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Secondary education

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Original poster

I can't believe I am asking this - What level is your year 8 at?

55 replies

AtYourCervix · 16/03/2011 16:03

Just got DDs report and feel it is confirming my suspicions that she will be leaving school with no GCSEs whatsoever.

However a little comparison would be helpful.

So hit me with some numbers please?

OP posts:
vj32 · 16/03/2011 16:06

Depends on the subject and how they were assessed. Which subjects are you particularly worried about?

Original poster
AtYourCervix · 16/03/2011 16:06

all of them.

OP posts:
FriskyMare · 16/03/2011 16:12

My DD is in year 8 and has achieved an 8b in maths and 7c in history, not sure about other subjects.

Hassled · 16/03/2011 16:14

Don't forget that some of the subjects - Drama, the Techs, probably the languages - are relatively new to them - after only a year's study they'll all be on a low level.

Good MN thread from a few years ago re how KS3 levels convert to potential GCSE grades. Look for Roisin's post

bumpybecky · 16/03/2011 16:14

I can't find the latest reports (must be filed in a safe place) but the one I found said expected average level at end of year 8 was a 5b. In subjects that are newer (only started at secondary) this will be lower as they've not been learning for as long

Original poster
AtYourCervix · 16/03/2011 16:21

as i suspected.

parents evening is going to be interesting.

OP posts:
Hassled · 16/03/2011 16:35

It's a funny sort of age - don't start panicking just yet. And there's plenty of time yet to gain ground.

Is it poor teaching or is she lazy/easily distracted/too hormonal to concentrate?

Original poster
AtYourCervix · 16/03/2011 16:39

it has confirmed my suspicions that she has learnt nothing for at least the last 3 years and will continue to do so.

even the lessons she enjoys which don't report her disruptive, chatty and confrontational behaviour her grades are rubbish.

OP posts:
Hassled · 16/03/2011 16:47

The school don't sound especially proactive - if she's not progressing then they should be exploring why and taking steps to deal with it.

Original poster
AtYourCervix · 16/03/2011 16:48

you'd think wouldn't you.

another tick in the box which is screaming at me to get her out of there.

OP posts:
upahill · 16/03/2011 16:56

Mine is in year 9 and was on course to fail everything, He had gone from targets of B's to E's.
We thought everything was alright but got a hell of a shock at parents evening.
He loves going to school but not to study apparently!

However we have had a lot of intervention from school and he is back on track and is getting excellant results now.

I honestly think that the key to helping him is close contact with the school.They send a report out to me, they text me when homework is due. It has made a huge difference and he is happy with this.

I know there will be people coming on here thatmay say it is not up to me to organize his work but my argument is that he cannot see how important this is. If he was working to the best of his capabilities and was getting E that would be Ok. However when the school is being treated like a social event and he can't be arsed telling us he has work then I am going to poke my nose in, after all I;m going to be dealing with the conseqence of him having no exams if he fails and him being a NEET kid is not an option in this house!

inspireddance · 16/03/2011 17:56

NC Levels in my school, comprehensive, the students are theoretically expected to be at least a Level 6 in Year 8 and a Level 7 in Year 9. However we set targets based on what they come in with in Year 7, and expect they should make two levels of progress between then and the end of Year 9.

So a student with level 3 in year 7 would be expected to be level 5 by the end of year 9.

LaurieFairyCake · 16/03/2011 18:01

Foster Dd is getting 3a for the new subjects and 5's and 6's for most other subjects.

She is on course to get 5 gcses and is doing really well. She is in a good state secondary school.

Lancelottie · 16/03/2011 20:04

Wretched little tyke of a DS seems to be getting lower projected grades this year than he left primary school with, to judge from his recent report.

Sigh.

Year 8 is well known for kids falling (usually temporarily) off the rails, if that's any comfort.

EllenJane1 · 16/03/2011 22:08

DS has various grades ranging from 7b for maths to 4b for French (his least fav subject. I'd go on targets of 8 at end of year 11 gaining a C at GCSE. So going on average improvement of 2 sub levels a year you can work out where they should be. HTH

IloveJudgeJudy · 17/03/2011 11:50

My Ds was sort of failing in Y8. It came to a bit of a head and I asked for a meeting with the HoY. She then got reports from each subject teacher and went through them with us and explained to my DS in no uncertain terms the direction he was heading.

she told him that the set he was in was not only determined by ability, but also by behaviour. Luckily, that did make him see the light and he has worked much harder since then. He's still no angel, but is doing well.

Perhaps you could ask for a one-to-one meeting with HoY?

CrosswordAddict · 17/03/2011 16:28

Levels vary widely from child to child.

I think I would look more closely at the EFFORT grades that your daughter is given. Is she doing her best? If she is then whatever her grades are, then she should be congratulated. However, this is not the case ( reading between the lines) so maybe she needs a meeting with her Head of Year and yourself to lay it on the line.

qumquat · 17/03/2011 17:04

In yr 8 English my top students are on level 6s, average is level 5, lower ability still in the 4s.

In Yr 8 Drama top students just getting into the 5s, most in the 4s.

LordLofty · 18/03/2011 14:19

They don't teach above level 7 in year 8 so you can't expect higher than that.

bruffin · 18/03/2011 14:51

Not sure how a child can't be level 8 in year 8 in something like history or english which are essay based.

qumquat

a quick question, DD got a very high level 6 (6.93) for year 7 in drama, what would have been able to do to get that? She doesn't do drama in year 8.

merriment3 · 21/03/2011 13:07

My daughter is in year 8. Her projected levels for end of year 9 are a mix of 6s and 5s. These are, according to her report, meant to be aspirational and challenging- I suspect that they are not! I expect my daughter to get a mininmum of Bs and Cs at GCSE (neither aspirational nor challenging but the minimum necessary for life in the 21st century?) Does anyone know whather projected levels should be in order to be thinking about achieving these grades?

Kez100 · 21/03/2011 13:45

Merriment - my daughter managed a 5a in English Maths and Science at KS3 and is targetted from her work to be C in Maths D in English and E in Science. Hopefully the Science target will change soon as she has passed two modules, one with a C and the other with a D (one mark off a C)

She had a 6b KS3 level in History, Drama and RE and target grades of C. She had a KS3 French level 5b and a target GCSE grade of E.

All a bit disappointing really for a child who works hard! However, I have told her they are only on paper and she should work like billy-oh to prove them wrong.

natwebb79 · 26/03/2011 14:40

I teach French and German in a comprehensive and in year 8 we don't expect them to be above a low level 5 by the end of the year! I know that this is lower than in other subjects but that is generally the case in languages. I would ask the school what her 'FFT' target is (the target generated by all sorts of tests etc. completed throughout primary school, SATs etc) and see how that compares to what she is getting. Seriously, don't panic too much in year 8! I can't see how you can tell that she will be leaving school with no GCSEs when she's only 12/13. Kids often buck their ideas up when they're studying subjects they've chosen.

cardibach · 26/03/2011 14:51

merriment3 - if she gets 5s and 6s at the end of KS3, her targets for GCSE would be Bs and Cs. She is on course!

LordLofty · 28/03/2011 13:55

Can't be level 8 in year 8 even if an essay as the children won't have been taught the required content.

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