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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:
mummytime · 28/03/2011 14:20

Lord Lofty, surely that depends on the subject as under APP guidance in science a very advanced thinking student could demonstrate level 8. (But I've never seen one.)

bruffin · 29/03/2011 17:31

Well DD came home having a little moan after have her yr8 assessment for maths, because it had level 8 work in it!

GrimmaTheNome · 29/03/2011 17:42

Bruffin - I'm pretty sure maths is the only subject which is officially tested up to level 8, all the rest max at level 7 at the end of yr 9. So your DS may have had level 8 work in maths, but that doesn't apply to other subects.

Internally I think schools may vary from this - at DDs parents evening the teacher said she'd got an 8 on a recent science test (in yr7, projected level 7h in yr 9 as that's the max possible)

bruffin · 29/03/2011 18:00

Sorry that was in response to MR Lofty who said it was not possible to get level 8 in year 8. DD probably won't get a level 8 but it is possible.

LordLofty · 30/03/2011 10:17

MR???

lorra62 · 30/03/2011 12:03

my DS in year 8 current level is
English 4b his target is 3a?
maths 5c target 4a
history 4b target 4a
science 5c target 4b
german 3b target 3b
other subjects very similar.
Till joining this forum, I didnt realise just how bad he is doing?

LaurieFairyCake · 30/03/2011 12:07

lorra - your ds is exceedingor meeting all his targets - it's great Smile

lorra62 · 30/03/2011 12:12

laurie - he is, which I am really happy with, but from what I have read on here his targets are not even average and that is the worrying thing....

LaurieFairyCake · 30/03/2011 12:34

Ok, the targets are slightly below average. However the fact that he has exceeded them so strongly suggests he's making huge gains right now, perhaps he was a slow developer?

It's really important to compare him to himself rather than others. If he carries on exceeding them so well he will go past the average.

LordLofty · 30/03/2011 12:40

That's my point about not getting level 8 in year 8. Your child is doing fine, the levels you are seeing quoted on here are not "normal".

GrimmaTheNome · 30/03/2011 15:34

In particular with the German, presumably he's only been doing it for either 1.5 or 0.5 years at this point - which makes 3b a solid start, doesn't it?

FriskyMare · 30/03/2011 15:45

My dd is at our local school which just happens to be a selective grammar and at parents evening last month were told she had achieved a level 8b for maths - so it can be done. Most of the year group had levels 6 and above with another girl in dd's form getting an 8a. Agree with Grimma, languages are different if they have just started them and anything like a level 3 is a great start.

Ormirian · 30/03/2011 15:49

cervix - Iirc DS1 was on levels 5 and 6. Bordering on 7 for science. DD is already on those levels in yr 7. It varies.

bigTillyMint · 30/03/2011 18:51

DD in Y7 at a comp, has just been assessed as level 6's for most things, 4a for French and Spanish, but there seem to be huge variations amongst her friends.

I don't think it's that helpful to compare.

qumquat · 31/03/2011 19:00

Brufin - a very delayed response! Drama is not on the NC so schools are free to set their own level descriptors (most take inspiration from levels set by the Arts council but by no means all). This means that levelling can vary wildly from school to school. To see exactly what she had done to achieve that level you'd have to ask to see the department's level descriptors.

bruffin · 01/04/2011 13:38

thanks qumquat, I was just interested.

doutzen · 01/04/2011 13:44

What does she think of her grades?
Do you think she could be doing better, or is she on target for her intellectual level?
Hopefully that didn't come across patronising or rude

Bunbaker · 01/04/2011 13:45

Do the level numbers change from primary school? Average for year 6 is level 4, but quite a few children in DD's class will get 5s.

Dingle · 01/04/2011 16:14

DS is in Y7 and all this grading still seems very new to me. He has just got new grades this week but they really vary, as do the targets which are based on what they are expected to achieve at the end of Y8. His school do have an accelerated curriculum.

English 5c target 6a
Maths 6b target 7a
science 5a target 7b
....
spanish 4b target 6a
french 3b target 2a?????
Geography 5c target7a
History 5c target 5a
....

I can't work out how the targets are set, they seem to vary so much, and how often do they get graded.

GrimmaTheNome · 01/04/2011 16:15

Bun, the levels carry on - but they're really only given for maths and English in primary now. So a child getting a 4a in yr6 should be getting 4c or maybe 5c by the end of yr 7; a 5c might be expected to get to 5a or 6c etc.

jgjgjgjg · 06/04/2011 13:23

should my yr 8 son be achieving more than a level 4a that he left primary school with in yr 6 in maths ??? I suggest he should but school not addressing the problem that I am seeing !!!

jgjgjgjg · 06/04/2011 13:25

Have concerns that my yr 8 son is still on same level (4a) in maths that he was when he left yr 6!!! Surely we can expect to see an imorovement in level when a 4a result is above average for a yr 6 result !

Dingle · 06/04/2011 13:40

I would have thought so too jg! My DS is in y7 and his Junior school did nothing to support the children that didn't conveniently fit into their pigeonholes! He left last year with a 5c for Maths I believe and as you can see from my previous post he is now graded at 6b.

His previous gradings have varied slightly, and Maths is the least consistent but I suppose it does all depend on the test itself and how he felt on the day but in general my son has made a good improvement in even the 6-7 months he has been at his new school.

JG, is your sons maths grade much lower than everything else? What sort of progress is he making in his other subjects? Can you use this to show to the school to back up your concerns?

Ormirian · 07/04/2011 13:04

DS1 is basically on level 6 for all this core subjects apart from science where he is 7. But last parents evening his maths level had gone down to a 4! I panicked a little but the teacher explained that the levels are dependent on the latest test - he happened to do badly in one particular test just before that latest report. The one he did last week has out him back on a 6a. I wonder if that happened to your DS jg?

What do they teacher says when you ask them?

Kez100 · 07/04/2011 16:12

I had that - daughter 4c (year 6) 5c (year 7) 4a (year 8 - I asked why the drop and was told it was based on progress tests and she'd had a bad day at the office on it) 5a (year 9). Currently working in year 10 on Grade D level.

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