4As in Yr4 - how unusual?

[SilverBellsandCockleShells]

I went to parents' evening yesterday. We've recently moved our 8yo son because we knew he was bright and felt he was underperforming and our decision appears to have been vindicated! After predicting a 3a for him by the end of the year after their initial assessments, they have now assessed him as 4a for maths, and 4b for English, and reckon he will improve to 4a by the end of the year if he continues to focus and improve as he is doing.

Obviously this is good! I was just wondering how good. Are they the kind of levels you would expect the top children in a yr4 class to be achieving? Or is it more exceptional than that. I'm vaguely considering scholarships but don't want to push him if he is just averagely outstanding, if such a thing exists!

I know a lot of unhappy primary and secondary school teachers!

I'm sure you do

If you are implying, mrz, that some schools are better at internally moderating their assessments, that the quality of teaching may vary between year groups in a lot of schools, and that different teachers may have different strengths, I would agree with you. Some teachers do teach very well to the test, also, and are good at preparing children for SATs. They often end up working in year 6. I also know what our feeder secondary school thinks of the accuracy of the assessments of the children coming from my children's primary school is, because our governing body includes two members of staff from that school, one of whom is responsible for the transition from the local primaries to their secondary.

No rabbitstew I am not implying that at all

Hello OP!
I taught Year 4 up to a few years ago, and my top group usually ended up with 4A in Reading and Maths. So that's 4 out of 30 - 13ish%?

So your son is doing really well!

I'm now teaching Year Six, and teaching quite a few children preparing for scholarship exams. If you think that you may be applying for scholarships in 18 months time, then the most important thing you can do is enrich and broaden his experiences - get to the museums and galleries, watch the classic films, watch the documentaries and talk to him about all these things! His responses to comprehension questions and his composition will need to be noticeably more considered and deeply thought out than the average 10 year old, and if he is interviewed, he needs to have a range of things to be enthusiastic about!

Ah, I see, mrz, you just agree with me that I know a lot of unhappy teachers. How nice of you to waste your time commenting.

I don't feel it was a waste of my time rabbitstew just a recognition that you probably do know lots of unhappy teachers.

OK... I will take that at face value, then, and read nothing more into it!

Yes level 5 is the expected level at the end of KS3

but have you actually looked at the criteria for the levels LaQueen

Anyone know whether there are equivalent "expected levels" in other countries?

i have looked at the levels (and was a secondary school teacher so had to assess them) and i agree with laqueen - they are a shocking indictment hence my constantly saying you would want your child to be doing above the expected levels if they don't have SEN or other major barriers.

Yes, but what is expected in other countries?????

i'm sorry am i puppet whose meant to jump your demands? does the use of five question marks incur more authority? maybe i'll try it?????

my son is yr 6 and is level 5a and doing the level 6 paper
he is bright, but I don't think he is prodigy either and I agree I think expecting level 5 at 14 without any sen etc is underselling what children can achieve

(I cannot believe I have typed that )

Oh, grow up, swallowedAfly. I wasn't talking to you, I was asking a question of anyone who wanted to answer. It is totally unnecessary of you to be so rude about the number of question marks I use.

Still haven't answered my question about what is supposed to happen if an NT child is achieving only the "indictment upon our education system" levels. Should someone lobby the governors? Are Parents obliged to Find non-existent income to pay for tutors? Must Teachers Self-flagellate? What?

So pleased DC school seems to be far removed from govt. pressure. L6 tests effectively not on offer even if some children very likely would qualify. Pretty sure it's as average a school as average gets.

actually I am thinking about this more. Level 5 at 14 in something like French would actually be quite good, no? My son started middle school l2 years ago and the levels for history/geography/french etc start off really quite low in yr 4, 2a etc and then they increase when it's not such a new subject. I assume this is the same ina two tier system when a child starts at secondary

that should say 2 not a weird 12

... but ahead compared to of other countries, I bet, about avg world wide for OECD countries.

Oh wait, I remember, Average is the New Very Bad and Indictment Upon Us All.