School Report- yr2 child failure Help

[Rhythem28]

Dear Mums and dads
My son has come from 3c to 2a in reading according to curriculum level marking. I couldnot understand it as someone can read , how it could be deteriorating. I am concerned as it is not the only area his reading writing and maths has gone down from last years report.
Since i felt that his needs of learning are not met last year i consulted the teacher and said my concerns. She took it personally about her teaching and said to me that he has taught this age for this many years and i was wondering what she meant when i was all concerned about his education.
I am devastated frustrated and sad as to what has happened yet i dont know how to ask her. Please help where has he gone wrong from reading Roald Dahl at the age of 5. I am not bragging about my child its the school which says he is bright at every meeting.
Please Help me!!!!

OK. Calm down. This is not failure.

Do you think his work has deteriorated?
Do you think his reading has got worse?

Most likely he was 'over graded' by his teacher last year, and his current teacher is just being a bit harsher in grading. 2a at this point in y2 is still very good and as far as I can see on track for a level 3 by the end of the year.

If you really think he is not making progress then go and discuss that, but don't get too worked up on a 3c end summer term, 2a now with different teacher assessment.

Rhythem28:

I'm not clear what year your DC is in. So, first off if your DC is in Y2 this is early Y2 - so there's time.

Second - have a look at MN guidance of progress through NC Levels: www.mumsnet.com/learning/assessment/progress-through-national-curriculum-levels - at the base of this page there are two tables. The first explains how many sub-levels (so from 2c - 2b - 2a to 3c - 3b....etc...) a year by Key Stage. The second explains what notionally the typical child would score.

So END of Y2 a typical child should score 2b. So right now at the start of Y2 - just 12 weeks into the year - your child is already doing much better than many children.

Do they need to score a 3? Well sure it's nice - but it's no guarantee of great things in future. Our school has a rather unfortunate habit of getting 50% NC L3 at KS1 SATs (teacher assessed) and then

Dear Pastsellbydate,
Thank you verymuch for the insight. It is distressed as he is in a private school and he has to adapt to the rest of the class and now he is not doing his best and just finish the work and get ready to play.
Do we have a right to ask for target sheet. I got one from last year teacher. We make a lot of effort to send him to that school with our financial means and just wondering whether its worth the effort. There are only 15 in the class.
Thank you very much for taking time

OP - agree with others that even at 2A your DS is doing very well. Do you know how the 2A and previous 3C were assessed? If, for example, one was a one off test, these will always vary slightly. If it's through continuous assesssment perhaps his work is not consistent (my DD's writing varies wildly from 2b to 4c depending on her mood, for example).

At level 3 the emphasis is not so much about being able to work out what the words say but about understanding the meaning, different uses of language, making inferences. So a child might be able to read aloud very well but not have yet developed the more technical reading skills.

Dear Redskyatnight,
Of course he is doing good even at that level and I am happy but wouldn't you be concerned that they assessed him 3c and then say he is 2a and is reluctant to let me know how he got there. I am not asking them to put it back but I feel he is not supported or encouraged to achieve his potential. They categorised reading groups according to Read write inc programme and he is higher in his class and then they don't have a group for him and he has to join the lower group and work with them. He did not enjoy that group and said that its boring have to do the same thing and I can remember all answers and yet I encouraged him. Now to see my worst nightmares have come true.
I am so frustrated and quite sad. I don't know what to do. I wanted school to understand and make me understood but I feel they are defeding excusing when I made clear I am not attacking but concerned about the inconsistency.
Thanks for your feed back its helps at this hour.

they don't have a group for him and he has to join the lower group and work with them.

This would set alarm bells ringing with me more than the issue of the NC levels. You are paying for this. The school should provide differentiated education, and if your child is stand-out able then they should give him work suited to his ability. My DD2's very ordinary state school has always managed this - she's pushing L6 in Yr6 - so a private school with 15 to a class certainly should. I would be asking some questions about what they are doing to provide differentiated work for different ability levels.

Your son isn't failing, but it doesn't sound as if he is being well provided for either. Unfortunately you seem to be finding out the hard way that private does not always mean better. Perhaps a different (private) school would be an answer?

Later on in the levels it's not just about reading the words. I can't imagine why his score is going backwards though.

Hi
You quite understand my point yes he us not being well provided. I know private doesnot mean better but that's what could afford and the state schools offered to us were far from us and the worst.
Yes I know that it isn't about loud reading but comprehension too COLumngollum but then why he went down a level should be explanatory. So 9 months of teaching he has not impoved? 3c-3c-2a as of reports.

All I need is to know where he is falling as he had a plateau and then gone down. His reading wasn't an achievement from the school but the teacher who introduced the RWInc system was happy assessing his strengths and putting levels up then. Now I realise how and whats behind it on the expense of my child.
All your thoughts are much supportive. Than the teacher's. Does any one know whether we could access the target sheets of your own child.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!

We get given target sheets at every parents evening with verbal comment on what concrete measures the DC needs to move up - literally practical things you can do to support in the home alongside what the school is planning to do with them. That's how it should be done.

I'd really suggest not fixating on levels but actually look at what your child can do (though the fact that the school won't differentiate work from him is really poor- with 15 children in the class, this is hardly hard!).

For information here are some of DS's writing levels:
End of Y2 - 2a
Dec Y3 - 2b
End Y3 - 3c
Dec Y4 - 2b
Mar Y4 - 2a
End Y4 - 3a (his teacher made a point of telling me how much progress he'd made!)
Dec Y5 - 3c

I could have got incredibly stressed at that little lot. Instead I notice that DS's writing is improving and decide that levels (especially sublevels) are not the be all and end all.

I think it is not the level (NC wise) that is important but rather the fact that the school do not seem to be differentiating for him that would concern me hugely. Let alone the fact that you are paying for this.

Is he in yr2 or yr3? My DS went from a 3C at end of yr2 to a 2A in the start of yr3 which I understand is pretty common.

How does your DS feel about school? Does he enjoy it? Do you have other options?

My DD is in yr1 at our local state primary school and is a 2A (reading) and they cater for her fine. I would be addressing the lack of differentiation/stretching rather than the actual NC Level.

I think RWI would be difficult to organise in a small school, as children >2a should be off the scheme. We have 120 children in 9 ability-grouped RWI groups across KS1.

Nearly 60 of these children are 2A+ in readingand are now doing 'proper' literacy lessons, using more challenging texts than RWI books, and working to improve writing skills.

There are not enough children or staff to run RWI like this in a tiny school.

How have they assessed his reading level?

2a is not a "failure" at this point in yr2.

A teacher is generally set a target of improving each pupil by 2 sub-levels over the school year. Rolling back to 2a (when actually 3c) - means in fact the job is much easier - just have to raise them 1 sub-level to 3b.

As I have pointed out before, the vast majority of schools would not allow this.

Don't they work to the previous end of year level, feenie? We have to work from KS2 levels at sec. regardless of what they're assessed at the start of Y7.

Yes, we do - and Junior schools have to also, despite what they think of separate infant schools levelling, just as you do at secondary!

Private schools, however, can do what they like.

Ds1 is and always has been a very able reader. Level 2a at end of reception.

He is now in year 3 of a bog standard state school, one that requires improvement. Since reception he has had differentiation both within the class room as well as by having guided reading with the ability appropriate year group. Currently year 6 - not sure what will happen next year.

My point is that the school sounds poor at providing differentiation and I'm not convinced that the poor state schools near you would be unable to provide as good or better in terms of your ds's progress and abilities. You could then spend the money saved on tutoring or outside activities if you'd prefer.

It sounds to me like you are paying for a poor education.
I would be more concerned about them not having an ability group for him than the contradiction in assessment levels.

It really very kind of you to share your children's results to make it clear. That's great understanding as I have no access to other childrens reports.
However as of the targets to be achieved in his report says "reading with fluency and consistency". This is the only thing they have mentioned under reading to work towards. However my understanding is that its just the reading aloud not the reading for comprehension.

Yes I am going to speak to the head and will have to keep him home next term and say my concerns. All you ideas and sharing is very much appreciated.

Does it mean he has decoding problems but then he wouldnot have been able to read upto level 2a at a Younger
age. Or am I wrong?

Rwi is a bit of a waste of time for high achieving year 2 children.