though I know what he got in year 2 I have no idea what he has achieved this year.

I hope you manage to get the help and equipment for your ds

CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 20:58

Any ideas about my next moves? They have even taken him off SA, yet he is still behind in most areas. (His ability in Maths is clouding the issue, WRT his literacy, I feel...)

I have asked for an appointment with the SenCo, but given prior experience, it will be roughly 3 monthsafter the Summer Holidays before she deigns to allow me to intrude on her very precious time...

I feel that for an Autumn-born DC that is acheiving Level 2's across the board except for Maths, they still need additional support. The teacher's view is that as he is far from the worst in this year group, they can't help everyone...

It doesn't help that this school 8 years ago was a 1FE, now 2FE, but in this school year added a 'bulge' class, and is actually an over-full 3FE (93 DC in the year group, with 5 more starting in September who have already been for settling in days...).

There are at LEAST 5 boys alone in this one class who have marked difficulties, one on a FT 1-2-1 statement, there is a DC in all 3 classes with FT TA's, two in one ofthe classes, and as they regularly shuffle the classes around, I know of at least 12 others in the year group that are on SA/SA+, so they DO have a VERY high proportion of DC with SEN in this year group, far far higher than they have EVER had to cope with before. And they don't cope even with a low level of SEN as it is, most parents who can find a school place pull their DC with SEN out before the end of Y2. But due to this year group being SO large over our entire town (very high birth rate that year), there are no schools with spaces in our LEA within 30 miles...

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CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 20:59

So, WWYD?

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CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 21:03

Also, the teacher has flagged up in his end of year report that while his reading age is slightly ahead of his chronological age, his comprehension of what he is actually reading is some way behind that...

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IndigoBell · 09/07/2012 22:22

Reversing bs and ds doesn't affect your writing level at all.

Punctuation is only one strand - of 8 - of things they mark on.

It is perfectly possible for his writing to be barely legible, his spelling to be atrocious, his punctuation to be non existent and for him to be a level 2c - if he's done significantly better on the other strands.

Writing Assessment Guidelines

twonker · 09/07/2012 22:42

I gather you feel that the rapid expansion of the school is Impacting on your dc 's learning? If so, I would talk to your local councillors about it, as thisis an lea problem. If your child is not getting the support they need, and you are getting nowhere with the school, you probably need pressure putting on the school from another side. I do hope you get some progress. And to answer wwyd. . . Tie myself in knots over the scenario, communicate unproductively with the school, and allow my child to pick up on my negative attitude! (probably)

CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 22:52

He meets THESE criteria for level 1 but not the others :

In some writing, usually with support:

reliance on simple phrases and clauses

some sentence-like structures formed by chaining clauses together, e.g. series of ideas joined by repeated use of ?and?

In some writing, usually with support:

some awareness of use of full stops and capital letters, e.g. beginning/end of sentence

In some writing, usually with support:

some formulaic phrases indicate start/end of text, e.g. once upon a time, one day, the end

In some writing, usually with support:

simple connections between ideas, events, e.g. repeated nouns, pronouns relate to main idea

In some writing, usually with support:

basic information and ideas conveyed through appropriate word choice, e.g. relate to topic

some descriptive language, e.g. colour, size, simple emotion

In some writing, usually with support:

mostly simple vocabulary

communicates meaning through repetition of key words

In some writing, usually with support:

phonetically plausible attempts at words with digraphs and double letters

sufficient number of recognisable words for writing to be readable, including, e.g. use of letter names to approximate syllables and words

In some writing, usually with support:

most letters correctly formed and orientated

upper and lower case sometimes distinguished

use of ICT, e.g. use keyboard to type own name

He doesn't even do all of THESE independantly, so how the hell can he be getting Level 2's in writing?

These are the ONLY level 2 bits that he reaches with help :

simple, often speech-like vocabulary conveys relevant meanings

letters generally correctly shaped but inconsistencies in orientation, size and use of upper/lower case letters

mainly simple sentences with and used to connect clauses

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CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 22:52

Oh bum, formatting error! Hope that still makes sense!

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CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 22:53

Note to self - don't C&P from a pdf file onto MN!

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AnxiousElephant · 09/07/2012 23:03

The school are failing your child on equality and diversity. Every child has a right to an education that meets their individual needs. Therefore I would write to complain to OFSTED who will investigate if you are getting nowhere with school. If you haven't already done so, ask them to formally test with an ed psych if he doesn't have a statement.
In the next instance discuss first with the head teacher, make it clear that you are unhappy with the situation and outline the next steps if it isn't addressed.
Try to change school if you can to a more supportive one.

AbigailS · 09/07/2012 23:05

But for level 1 they don't need to do it independently; they key phrase is In some writing, usually with support.

And in some forms of writing for level 2, so we're not expecting to see it all they time.
Although the level s slightly behind, it does looking like your child has made really good progress, so feel proud of him.

CouthyMow · 09/07/2012 23:23

I DO feel proud of HIM, but I am just banging my head off the table trying to get help from this school, with NO option of a school move due to extreme pressure on school places locally. Closest school with spaces in Y3 is 30 miles away in the next town over, in a school in Special Measures, that I can't get to because I don't drive due to disability!

Done everything you have suggested, every year since he started, but the help just drops and drops till now when it has dropped to nothing.

I HAVE written to Ofsted. Three times in the last 8 years. (My older DD with even worse SEN went through the same school...) The last time it DID trigger an inspection. Which they got marked as 'satisfactory' in most areas, with elements of 'good'. Which was a downturn from the outstanding they previously had...yet due to school place pressures, the school is still VERY oversubscribed.

Ed Psych - can't get him put forward, they only have 6 'slots' with the EP per term, and have to 'ration' them to the most severely behind. No chance without paying for a Private EP report. Wch my Ex is doing over the Summer Holidays even though he is on a very low income

HT just tells you that he has to 'prioritise his resources'. God, how I hate that phrase, and how many times have I heard this from this particular HT...

Just to make you feel sick - my DS1 in Y5 who is headed for Grammar school gets more time with the SenCo and TA's than my DS2 with SEN does or my DD who also went through the school with SEN ever did...

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