KS1 results - average v good

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I am a bit confused about what is considered a good result at end of year 2.

I had been feeling quite pleased with dd's literacy. She is a lime reader and reasonably good at writing. She got a 2a. However, I am now under the impression that most children get at least that and in fact that there are some schools where half the children get a 3.
So what's the real story. I am confused, particularly given that I have been reading so much about the literacy crisis in UK schools. But it sounds like most children are reading extremely well by 7...

There's a difference between most kids and most mn kids!!

2a is good, lime is fine for y2.

At some schools a good proportion get level 3, where i work i think we're expecting around 50% L3.... However.... If they are L3 they then have to reach L5 to make expected progress whereas your dd needs a L4 for expected progress. If children are comfortably l3, no problem, if they have just made it to l3 then there's pressure on at ks2... I would rather my dc got a good 2a and less stress at ks2. Your dd has every chance of being a l5 reader still at ks2, it's just that she won't be under pressure on the way.

Mumsnet is full of high achieving women who have had high achieving children. 3 is not average. 2b is the national average for the end of year 2.

Thanks for the explanation. My child is just finishing Y2 too, and every year I get bewildered by this system - I just can't seem to hold it in my head (or the bookband system - I'd love to be a pushy parent but I'm too stupid and too knackered to pull it off!).

Can anyone suggest a website where they explain it all properly? So, like, I might remember what it all means for once?

Loving the idea of normal for Mumsnet. We have a saying in this area: 'Average for Richmond". Some of the children are quite scary. But not as scary as their mothers...

Not just the area, it depends on your child as well, and their progress. My DS was 3s in Y2, breezed it all then plateaued a bit.

DD, OTOH, Aug born, is much more of a slow burn. She's just had her report and got a 2A but I know her comprehension will be way in advance of DSs. She gets inference in a way he doesn't.

Levels don't mean much, really. If you are happy with your child's progress and they are enjoying reading, to me that is much more important.

I'd far rather a secure 2a than an insecure 3 as a junior teacher.

Oh, and 2b is not the national average, it is the expected level so those getting 2c have not reached the level expected at the end of KS1

2a is above expectations and it sounds like she is doing well. I find MN gives very skewed expectations. AT that level she'd be in the top group in Y2 at my DD's (very average demographic) infants school.

Lots of MN children seem to be very able, or go to schools with a much stronger intake. A friend's child is at a school in a neighbouring leafy suburb - over half their children are at Level 3 at end of KS1 - but the school intake is mostly the children of aflluent professional highly educated parents - that were highly likely to do well anyway.

Thanks for the comments.
Redsky - I am a highly educated professional so now feeling like my child is a failure!

In 2012 roughly 20% of children got L3 for Literacy and 14% for Numeracy I believe. I am not sure if this is from SATs or from teacher assessment.

It really varies from school to school, DS1s school sometimes has a lot of L3s and sometimes doesn't depending on the intake. The teachers told me that their teacher assessments matched the SATs results (which were moderated) so they felt they hadn't overstated anything.

I think it is difficult with the L3 as it seems that a 3c is enough to be a L3 going into juniors when in fact they should comfortably be a 3b to ensure they are truly that level.

Half the kids get a L3?!
There are indeed people on MN who insist any NT child is badly underachieving unless they get L3 in y2 SATs. Nutty thinking imho.

Try not to worry about all the competitive stuff. Sounds like your DD is doing fine

There was a thread on here recently where a child had got L3s and a 2a I believe and the other mums were saying they had all 3s and 4s! It made the mum worry about her child's progress.

When I stated the 20% and 14% L3 I meant in the UK not at DSs school so it really is quite a low %.