So now levels have been scrapped how will we know what progress our dc are making?

[MotleyCroup]

Ds has done really well in his KS1 end of year report. He's coped with a change of school as well as the SATs (his school didn't keep it discrete) and he's making new friends.

Question is, at the end of Y3 what then? If things stayed as they were I would know, by his next parents evening, what (if any) progress he was making. Now how will I know? What will be put in the current systems place?

Why have they scrapped the current system (when I'd just got my head around the meaning of the levels)?

I agree that there does seem to be a huge culture problem in the way schools interact with parents and a lack of transparency.

I look forward to schools using better assessment tools and procedures, not mandated by the the DFE, such as schools like Westminister Abbey.

DS school had an open day a few weeks ago. There was one project book set out for parents to view, no maths or literature books (he takes these subjects in a different room). DS actually asked one of the teachers where his books were as he wanted to show me but teacher explained that she hadn't had time to get these books out . As a parent attending an open evening with a view to looking at the work my DS had being doing since he arrived a few months earlier it's something I would have expected to be easily available for me to view. There was no parents evening, just an open evening.

Yes I agree, schools need to be more transparent, especially where progress is concerned.

proudmama2772

yes I can imagine but it seems odd when not every FSM is going to need that help and there may be another child struggling not getting that extra attention...

isnt it also rather stigmatising....i am not saying its a bad thing, my jaw fell when i read edict from school...it just seems odd....why not offer help to the children who are struggling

IamSlave - yea I agree. That child may not necessarily be below national expectations. I'm not sure how the rules apply to the child specifically.

There is a good deal of data protection on FSM kids so schools know they have to be discrete and only trusted personnel will be allowed access to FSM records.

On the flip side, his report was extremely detailed.

I do think, however, if schools are approaching some parents evenings with the 'open house' system then all dc work should be available to view.

Iam I agree.

There is a culture in this country of labelling parents who want lots of info and their children to work hard alongside reaching their full potential as pushy and tiger motherish. Parents such as this are looked at far more negatively than the parents who frankly don't give a shit.In fact not giving a shit is seen as something to brag about.I've seen it as a teacher and a parent.

I refuse to bow down to this.I want info and lots of it.The "mc parents" people love to demonise and whose children are often recorded as striding ahead often have no more cash left in their pockets than many but what they do have is info and the confidence to go out and get it.The sooner governments wake up to this and ensure plenty of equal information for all parents the better- imvho.

It's staggering that in the last days of levelling the vast maj of parents are still clueless and threads aplenty requesting information and explanations are still being created.

I do wonder about FSM and the pupil premium as my DC had FSM for a while 3 years ago and so therefore are eligible for pupil premium for 6 years. My DC don't need any extra help but having seen what the school spends it on, it isn't relevant to my DC anyway.

Personnaly I am very grateful for our school who test the dcs twice a year. They use the 'SATS' papers for each different year (so clearly not the Y2 and Y6 papers but the obes available for the Y3,4,5).
It meant that dc2 who was thought to be 'just the middle ability' was actually recognised as being 'high ability' and moved tables. Otherwise my very shy and quiet child round just have stayed where he was, unchallenged.

A new issue here is to do with the new curriculum. I've been told in passing that dc2 is way behind in spelling (waiting to see the teacher for that). But it seems that what she might meant was that he is behind according to the new curriculum.
I think that getting to grips as how your child us doing when there is such a big gap between the old and new curriculum will make the waters even more muddy.
What I am comeyy unclear to is what us happening in secondary. I mean if the children are learning more in primary then surely there should have been a change for secondary too? Is that happening?

lumieresForMe - that's brilliant

There is a culture in this country of labelling parents who want lots of info and their children to work hard alongside reaching their full potential as pushy and tiger motherish. Parents such as this are looked at far more negatively than the parents who frankly don't give a shit

YY. It was another poster BTW who PSBD who pin pointed this culture, yes I imagine we are looked down upon more than those who do not care.

The "mc parents" people love to demonise and whose children are often recorded as striding ahead often have no more cash left in their pockets than many but what they do have is info and the confidence to go out and get it.The sooner governments wake up to this and ensure plenty of equal information for all parents the better- imvho

YY.

I wonder is there a parents body somewhere, who challenges as well as agrees with teachers, a sort of group like the passenger thing for trains, maybe some posters should start one....

The "mc parents" people love to demonise and whose children are often recorded as striding ahead often have no more cash left in their pockets than many but what they do have is info and the confidence to go out and get it.

I think a lot of the people who like to demonise MC parents with children who are striding ahead are not that bothered about getting info and taking an active role in their own children's education. It is easier to mock others and demonise them than it is to try and take an active role in their own child's education.
It's quite sad really that people are demonised for simply wanting the best for their children and wanting to ensure that their children reach whatever their full potential might be.

Is it a MC thing or a MN thing? It's not something I see in real life only here

I have seen it in real life on numerous occasions.

Not being British, I have discovered they sort of attitude as I went along with my dcs. and I probably said things very straight when others wouldn't have done it

It started with comments from the teachers in nursery/Y1. Since then I've seen horrified looks on other parents faces because I said I would love a 'maths club' for dc1 who us doing well and would love to do maths just for fun.
The teachers who more or less to me I was a pain to ask for specific instruction to help my dc, knowing I had done all the different methods nirmally advised and it wasn't working.
And again the looks on people faces when i say I want to know the level of my dcs and will be asking for them. But why would you want them? Is the usual comment.

So unfortunately not just MN. But yes very mc in my area.

Fascinating thread and am in awe of some of the people posting who seem to have an excellent grasp of the implications of losing levels.

I know very little of the primary system but I teach at secondary level in a small, independent school with excellent results at GCSE and A Level. In my Department we do not use levels but we have a very clear idea about how individual children are progressing. From my point of view restricting learning to a syllabus is pretty blinkered but I'm good at helping young people get the grades they need. And it is THOSE grades which count.

The revisions to the secondary curriculum are being even less well explained and I'm baffled about what will happen to the current Year 8 and below.

Don't want to derail thread but the changes to the assessment at primary will have lasting consequences for secondary level education too. We are watching with interest.

not really it's like changing from imperial to decimal a pint is still a pint even though it's now 473.2 millilitres and a 4B is still a 4B even if it is 100 on the scale