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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Greater Depth??

10 replies

Specky12 · 13/07/2018 17:36

So reports are out...
My year 4 boy is bright and seems to do well, he works hard and engages in lessons. I assumed he was average with a great deal of enthusiasm.
Report has put him at greater depth for all core subjects and A's for effort across the board for everything else.
Obviously I am proud and pleased for him, but is this something that is an indicator that he is gifted? How common is this and how reliable are school reports as an indication of where he is at? Should I be thinking 11+ prep or is this the norm?
Thanks

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Original poster

Specky12 · 13/07/2018 17:38

By the way I have spoken to his teacher in the past about 11+ and where he is at, but they are very non committal and I don't want to be that parent... "Little Johnny is so clever isn't he? Do you think he is special too?"

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gower4 · 13/07/2018 17:43

I doubt he's gifted to be honest. Sorry! My DS just got exactly the same and it just means what it says on the tin - they're doing more than expected for their age. Don't think it means much, development isn't linear.

Original poster

Specky12 · 13/07/2018 17:46

Don't be sorry, I'm not out looking for everyone to say he is amazing and gifted, it's more that I'm concerned that I should be doing something/more encouraging/tutor/looking into 11+ stuff and that I will do him a disservice by not seeing something.

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ladyvimes · 13/07/2018 17:48

If a child is greater depth across the board in year 4 and you are interested in grammar it might be worth looking for some 11+ practice papers or tutoring. It means your child is achieving above expectations for their age.

brilliotic · 13/07/2018 17:52

is this something that is an indicator that he is gifted?
By itself, no. Bright and/or hardworking; you do not need to be 'gifted' to achieve 'greater depth'.

How common is this
Well at KS1 (end of Y2) in 2017 11% nationally got greater depth in all three Reading, Writing and Maths. End of KS2 (Y6) it was 9%. However there are regional differences, and big differences from school to school too.

and how reliable are school reports as an indication of where he is at?
In between the statutory KS1 and KS2 reports, the schools can apply their own criteria and reporting system, so your question really needs to be 'how reliable are our school's reports' and probably nobody on here can tell you that.

Should I be thinking 11+ prep or is this the norm?
With the caveat that nobody here knows how reliable those Y4 results from your school are, no, greater depth in all RWM is not the 'norm' but neither is it exceptional. Though there is nothing to say that your DC is not exceptional, perhaps your school has a ceiling on what it will assess/report - your child could be years ahead and still get the same grade.
If your local grammar schools take the top 30% then it seems your child should be in with a good chance, especially if you support him over the next year. If you are thinking about a super selective that only takes top 1-2% or some such, then you really would need to know a bit more about where in those roughly top 10% your child sits.

But there are other questions to consider regarding sitting 11+ tests than just 'can my child pass the exam'.

SureIusedtobetaller · 13/07/2018 17:54

I would be noncommittal if I felt the child wasn’t quite up for 11+ and parents were discussing it.
Although why not try an 11+ paper and see? Aim high- GD is hard these days.

Original poster

Specky12 · 14/07/2018 05:15

@brilliotic thank you for that it's really helpful.

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Passthecake30 · 14/07/2018 07:46

My dd got similar. Greater depth or above and excellent effort for everything. She is naturally bright and tries her best, whereas I have a ds who struggles (but also tries his best).

The only way I challenge her at home is by giving her extra maths (on her request ) and reading more interesting books than the ones at school. Has your ds said he is bored with the work at school?

user1483972886 · 14/07/2018 08:37

Our DS is good at maths and reading but did not get exceeding at KS1 which surprised me. Some 25% or so of kids do so I was amazed as he is well ahead the rest of his class and others did get exceeding. He often said he was bored. We have sinceover schools and he us still doing really well in reading and maths but the school has also vastly improved his writing
So he is now getting As in everything for effort and achievement. He also got a HT's award for academic standard. We are very proud but no I don't think he is gifted. He is bright

boylovesmeerkats · 14/07/2018 17:35

How old is he and how did he do earlier in school? If he did well in EYFS there is pressure for him to do well through school, but as someone says when this is teacher assessed it's tricky. If he doesn't meet the same he's done before then they're in trouble.

I'm sure he's a clever boy, what you do with that is up to you. With any child, however well they're doing it's good to encourage and support them. But if he can do well now he's obvious got the skills to keep up academically.

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