Is there a maximum maths level for year 3 pupils ?

[CheeseMeisterGeneral]

DS' teacher pulled me aside to tell me he has reached a 4c in maths after a test yesterday. He went on to say basically that is the maximum/highest DS can go in year3 so DS will spend the rest of the year consolidating what he already knows.

Now consolidation is no bad thing, but I cannot help but think if he is able and willing (he loves maths) he should be exposed to the next level of work ?

Teachers and those in the know what are your thoughts please.

DS yr4 is good at maths and in advance of the advance group. Two days per week in maths he does different work which is set by his class teacher & he is given differentiated homework. The other days he works alongside the others consolidating/revisiting.

When my DS was in year 3 they allowed testing to level 5 and some teaching beyond that level. They should have G&T provision.

DS has always shown an aptitude for numbers and anything memory based, and the level itself is not important to us as long as he is engaged and achieving he's potential. I just do not like to think he is in a holding pattern because he has reached a maximum that for some reason the teacher cannot exceed.

The good thing is he and another summer born lad are both at the same level and so I had hoped that their teacher would give them work at their appropriate level as they work very well together.

G&T has never been mentioned at the school, I do not know if they have it or what the criteria would be ?

The boy in my sons class who is best in Maths, and working to level 6 (past primary curriculum) is visiting from Year 4. My son is in Y6. I dont think it is good enough to just offer to consolidate his knowledge the rest of the school year, rather than stretching an able child.

It does not suit the curriculum if one kid in the class is at a higher (or lower) level than the te rest. Teachers have to look after 30 kids and they can really only do this if everyone sits a roughly the same level. i have some sympathy for the teachers because 30 children is frankly too many. On the other hand, I can't have my child held back because it suits the school. I believe school is there to serve our children and not the other way around.

My children (one of whom is in year 3) go to Kip McGrath where they are encouraged beyond what the school will do.

The best thing any government could do for our children is cap the class size to 20. Forget reshaping the curriculumn and a whole host of other expensive unnecessary changes. More buildings. More teachers. Smaller classes.

Ok rant over....

Anyway, I think the best way to get your child that extra push is employ that service outside of the school. I highly recommend Kip McGrath, who works with the national curriculum.

Consolidating may be no bad thing, if done carefully and well eg. with maths projects etc. I would think that them spending some time using the maths in projects and investigations, particularly if there's two of them to talk it through, would be bothe beneficial and interesting for them.

I found with dd1 that her school tended to do one week for each subject. That meant that when they wanted to extend the subject they had to start by reminding them of what they'd already done because they can't consolidated it enough.

So (for example) They'd have a week on equivalent fractions. 8 weeks later they wanted to do adding fractions. So they'd spend the first half of the week reminding them how to do equivalent fractions before they had that securely enough to move onto adding. Then In about 8 weeks later they's want to do adding of mixed numbers... and have to remind them how to add fractions before they could do this.
I think it would have been much better for them to have done a big block on fractions and covered all this. And by the end they would have retained it better for when the subject came up again.

It depends on the school as to what the maximum mark is for year 3, 4 and 5. But 4c was what dd1's school had as the maximum. (4a in year 4, 5b in year 5 and then 6 in year 6)

This would worry me, 4c is very good but not exceptional, my ds also year 3 is working close to that level and he is good at maths but no genius, i would hope that all schools should have provision for those working above this level

The junior school DS2 attends has made provision throughout. Now that he is in Y6, a secondary Maths teacher comes once a week to do KS3 work with him. In Maths lessons on the other days, the regular top-set Maths teacher finds an extension activity for him to do.

Likewise, for Science he has been doing KS3 work since Y4 with a secondary Science teacher who has him once a week. He used to visit a local secondary school to do his practical work in their labs but sadly that's no longer available. His junior school borrows equipment for him to do the practicals that are safe / feasible to do in a classroom.

Thanks for all of your posts. Think I need to have another chat with teacher regarding the plans for work for the remainder of this academic year and look at some out of school support ourselves.

I agree 32 in a class is too many if we want bespoke teaching for each child. DS is at a good and small school but there has been a few pupils leave and new ones join this past year which can only add to the teachers workload.

I would also go back to the teacher. My DS1 was a level 4c at this stage in year 3. He and two others were moved up to the year 4 class. He is currently in year 4 and working with the year 6 class.

He absolutely loves maths, and I think this has a lot to do with the pace of work, which he enjoys.

There is no cap on the level at child can achieve in any year group

That's interesting mrz. Ds1?s teacher said he couldn't get more than 3 on his y2 sats. He's a couple of years ahead in maths and on grey books so he might get more than 3 if the tests allowed

We've entered a small number of Y2 children for the level 4 test over the years

She is talking rubbish, verugal - the Y2 tests only go up to level 3, but since Y2 assessment is teacher assessment, they can go higher.

The 2013 ARA document clearly states that for assessing reading, writing and mathematics, 'if the school believes the child is working above level 4, the school should submit level 4.'

My DS (y3) did the level 4 maths test last year in the KS1 SATs.

Then they used a test from KS2 to back up their teacher assessment - not strictly necessary, but can be done.

Thanks feenie. I might ask the teacher at parents evening about that. But in the grand scheme of things I'm not too bothered by all these NC letters and numbers as long as the DC are happy and being. Reasonably challenged.