Levels and differentiation

[SandiSandi]

Dd's school teaches them maths as a group. There is one lesson a week in which they are sometimes grouped by ability, but the rest of the time it is the whole class.

DD has what the teacher calls 'a genuine love of numbers' and mental maths in particular comes very easily to her, but they don't want to let her go ahead. As an example she took it upon herself to do number bonds to a thousand, when rest of class was doing to 20. But she is starting to switch off.

We were overseas until this year, so I am not clear what to expect. I am concerned that she isn't getting the opportunities she would in SE or big cities.
She wants to board at school friends children are / will be going to for secondary, but is highly highly selective ....

Her school gets able kids to 5b or 5c in the end. Only other alternative in trouble this year with ofsted for stopping at 4b and v high levels of SEN so pls don't tell me to change schools.

At moment the class has now started number bonds to 100, and done 2x and 10x, and doing quarter turns, and half past telling time.

Is this where they should be at at this stage in the year. How can I help her stretch herself without getting bored in class. I got her a subscription to ixl last week and she is loving the year 3 stuff on there, but didn't want to get told off for letting her go ahead.

All ideas welcomed as we left overseas being told to get her into an academic school where she can really thrive. What do you do if you let your child go beyond what they are covering in school? Do they then get bored? We are trying to stretch sideways as much as possible, but that won't get her a level 5a if the school isn't teaching to that level.

By the way English isn't a problem as they give each child individual targets.

I should add, what year on ixl would be say a 3a or 4a or a 5a. If a child is taught purely the year 2 curriculum then would that get them a 2b maximum as that is the average expected for that year group?

We did Bond books sporadically overseas, again do those books tally with book 6-7 is up to 2b level.

The world is full of maths books and maths websites. I don't think access to maths/arithmetic information is the problem. (I couldn't understand large sections of your posting,) but is the teacher who says she has a natural love of numbers the same teacher who is going to be teaching her for the remainder of this school year? If so then there's a good chance that you won't have a problem because this teacher has already noticed your daughter's abilities. And if she isn't coming up with solutions on her own (which is her job) then she certainly sounds as though she would be willing to work on solutions with you.

So, if I was you, I'd discuss the issue with the teacher. She sounds like she wants to work on it.

Sorry, I find changing school systems really confusing.

I have been in - and she says the school's policy is not to differentiate, but has sent a few worksheets home.

Academically selective schools do not exist in my area. A lot of parents don't want kids challenged .... Honestly, even if that sounds surprising.

From this site, it seems selective schools want a child who is at least 5a, but if school doesn't teach to that level, how do you get your child there .... Without the child becoming even more bored in class because of repeating things.

Selective schools want a y2-3 child who is at least 5a, are you sure about that?
I think your child is yr2, sorry I couldn't see where you said that clearly.

I agree that parents can usually supplement with extracurriculars in ways that will keep love of learning alive.

DD was looking a semi-selective school for y7 and I was confident they would take anyone who was at least on target for NC levels.

How big is the school, may I ask?

school's policy is not to differentiate

Bit about that because I think they'd get slammed by Ofsted if it were true. I think I'd be tempted to get school to state that in writing & then copy to both governors & Ofsted to see if could be valid policy.

I thought it was 5a in Year 6, for entry into Year 7. At least that is what friends in SE have told me. I am very happy to be wrong.

Depends how selective, I think you'll find. Private schools are hurting and won't turn down clients if they can help it. Many, maybe most, are not selective at all, anyway, beyond good behaviour.

If your goal is to get into a selective private school specifically then you probably would need a tutor to be sure.

If the school's policy is not to differentiate, they will be taken to the cleaners by OFSTED!,

Is there any possibility you are mixing up mixed ability teaching with non-differentiation?

2b is the expected level at the end of year 2, not the average. Schools will be expected to get children to that level but there is no upper limit although realistically there won't be many schools that consistently get a number of children above 3a (IME).

I can't see how a school could have a policy of not differentiating. Effectively that would mean continuing to teach the same piece of work until every child understands it. So, in the final year if one child still couldn't do his seven times table the whole class would be doing the seven times table in Y6. I doubt that any school in the world actually does that. The closest I can think of is the ones where they teach children to recite holy books. They all recite the same book. (But they're not what we'd call schools.)

If a teacher told me that I'd take in to the head, the LEA and beyond. It's not just ridiculous I think it's not even possible.

I would have thought no differentiation doesn't mean repeating same material endlessly for the lower ability, but instead moving on when they're not ready, just because most of the class have mastered it; oh, and not teaching the same concept in different ways but only at a medium level & speed, not appropriate to least or most able.

Failure to differentiate would hurt the lowest ability children the most, no? they'd fall further & further behind.