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Secondary education

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Original poster

SATs levels question for year 9

67 replies

shootingstarz · 04/04/2012 17:03

DDs report said she is working at level 8 in math?s. I assume they are referring to SATs levels yet her school does not do the SATs could it mean something else?

OP posts:
Kensingtonia · 04/04/2012 17:09

It means the National Curriculum levels, I think level 8 is the highest in KS3. DD2 now in year 8 has had her "levels" in her school reports since year 6 - now in year 8.

gillviola · 04/04/2012 17:10

It means Key Stage 3 levels based upon the National Curriculum

Original poster
shootingstarz · 04/04/2012 17:25

I assumed it must be SATs levels. I?ve not seen levels given on any of her other reports so it seemed funny that they should start now.

Is there a link between SATs levels and GCSE predicted grades?

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 04/04/2012 21:53

You'd expect a student working at level 8 in y9 to get an A or A, most likely an A, unless they sit GCSEs early.

ibizagirl · 05/04/2012 06:45

Hi shootingstarz. Dd is 12 and in year 8 and also on level 8 and it is based on assessments. Her school does not have sats (aren't they abolished?). Dd has a report at end of every term and the levels are on there for all subjects. It has the "target for end of ks3" and "working at level". But i thought year 9 was ks4 as dd starts her gcse's when she goes into year 9.

noblegiraffe · 05/04/2012 07:10

Externally marked SATs were abolished but schools still need to report KS3 levels at the end of Y9 for every student. A lot of schools still give the kids SATs exams to assess these levels, the only difference being that they now have to be marked by teachers.

Y9 is KS3. Schools doing a three year KS4 and entering students early for GCSE are actually going against DfE recommendations as early entry has been shown to lead to lower results.

ibizagirl · 05/04/2012 07:18

Thanks noblegiraffe. Interesting to read that early entry has been shown to lead to lower results. Dd has already got an A* gcse in maths after doing it in year 7 and some others have done it or are doing it this year (year 8) so class is now doing some a level work. But dd's school has shown results have been slightly better with children doing early entry. The results are almost on par with the private schools locally.

noblegiraffe · 05/04/2012 07:35

Early entry where the child is going to get an A* is fine, a lot of schools enter early whether students are ready for their best performance or not, aiming for a C.

Your school is quite unusual if students are getting A*s in Y7 and 8. Is it selective?

Kensingtonia · 05/04/2012 18:16

DD2 is also in year 8 - most kids in the class are working at level 8 in maths and the teacher is also introducing some A' level stuff. DD2 is at level 8 in English.

Ibiza your daughter must be so bored if she has already done GCSE - is she G & T in maths; or have a superb teacher? My DD1 is at a superselective and the earliest maths entry for GCSE is in year 10! But they can do a fast track A' level after that. The vast majority of GCSEs are sat in year 11.

They do GCSE maths and English in year 10 at DD2s school but they are now changing to the maths IGCSE. They finish KS3 in year 8 at her school and the GCSEs are spread over 3 years - not an advantage in my opinion!

pastoralacademia · 05/04/2012 22:24

"Dd is 12 and in year 8 and also on level 8 and it is based on assessments. Her school does not have sats (aren't they abolished?). Dd has a report at end of every term and the levels are on there for all subjects. It has the "target for end of ks3" and "working at level". But i thought year 9 was ks4 as dd starts her gcse's when she goes into year 9."

"Dd has already got an A* gcse in maths after doing it in year 7 and some others have done it or are doing it this year (year 8) so class is now doing some a level work"

Do you have twins?

pastoralacademia · 05/04/2012 22:26

Are they in the same school? ibizagirl, or one in a selective?

ibizagirl · 06/04/2012 08:07

Hi pastoralacademia.
Don't know what you mean by "do you have twins?" No i haven't. Just got the one. Not a selective school. It is a c of e school - just a normal school. Admittedly their results a few years ago were quite bad. There was a large intake of Asian children for a few years and the head said it was quite bad at the time. Results are going up quite steadily each year and children gaining 5 or more gcse's including maths and english are 90% which i thought was quite good for a "normal" school. The local academy is on 38%. Dd's school is changing to an academy in september and am slightly worried about it but at the moment it seems nothing is to change only the name.

Hi Kensingtonia. Dd did have a very good maths teacher in year 7 (he was head of maths. They tend to keep the same teacher throughout schooling but he had to leave through ill health) so obviously dd has a different teacher now and she is ok but does not push them much. Dd goes with some other children to another teacher sometimes to do extra maths and the rest of the class do the other work and they are averaging level 6 and 7. Yes dd is on g&t and has been since early primary but it isn't recognised now (i was told that it is now defunkt) and all her lessons (all set 1) are classed as g&t because they are in the top set.Some children do take exams in year 10 and have had good results from them so will have to wait and see.

pastoralacademia · 06/04/2012 08:47

Hi ibizagirl:
i understood from your posts that one dd is in year 8 at L8 and one dd is in yr8 but has already got her A* GCSE. As both cases are in yr8 I assumed they must be twins and I was wondering whether they are attending different schools.

pastoralacademia · 06/04/2012 08:48
Confused
ibizagirl · 06/04/2012 08:55

Hi pastoralacademia.
I see what you mean now. No just the one daughter. Is it because i put that she is level 8? She has assessments still and homework and is getting marked as level 8. Does that make it any clearer? Should dd not be getting marked like this now? Am worried.

Kez100 · 06/04/2012 10:13

Worried? Why? She already has nailed her GCSE and is on A Level work age 12/13. The level she is given is almost irrelevant because the school is clearer good for her and not going to hold her talents back.

All of these children must have gone to a very special Primary!

noblegiraffe · 06/04/2012 11:14

90% A-C inc English and maths isn't good for a normal school, it's astonishing! I'd love to know how they achieve that!

If she got an A* in Y7 (that seriously wouldn't be possible in a year with a good teacher unless she was massively accelerated at primary so they should take some credit) then in equivalent levels, that would be level 11. As levels don't go that high, perhaps they are reporting her at level 8 because that's the highest the system goes? Seems a bit silly but the rules probably say a NC level needs to be reported.

Original poster
shootingstarz · 06/04/2012 11:38

I don?t understand either, sorry Ibizagirl. My DD is working at level 8 yet she?s nowhere near ready to take the higher GCSE maths paper. Am I right in thinking that by the end of level 8 you should be looking at an A * at GCSE? Confused.com

OP posts:
webwiz · 06/04/2012 11:51

shootingstaz if your DD is working at a level 8 in year 9 then if she carries on working she should get an A* in year 11.

There is no point in having a NC level if you have already taken the GCSE Confused.

ibizagirl · 07/04/2012 08:08

Hello everyone.

Kez100. Dd went to a primary school on a council est with high proportion of free meals etc (including dd). She is just very able and finds academic work easy. Wasn't really pushed as i don't think teachers like children to be "different". Sats were level 5a from year 4 and were the best scores the school had ever had. Maths teacher proably the best. She was giving dd year 7 work as extra homework but most of the time i was told to look on the internet. Thanks.

noblegiraffe. 90% is good and it has got better over the years because of a new head. I was told the last head wasn't that great and a bit "soft" but the new woman in charge seems quite strict to me and it is obviously is working. Unless the children are just different? I don't know really. The ones at the school at the moment seem quite ok and i don't hear much by the way of "incidents" but the school admitted when i looked around that a few years back there was a lot of bullying and "incidents". I understand what you are saying about the nc levels. Yes i think it is because a level has to be given. The school marks homework and assessments with nc levels and also gcse marks. So the last German mark was 8 (yes i know - you can't get an 8 but the school says it is called exceptional performance) and also A. History was the same. But when it comes to gcse's (she is only 12 still - youngest in her year) she might not even get any A's. All depends on they day doesn't it? Good luck and best wishes everyone to you and your children.

Original poster
shootingstarz · 07/04/2012 08:51

Ibizagirl, do you mean your DDs school is marking work as A* or do you mean she has taken GCSE exams already.
My DD has started the GCSE syllabus therefore her grades are marked as A or A* but she has not sat any of the GCSEs yet.

OP posts:
ibizagirl · 07/04/2012 09:11

Hi shootingstarz.

Dd's work is getting marked with A and with nc levels. So looking at her German book it says A and the teacher has written "keep this for your gsce!!" and also marked it as 8. Dd has only taken maths gcse so far and so has another girl. Gcse work and options start in ks4 at dd's school (which is year 9,says on report) so from septepmber.

seeker · 07/04/2012 09:25

I didn't realise the there were comprehensive schools that got 90% A*-C including English and Maths-is that actually possible?

And I speak as a massive supporter of comprehensive schools!

Original poster
shootingstarz · 07/04/2012 09:36

DD sat her year 2 sats in year 1 and got level 3 she sat the year 6 sats in year 5 and got level 5 so she?s always been ahead but her current school won?t allow students to sit exams early so she has found things a bit boring for the last 2 years. I?m hoping that when she gets to year 10 the pace will pick up a bit so she stays interested.
Your school sounds like they really cater for the individual child which is amazing for a state school. You must be exceptionally proud of your DD she?s done so well to take her GCSEs at such a young age.

OP posts:
ibizagirl · 08/04/2012 08:15

Hi seeker. Yes the 90% is good isn't it? Dd's school has been graded as outstanding by Ofsted the last time they visited and i think the time before that it was rated as good. But i am sure the local catholic school is on 91%. There are a few privates around here and two are on 100% and one is 98%. The rest are about the same as dd's school. And i am a parent that would have liked dd to go to a private school but am not worried about it now.

Hi shootingstarz. Thank you for your kind words. Dd wasn't allowed to take a level 6 paper at her school. That is why she kept doing the level 5a. Her headteacher at the time tried to get it for her but was told it was defunkt. When dd entered high school her targets were 6a and have improved since then so school must be doing something right! I wouldn't say they challenge them though. Dd is in top sets and has the head of those departments for the teachers but all the children within those sets do the same work even if they are on lower levels iyswim. In dd's German class she is on the highest level. The teacher is giving her level 8 for her assessments even though 7 is the highest but others are only scraping a 5c. But they are all doing the same stuff. I suppose it may change as she enters year 9 as some of those children wouldn't have chosen German as an option. As for taking gcse's early. Yes she and another girl (there may be others i don't know) took their maths in year 7 but to be honest they didn't even get much of a "well done" by the school or anything and dd likes praise. So after doing that one she said she's not going to bother doing any more exams early!! :(

Best wishes.