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!)

Sencho I am surprised you find a 2a at the end of Y1 ridiculously high especially if you work with gifted students, its not that far ahead and definitely not for Y2, many schools use a 2a for their target level. A L3 is surely not that rare at the end of Y1 for a gifted student. My friends DD is a L4 in writing (end of Autumn term Y2).

they are not average levels, they are expected levels.

A level 3 at end of Year 1 is very rare. In 15 years, across
Many types of school I have never seen it. If they get
Level 3 in Year 1 you are saying they will get level 7-8 by Year 6. I teach up to Level 6 and lots of my students go in
To grammar schools. Level 6 is mind boggling - for writing it is even more unheard of.

I said expected average

Your friend's daughter is now expected to get a level 6 in her writing by end if Year 6. I've not granted one yet. And I am writing assessment coordinator and literacy specialist.

Sencho,

DD's normal state primary, which DS also attended, got 14% L6 writers at the end of Y6 last year (25% maths, 5% reading). It is the first year that they have reported L6 for Writing separately, as the previous year they only did so for the new L6 maths paper (15% or so that first year).

Before you ask,. no, they do not do 'SATs preparation': pretty much uniquely in my experience of schools, they just roll on teaching normally throughout Y6. Their assessments also look fairly 'fair' by and large, in the sense that the grades that DS and his friends got have led to wholly realistic secondary school targets that they are now achieving comfortably. DS was a L5 writer, DD is on target for a L6 - she is demonstrably better than he was, and her writing is easily in line with DS's L6+ work in secondary.

(DD was a L3 writer in Y2, or at least that was the grade the school reported her at. DS was a 2a)

I would imagine she will get a L6, my friends DS also go L6 for everything at end of Y6, he has always been classed as G&T.

My DS1 was 3b in reading in the Spring term of Y1, 3c for writing at the beginning of Y2. He is in Y3 now and L4 reading and writing and 3b in Maths. I don't really think he is that far ahead lots of other children, admittedly I have no idea what the other children's levels are but he is not a genius. I know of other children (ie my friends DD) who are the same level and a year younger.

Presumably progress slows down a bit in KS2?

Sorry - re the expected levels, you said the expected end of Y2 average level and I misunderstood! I am not doubting what you say as clearly you have way more experience than me but it really must depend on the cohort.

I have been told (last term) that DD is working comfortably within L3 for reading, writing and maths (Y2). The school has no reason to lie as it's an all through primary so no benefit to them to inflate her results. She's a child who enjoys school and is good at most of what she is asked to do there, but she is by no means exceptional. I am obviously not privy to other children's levels but I would say there are at least two or three others in her year group of 45 working at a similar level. This is based on direct observation from helping in school, not hearsay.

Unless this is somehow an amazingly talented cohort, which seems unlikely as it's a very ordinary school with a school intake that is generally very mixed both socially and academically, it surely can't be as rare as all that?

As for this meaning that these children are expected to do something amazing at KS2, well, that's a problem with the odd idea that children progress linearly and make the same amount of progress each year, really. L3 at KS1 surely just means that that child happens to have matured a bit earlier than most, as well as being quite clever.

DD's target for the end of yr1 in a L3 in reading & writing.

Verbally DD is there already (reading) but needs to show evidence ie writing her answers down.

Ok. So dd is back at school.

I have had a meeting to discuss what is going on. When I requested the meeting, her teacher all but did a double take and seemed a little baffled. If I hadn't been doing extra work with dd over te holidays I would have believed the grade to be a typo, the teacher was so mystified.

Anyway, the grade is correct. Dd has apparently gone backwards in terms of maths skills. No explanation given.

Dd has been moved to the bottom set for maths (which has left her feeling very upset that she cannot 'keep up' anymore - her feelings, not mine must stress.

However, when I asked what tics they were doing at the moment, do as to support dd fully at home, the teacher mentioned something I know dd can absolutely manage (and teacher stressed that d was finding it tricky). So my confidence is hardly at a good level with the school currently...

I will be requesting a meeting with the head to discuss all this.

I would be so cross about this, seeing the head is totally the right thing to do. Like you said in your OP it is not about the g&t tag it is about being communicated to about what is going on. I was a bit confused, was the teacher mystified that the original grade was so high? Did they know what the original grade was as this should have raised red flags to the teacher surely!

I have heard of children slipping back from Y2 to Y3 due to inflated levels but not from Y1 to Y2.

no mention was made in direct reference to the grade drop. We talked about how dd is doing now, and what efforts they are making to support her, and why the teacher thought dd was at this level.

Teacher also mentioned that she has recently realised how much dd is masking any misunderstanding and resorting to coping strategies to catch up. well, no shit, Sherlock, that's exactly what I have been telling everyone for the last 4 years! that dd may not be as able as she presents, but is perfectly able to cover this up, and catch up. all well and good when you are talking about basics. not good when the work starts getting trickier (as, presumably, it has, hence it all coming undone now). teacher was admiring of dd's resourcefulness and range of coping strategies . I was less than inpressed that she was telling me this as though it were news, when even a glance at dd's file should show the number of times it has been raised by me...

So the meeting with the Head is to talk about the grade drop?

I would be fuming, good luck.