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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

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Original poster

What can I do to help him?

18 replies

loveandlight · 26/11/2011 10:13

My DS is in set three for Maths in year 10 and is making no progress at all.

He was/is good at Maths but the school have a problem because set one and two are full. I strongly believe because of this the schools expectations of him are very low. He only joined the school at the beginning of year 9 and he has been stuck in set three ever since. He is clearly suffering and complains to me all the time about it. He achieved a level six at the end of year 9 and got a very good report from his Maths teacher.

I have complained to the school but get nowhere. I've been told he's not as good as both my DS and I think he is and there's others in the class who are doing better than him and have been waiting longer to move up.

I home educated him for several years prior to joining the school and he used to love Maths and was very good at it.

All the sets in his year group were given a Maths test a couple of weeks ago and were given about a couple of weeks revision time for it.

For some strange reason after I expressed concern (yet again) about his lack of progress, the day before parents evening they singled my son out and gave him his test to do when he turned up for class one day. He hadn't been given any revision time at all. He just got told to sit outside the class on his own and take the test. Despite this he still got 60%. The highest mark for the whole of the year group (apart from one person who got 75%) was apparently 65% so my DS clearly would have got more if he had also been given some revision time like everybody else.

I've also found out by being in set three he will never have the opportunity to aim for an A* in GCSE (this is what his Maths teacher told me) and my DS really wants the chance to get it. He is becoming more and more despondent and frustrated and is starting to show signs of depression.

Can anybody offer me any advice on what we can do to make some progress with the school?

OP posts:

Kez100 · 26/11/2011 10:27

One thing I would question is why a level 6 in year 9 with peers in the same set doing even better than him, are all being taught for foundation paper. But I'd ask politely as there may be good reason.

My daughter is also a set 3 child (but that is the right place for her) and they are heading for foundation (whereas 2 and 1 go for higher). Her class scored level 5 at KS2.

It may be that they are entering them in year 10 for GCSE and then resisting in year 11(those that do well then go on to do Higher).

Original poster

loveandlight · 26/11/2011 14:32

I don't really understand what you mean sorry. They didn't all get a level 6 in year 9. All I know is even the ones in set 1 and 2 got no more than 65% (apart from one in set 1 who got 75%).

In set three they are being given the choice to do the foundation or the higher. My DS has chosen to do the higher but wants the chance to take the paper that will allow him the chance to get an A* which he can't while he is in set three. He has a lot of potential and is very good at Maths but the school are holding him back for the reasons I have mentioned above. He was actually assessed as two years ahead in Maths several years ago but has regressed since he has been at the school.

I am hoping someone can give me some advice on how to move forward with the school about this or what else we can do about it?

OP posts:

fergoose · 26/11/2011 14:39

We had a similar experience with science - teacher told my daughter she would only be entered in to do the lower paper. Daughter very upset and downhearted and at the next lesson very bravely queried this, she told her teacher we had purchased study guides and i had arranged extra tuition for her and without a word a week later the teacher handed her the entry details for the higher paper. Judging by the results we are getting now, daughter is more than capable of this, and was just going unnoticed in class I reckon.

What I am trying to say is if your son has a discussion with his teacher in the first instance this shows willing and may help his case - mind you I may have gone in all guns blazing if this hadn't worked for us! It is very demoralising for the child though so you have my sympathies.

Can you offer to pay for him to sit the higher paper as an extra I wonder?

webwiz · 26/11/2011 15:22

If he is going to be entered for the higher paper but its just that they won't cover all the material in class then I would get a revision guide and go through it with him. A relevant revision guide and past papers will get him a long way.

With a level 6 at the end of year 9 an A might be a bit of a stretch for him. DS is in set one and as a class they are expected to get A or A but they all got level 7 or 8 at the end of year 9. No harm in him pushing himself to do better though especially if you think his ability isn't reflected in the marks he has achieved so far.

Kez100 · 26/11/2011 16:18

Unfortunately, your posts don't make complete sense (not necessarily your fault but there is a lot of misunderstanding somewhere).

If he is sitting Higher paper then he could get an A star. That's the paper you can score A* to D grade on. However, as a level 6 in year 9 there is a huge amount of work to cover to make sure he can attempt all the questions on the Hihger paper. obviously to get an A star you need to be able to answer a lot right, so need to know and be secure on the whole syllabus.

I therefore assume the teacher didn't mean he couldn't get an A star due to the paper but means he won't be able to because of the content covered in class.

As another poster has said, in this case, if he is determined to work to achieve the best grade it sounds like more input is needed. He will need to cover the school work as those levels come up on the paper as well and then do more to cover the work they won't get to.

Speak to the school to conform this and to find out what won't be being covered and find a way to cover it with him at the right time. You wil also need to know if he is sitting modular or linear papers (if modular are still available?)

bruffin · 26/11/2011 16:42

I am not sure if you think level 6 was underachieving for him, because in Maths at KS3 the levels go up to level 8 and top sets at dc's ordinery comp are expected at least high 7s or 8s in yr9

snowball3 · 26/11/2011 17:30

I have to say, Level 6 at the end of year 9 isn't very good, (a third of the children I taught were Level 6 in YEAR 6 last year) and the chances of getting from there to an A* are pretty remote. I would expect top sets to be getting level 8's

bruffin · 26/11/2011 19:08

"All the sets in his year group were given a Maths test a couple of weeks ago and were given about a couple of weeks revision time for it."

Why didn't he do the test at the same time as the rest of the year. If they all had a couple of weeks to revise wouldn't he have had the same even if he was off the day of the original test?

noblegiraffe · 26/11/2011 19:31

A level 6 in Y9 would usually predict a C or just maybe a B at GCSE. If he sits the higher paper then he certainly has the opportunity to get an A*, but that would require a hell of a lot of work on his part and it would be very unusual for a level 6 student. What is his target grade?

I'm also confused about this test that everyone got 2 weeks revision for. Where was he during the revision period and why didn't he sit the test? What test was it and was it even the same test that sets 1 and 2 took? I'd be very surprised if they gave the same test to the whole year group, which is what you seem to be suggesting happened.

I'd like to help, but at the moment it seems a bit of a muddle as to what is actually going on.

mumslife · 27/11/2011 08:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

bruffin · 27/11/2011 12:26

If he really wants to work at it, just go online get him practise papers Edexel and AQA have past papers on line for free. I have been printing some off for DS (yr11) who has mock's next week.

We also found an A* maths revision guide at the weekend from wh smiths which is published by Lonsdale.

Get him to talk to his maths teacher about anything he doesn't understand or find a more friendly one, DS's maths teacher has an open door policy for anyone who wants to come and discuss maths, even if it's not one of her pupils.

If he is as good at maths as he thinks he is he has to prove it by taking a full roll in class. DD was put into the second class when she started secondary, we knew she should have been top set and she was a bit disappointed however told her to get on and prove herself. She did by getting top marks in the class and taking a full roll in the class etc. She got moved up for yr 8. In someways it's not so good because I think her old teacher was far better for her than her new one, but that is another thread.

bruffin · 27/11/2011 12:35

please forgive the apostrophe in "mocks"

Original poster

loveandlight · 27/11/2011 21:17

I'm glad you understand what I am on about mumslife.

It was a weeks revision time they were all given not two weeks so I got that bit wrong. They were all told about the test that was coming up a week later but then the very next day my DS was given the test to sit so he never had the chance to get any revision in.

The problem is not that he doesn't put the work in or speak to his teacher because he does. His teacher just tells him there's nothing she can do because the top two sets are full. It was his teacher who told me he will never be able to get an A because of the paper he will be sitting because he is in set 3. She said if he was in set 1 or 2 he would have the chance to get an A.

I am very pleased with the school overall as it is extremely good and gets excellent exam results. It's just the Maths setting we have always had the problem with and to be honest I'm just as confused as some of you. All I know is he does everything that is expected of him but keeps being given the same work to do over and over that he has done before. He then finishes it early and just sits there with his hand up until the teacher is ready to attend to him which usually means by then a lot of time has been wasted.

What I have now decided to do is to book another appointment with the school and take my DS with me this time. I will not give up until this issue gets sorted. Its a mums instinct really. You usually know when something is right and should be left alone and when its not right and needs sorting. This needs sorting.

OP posts:

bruffin · 27/11/2011 21:34

Have you found out why he only got a level 6 at the end of KS3?

Original poster

loveandlight · 27/11/2011 22:42

In set 3 he was given the choice to do the foundation or the higher paper. He chose to do the higher paper. I have just noticed fergoose's suggestion. I think I will arrange for him to sit the higher paper myself if need be so thanks for that suggestion.

Bruffin - I never got a satisfactory answer when I queried my DS getting level 6 in year 9. I was just told that he is an excellent student and an able mathematician. They said he grasps new concepts well and has an excellent recall of prior knowledge and that he will go on to make excellent progress at GCSE. I just feel like we are going round and round in circles with the school which is why I posted on here.

His class is also very disruptive so the teacher suggested he could sit outside the class to do his work. I can't see how that would work well in practice though. Apparently some other parents have also complained about the class being very disruptive so it's not just us.

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 27/11/2011 23:37

If you are going into school (which I think is a good idea because it is hard to tell what is going on from what has been reported) you need to have it clear in your mind what you are asking.

Some of my questions would be:

what is his target grade
is he capable of achieving a B, A, A*
if yes, what needs to happen for him to achieve this in a class where some will be sitting a Foundation paper where the material is capped at a C - he needs to be taught the higher syllabus
what measures are being put in place to deal with the disruption (sitting in the corridor is not a reasonable solution)
is he doing a linear or modular course

Kez100 · 28/11/2011 05:25

Loveandlight, as far as I know you cannot double enter higher and foundation. Certainly not at the same sitting. Firstly, I believe, some questions overlap but also they are sat at the same time, so you can only do one level in a subject at a sitting.

Noble Giraffe suggests lots of good questions.

rainbowinthesky · 28/11/2011 07:04

What about tuition? Can you afford it? Then at least it would take away all this stress.

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