ok, so I just got dd's report, and it would appear I *am* on of those parents!

[TheCurseOfTinsel]

dd is in year 2. I just got her end of term report through, and her maths grade has slipped from 'working in excess of 2 years ahead' (ie G&T, allegedly) from her end of Year 1 report, to 'working below expected levels, and requires support'

in 6 months.

This is the first I have heard of this. not a word from her class teacher (who I see regularly at drop off/pick up), no mention of maybe having a meeting to discuss what the hell is going on.

how on earth is it possible for dd to have been a level 2a in maths at the end of year 1, and to now presumably be performng more at around a 1a? without anything being said to me?

6 months. in 6 months she has gone from doing ok, being ahead, understanding it all, to underachieving and not understanding it, and needing extra support. her effort grade remains excellent, so this is not about coasting, or non-application.

what would you say to the teacher, if this was your child?

all other subjects remain fine, and as expected. only maths has slipped (and slipped doesn't really cover it, does it?).

and, fwiw, this is not about the loss of the so-called G&T tag, but about the complete and utter lack of communication that dd may be struggling in a subject.

I need to compose an email to the head asking for a meeting, without looking precious (I cannot emphasise enough how this is not about whether or not dd is G&T), or ranty (which god knows I am feeling right now!)

Ah- I thought it was 2b at the end of year 2- I must be wrong- sorry!

yes, 2b at end of year 2, and 2a/3c at end of year 3.

academic, though, as it would appear she isn't achieiving either of those right now!

from comments at the time, I wouldn't say so, Coconutty. and the grade was consistent throughout the year (following on from eyfs full marks), so it would appear that this term is the anomaly, iyswim?

Dds teacher last year (y3) thought she was good at maths, despite me telling her I found dd to be struggling massively to grasp basic concepts when we did homework.

This year her lack of ability is obvious and her current teacher has picked up on it.

Your dd could have been similarly appearing to grasp topics and last year's teacher didn't dig enough to realise it was parroted information and a good act, now with a new more astute teacher her lack of comprehension has been spotted.

It is a bit bonkers sounding but do remember she is still v young. Someone probably made an admin error at some point.

WAs it based on a test? She probably just had an off day

Sorry ...
The lack of comprehension would explain why a child isn't progressing. But the OP is talking about a child that is going diwn which, as far as I know, is only possible if she was over marked the year before.
At my dc school, this happens between Y2 and Y3 as they tend to boost the SATS at the end of Y2. Even then what you are us a child bit progressing, not a child going down a level.

I have said all along that this is exactly the situation I wanted to avoid - dd presenting as being so far ahead, and then crashing and (as she will see it) failing. and here we are

You don't need to share the figures with DD, though, do you, especially if she's only in year2 and especially if she would see it as failing.

We don't get grades in Scotland, but my DD's end of P1 report had her "substantially ahead of her expected levels" and had her "developing level 1" (generally accepted as end of P2 level in our school in the best wishy-washy Scottish way), for both literacy and numeracy. Everything her teacher said about her was glowing - hard working, eager to learn, cheerful, polite, happy and very comfortable and confident with all aspects of her school work.

P2 parents' night and we were told she wasn't focused, had good ideas in literacy, but didn't get them down on paper, struggled with maths, could read, but not confidently and was so quiet that she clearly wasn't happy in school. She also struggled to make friends.

She's fine at home, zooms through her homework and is very happy with her wee group of friends at school with whom she has regular playdates - she is not brash or loud or pushy - she is very happy in her own company and always has been, and while she is quiet in class it has always been described before (by both P1 and nursery teachers) as a quiet confidence.

We were initially worried but then just realised that she hadn't dropped levels as the teacher had suggested, wasn't unhappy, had plenty of friends and was as focused and hard working as she ever was. She has lost confidence however having gone from a class of 16 to a class of 26 with a lot of children she didn't already know, and having gone from a teacher who was used to working with wee ones to a teacher who up until this year has never taught below P4/5. The teacher just doesn't get her and her confidence has dropped so that even if she knows the answer in maths, she doubts herself, and even if she has great ideas in her writing she worries about the spelling/neatness of her work and will not progress until what she has written is perfect and correct so often gets less done that she should. The teacher put this down to daydreaming and lack of focus, we know it is lack of confidence. At home she flies through her homework with no worries or concerns at all.

Could is be something similar - in a child already lacking in confidence, could it be that the jump from Y1-Y2, or change in class, or lack of connection with the teacher has made her doubt herself and so she is not producing work to the level she is capable of?

just to be clear, I haven't had an actual NC level on this report.

the school's grading system has given her a grade level below 'achieving as expected in accordance with national averages' and means 'experiencing difficulties and needs support'. which, given the expected average NC level for the end of year 2 (which she hasn't go to yet, obviously!) is a 2b, and dd is not achieving as expected (therefore wouldn't be hitting a 2b if she carries on as she is), she must therefore be below that - yet achieved a 2a at the end of year 1. and so has clearly gone backwards

Avon - of course I woudn't share the grades and figures with dd. she is praised for effort, whatever she achieves.

but she is not unobservant. she knows who is good at what, and has already mentioned she must be no good at maths (this was last year) because she is not on the same maths table as X (maths whizz). come next term, she is unlikely to even be in the same maths room as X, let alone the same table. she will notice this, and manage to feel a failure, whatever I tell her.

there is absolutely no pressure at home, at all. she is not a pfb, we have been there done that many times before. and I also have a dc with a severe learning disability, so we really are not a household where achievement is seen as the utmost prize. we are all about trying oyur hardest, and giving it a go, and she knows all about how some people find X difficult but Y easy, and others find Y easy but X impossible. and that we all achieve at our own rates, and so on. she still manages to pile the pressure on herself, and feel an abject failure if she gets the slightest little thing wrong.

interesting, homeworkmakesmemad. very interesting.

I could see it potentially being something like that. and, funnily enough, her current teacher has not taught below Y4 before now. and dd is certainly enpugh of a perfectionist for it to slow her up occasionally - especially with written work, as she must have it all neat and just so before she moves on.

Ok, firstly, it's not acceptable that you have been sent home with her report on the last day of term. I presume she is at preprep because this is actually against regulations in the state sector. There needs to be a reasonable amount of time (not sure how long, maybe just a day or two) between a report going home and the end of a term to allow parents an opportunity to query anything or bring up any issues.

Secondly, the difference in the 6mths since she last had a school report is alarming. One of the assessments must be wrong because children simply do not slip back from a 2a to a 1a in 6. For a start the difference, especially in maths, between those two levels is quite dramatic.

The only thing I would say is that if your DD is On the Spectrum, then that often presents itself as very spiky. This is usually across the range rather than from year to year although I have seen dramatic spikes and dips in one subject within the space of a year. Girls with ASD very often preset as G&T so if your instinct is telling you this is a possibility, then I'd go to your GP and ask for a referral or have a private assessment. You can use the national autistic website to find qualified, experienced private clinical psychologists in your area. You may also find it useful to list your concerns on a thread in the SN children section as some mums there have extensive experience in the ways that hf ASD girls present.
Good luck.

Could it be that she is experiencing difficulties due to confidence and requiring support for that reason? So rather than not attaining, the problem may be that she is panicking and 'freezing up'. However, they should have told you before now. Maybe they were hoping you'd come to the parent evening but you didn't?

My friends DS does end of year exams every year from Y3, he got all As in his report other than for maths which he is really good at. He got a C as they had entered him for a higher level paper as he would have breezed the other but it just looked as if he had done badly. Unfortunately she did not do school pick up that day so was quite worried but the teacher managed to catch her the following day to explain. Could it be something like this? Were there no comments at all?

"yes, 2b at end of year 2, and 2a/3c at end of year 3.

academic, though, as it would appear she isn't achieiving either of those right now!"

Sorry- I hate to labour this point, but you might find the information useful when you go and talk to her teacher next term- a child getting a 2b at the end of year 2 would be expected to progress at least 2 sub levels by the end of year 3- so at least level 3c. A bright child, 3b or a.

OP, since there seems to be a period in which you can't contact the teachers involved, could you collect the specifications required to verify the NC level that your daughter is actually at?

These things are published and are freely available.

Since you are clearly steaming out of your nostrils at the moment, would it be possible for you to give the testing materials to another family member or a close friend who is capable of conducting the maths test on your behalf?

Some distance from the pupil at this point might be advisable.

Good luck.

Worried: I am well acquainted with the SN boards . Dd is (well has, I suppose) too high functioning currently to get a referral. We have been fighting for years, as there are clear issues, but without a struggle it is impossible. We are desperately trying to get into a private waiting list, but that too is proving tricky.

Galena: I did go to the parents evenig, and spoke to her class teacher. I didn't ask to see support staff as I had no idea I should be doing so. Her class teacher did not report any difficulties at that time (just before half term), so this is really out of the blue!

Curlew: 2b at end year 2 and 2a/3c at end year 3 are the national average expected levels. I agree with you re: 2 sub levels, but it would appear that the NC levels are not worked out that way...

Column: I will indeed be gently probing dd to see what is going on. Distance not required - I may be steaming with the school, but not with dd. there is no way she will ever see how cross I am with he school about this.

I think you being furious is a bit OTT tbh. Why not just calm down and talk to teacher after holidays?

I will calm down. BUt being furious right now is not OTT, imo.

I have been telling the school that this exact scenario would happen for 3 years now.

I have an older child with severe learning difficulties. I fought for years to try to ensure (given the general low expectations and bad practice in SN education in this country) that she was not left to fail before appropriate help was given.

I could see this situation playing out, and tried my hardest to head it off before it came to this.

No child should be able to get to the point where they are clearly failing before help is given. I have been told for years that she is fine, doing ok, no problems. nothing more we could do to supprt her, she is more than on track, academically.

and then, out of the blue, she is suddenly failing. achieving well below expectations. with no hint it was coming.

I couldn't care less about the actual level of attainment, but I do care an awful lot about how she is going to be feeling when she gets wind of this (and she will - she is observant, and, as children generally do, knows who is what level, who is the best in her year etc). and I care that a lot more could have been done to prevent this than has been.

I care that even at this point, there is no note to say that the school also find this odd, and maybe we ought to meet to discuss it. that they don't seem to find it worrying bothers me. that no support package has been discussed pisses me off.

I do everythig I can to support all my children in everything they do. I can only provide extra support if I know there is a problem. the lack of communication is unforgivable.

Just to say, I would be incandescent if this had happened to one of mine. Tinsel- the school has screwed up somehow, either in its teaching or its communication or both. Don't let it rest.

I would also be fuming especially if (a) you have expressed your concern about this happening and (b) the fact that you can now not speak to anyone till January.

Can you not ring the school tomorrow and get an email address for the HT?