writing level?

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Can anyone please evaluate this writing sample and tell me roughly which writing level it corresponds to? This was done by my DD this afternoon with no prompting - she just felt like writing a story. I'm not very familiar with the school system here and I'd like to understand if she's on track for her age (6 1/2 years, yr 2). Thank you!

2nd part. Thank you!

I don't know anything about levels as we are in Scotland but it looks very good to me. Ds3 is 8 and considered to be doing very well. He would not produce anything better than that and it would not be as neat.

I'd say content wise she's about where she should be. Her handwriting and drawing is lovely though

Ahh lovely. You've got me feeling enthusiastic about going back to work ?? Be nice to show her teacher.

Retired Teaching Assistant here -

Some Yr2 children would match that sort of standard I think, but plenty more would come nowhere near it.

Schools, and the work produced by pupils, vary greatly according to their location, the family background, and how committed parents are to education.

Thanks! She changed schools after October half term and I haven't had time to go to school and talk to her teacher yet as I'm working full-time and using wraparound care. Her old school taught handwriting from Reception. She loves reading stories and she's an "advanced reader" - if I go solely by the book band she is on at school (but sometimes I feel that comprehension-wise she isn't there yet).

My concern is two-fold... English is not her first language and she's also August-born, the youngest in the class. The school is outstanding - and that's good - but they will start grouping children in ability sets from next year, and I'm worried she'll end up in the bottom ones because she's so young! I try to support her at home a bit but English isn't my first language either and I'm not familiar with the school system at all (e.g. in Maths we used very different methods). Also time is limited during the week as I get home 6:30ish every day.

I'm probably too stressed.

PS. Her old school did some sort of ability groups but they varied each term. At the old school she was in the top groups most of the time, but that school wasn't as good as the one she's just moved to.

I was in year 2 this morning helping out.

In our school she would be above average. Lots of great things in there, like adjectives, connectives, beautiful descriptive writing, story has structure (beginning, middle, end) Lots of correctly used punctuation.

No idea of levels, but top end of the class.

I am only a parent not a teacher but have experience of helping in schools and a particular interest in children's reading and books etc.

My girls are Yr1 and Yr2, both are above average in writing and apparently top end of their classes.

I can't level stuff but having seen Yr1 and Yr2 work I would say this was above average for Yr2 probably (and neat) but it is hard to tell when it is retelling a story rather than writing a whole new one because of course the ideas are already there if that makes sense.

I don't think you need to be worrying though. I would be very surprised if she ended up in a lower stream (whilst being shocked they are streaming anyway - we have ability groups but they shuffle children around at least every half term and I think probably more than that if they think they need to).
just encourage her - one thing she might like is if you got her a sheet of stickers or pictures and told her to use them to tell the story so she could pick a series of pictures and then write a story to go with them or if the stickers included say some animals and machines or some fairies and flowers or whatever then she could pick a few, stick them at the top of the page and then write a story around them. So she is seeing things she could describe colours and what they look like because the pictures are there and then she can vary the story as much as she wants to.

sorry just reread and realised you didn't say streaming (not sure where I invented that from) but ability grouping.
Ability grouping isn't a problem if they are done well and I do think most teachers move children around. I know in my daughter's class (yr2) there are children in the next group down given the work from the group above so they can try it and see how they get on but perhaps without the same expectation as the group above, children do get moved around, children who speak more than 1 language and of all ages are represented across all the groups so it is definitely ability based not prejudged.

Better than my y5.

Thank you very much everyone! I've no idea what streaming is.

The school website says they'll do ability sets from year 3, for numeracy and spelling.

I do need to go speak with her teacher but won't have a chance before parents evening...

sorry - that was me muddying the waters, streaming is where children are put in classes based on ability so if a year had 3 classes (90 children), then the top 30 children would go in one class, the bottom 30 in another and the middle 30 in the other. so they would be just with those children for everything. It is frowned upon now because it would mean that children aren't mixed and can't learn from each other, doesn't give children the chance to excel in one subject but not another etc.

ability sets I would assume is just groupings and is presumably to enable them to give them work at their level so the good spellers get spellings appropriate for them and maths can be pitched correctly. It would also imply from what you have said from the website that they will be in mixed ability groups for the other subjects which is good (In my opinion).

If you aren't able to speak to the teacher you could send in a note asking if she would mind replying in a note to you answering a few queries and then if you still have questions outstanding you can raise them at parents evening. I don't think a teacher would mind this if you aren't able to do drop offs or pick ups.

"...but they will start grouping children in ability sets from next year, and I'm worried she'll end up in the bottom ones because she's so young!"*

Just a parent, mother of a very late Aug born DS who was the youngest of 60 children in his year.

Don't get too hung up on the age thing. It was emotional maturity that my DS was lacking not academic ability. Work on the former, if it's an issue and celebrate her efforts to achieve the latter.

Looks like your DD is doing great!

Thanks everyone for the information and support! This forum is a gem for someone like me!

Just found out the dates for parents evening, they're right before half term so I guess I can wait now. I am worrying too much, it's also because I'm never at school and feel that I should compensate somehow with more support at home.

I know what streaming is now... I went through this in secondary school. I grew up in a country where most if not all secondary schools (high schools) were selective. There was a standardized exam at the end of yr 8, and based on those results students were streamed in different classes starting with class A (best results), B (next cohort) etc. I was always proud to be class A, now it seems very silly :)