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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

aged 13, YR 8 and working at a 7C...

49 replies

QuicheOfDeath · 04/05/2012 14:13

in most subjects.

I am decidedly old school and just cannot understand these bloody grades, no matter how many times they are explained to me.

So, all I want to know is - is this a good level of working, should I do more to push her or just let her get on with it?

Thanks.

OP posts:

NotMostPeople · 04/05/2012 17:48

I'm surprised by gcse's in September tbh I have a dd in year 8 who gets a mix of 7's and 6's which is considered to be in the normal range albeit in a grammar. Nobody in her class is taking gcse's for another couple of years.

Jinsei · 04/05/2012 17:48

In our house its an "It'll do....." said with a smile and a wink....

But we are the "you got 99% what happened to the other 1%" family.

Yes the kids know we are joking BTW and aren't crushed by our criticism of them.

Thea, I hope your kids really aren't crushed, but I wouldn't count on it. My father always said this to me and DSis when we were growing up. He was joking, and we knew it, but bloody hell it used to hurt. I always smiled and laughed, and occasionally made sarcastic comments back at him, but inside, I felt that nothing I did was ever good enough. I have never told my dad how he used to make me feel, and I never will, but I did discover a few years ago that my DSis used to hate those comments too.

I will never allow anyone to say shit like this to my daughter. :(

webwiz · 04/05/2012 17:50

Surely the OP means her DD has chosen her options and is starting the GCSE courses in the september - not taking the exams.

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 04/05/2012 18:16

Could be, fair enough. Still unusual to start them in year nine. Or to get to year eight and your parents still not to know anything about levels!

Perhaps I'm just anticipating the annual slew of 'two year old dd has a level 14 in maths, is this good?' threads.

webwiz · 04/05/2012 18:20

That will be when annual reports come out TheOriginal :)

EssentialFattyAcid · 04/05/2012 18:25

How can you be the parent of a year 8 child and not know this already though ?
Are you uninterested in your dd's attainment level - do you not talk to her teachers? Did you not understand her SAT results?

TheOriginalSteamingNit · 04/05/2012 18:49

My child is doing a level six paper for year six sets, but I don't know whether that means she's brighter or dimmer than average.... Can anyone advise?

Original poster

QuicheOfDeath · 04/05/2012 19:00

Would you like me to report to your office after lunch Miss EssentialFattyAcid?

Thanks all - most helpful!

OP posts:

EssentialFattyAcid · 04/05/2012 21:34

Steaming Nit why don't you ask her teacher rather than mumsnet

webwiz · 04/05/2012 21:42

I think Steaming Nits post was tongue in cheek.

LynetteScavo · 04/05/2012 21:48

I'm kinda with EssentialFattyAcid.

Is this a stealth boasting thread?

judithann · 04/05/2012 22:41

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by Mumsnet for breaking our Talk Guidelines. Replies may also be deleted.

Original poster

QuicheOfDeath · 04/05/2012 23:00

Not at all stealth boasting! Although I'm obviously delighted that you think it could be !

OP posts:

ExitPursuedByABear · 04/05/2012 23:09

Really?

CuriousMama · 04/05/2012 23:20

DS1 got an 8 in English and they had to ask if they could give it so it can't be that usual? He was year 8. It is his strongest subject as he's top of the year. No sign of him taking a GSCE yet though?

ibizagirl · 05/05/2012 07:20

Quiche, the levels are good.You don't need to intervene! Dd is 12 and year 8. She gets 7's and 8's and can't get any higher apparently. Will be starting work on gcse's from September too and at the moment she is doing a level 2 nvq German whatever that is. Answers welcome! Best wishes to everybodys children.x.

mumeeee · 05/05/2012 11:26

talkinpeace I just expect my DDs to do the best they can. I would never put pressure on them. Yes I did nag them to revise and work hard but didn't tell them I expected them to be in the top 5 or wherever. DD1 is now 25 and got a first in her Zoology degree she is now teaching. DD2 is 22 and is about to finish University with a 2:1 degree neither of them were always in the top of the class but DD1 was in top set. DD2 didn't do as well as she thought she would in her GCSEs but bucked her ideas up in college DH and I looked at stuff with her and helped her realise why she hadn't got the grades but we would never say where are the As. DD3 is 20 and had learning difficulties she only got 1C in her GCSEs the rest were Ds and Es. She is now at college doing the BTECH national Diploma in IT and is doing well. She did the first Diploma last year and got a Merit which was very good for her and she put a lot of effort in. So effort is important. Sorry for the rant but I really don't think it's fair to young people if parents say things like why haven't you got this grade or why aren't you top. Sometimes other children in the class might have tried hard as well as yours so they might have become higher up.

gorionine · 05/05/2012 11:45

*TaklingPeace2", children are expected to finish Y6 at a level 4 (national average) a 5 is very good and if a child is really good, school can enter them for extended SAts level 6 so your information is not accurate.

Your DD is doing really well QuicheOfDeath(love your name BTW)

TalkinPeace2 · 05/05/2012 14:45

gorionine
level 4 is the expected level : every child without specific difficulties should reach it
so if you take a normal distribution curve with say level 4b as the lower quarter mark
level 5b will be the upper quarter mark
and a good 10% of kids will be in the level 6 range

you just have to look at the results of selective and nayce schools to see the truth of my numbers
dozens of schools get straight 5s at KS2 SATs

gorionine · 05/05/2012 15:24

You said children leave year 6 at a level 6 it is not true. Ds is in Y6, he is a solid level 5 (along with other pupils in his class) but we have been asked if we agreed for him to also do the level 6 extension in 2 weeks. If all pupils were expected to finish year 6 at a level 6 there would be no question, they would just do it which does not appear to be the case.

Sorry I did not realise OP as talking about selective school, maybe it does make a difference.

gorionine · 05/05/2012 15:36

OOPS TalkinPeace2 I also did not see the bit in your post where you did actually mention that the level you gave were for highly academic children so you are absolutely right as I was talking about expected level. Sorry for the confusion I created.

TalkinPeace2 · 05/05/2012 16:31

Stats and numbers is my thang and unpicking the reality of Ofsteds and league table reports is an essential part of my work as DHs PA! TBH I'm happy that the implications of the levels are being chewed over a bit as it helps all the lurkers who go WTF about the reports their kids bring home !!

hayleybarns · 12/09/2016 18:32

is it weird that my child is in yr 7 but she is a level 7a

KittyVonCatsington · 12/09/2016 20:50

Levels have gone since his thread was started in 2012 so that could mean anything. For example, in my school, we are starting to use the new 9-1 GCSE as marking/target setting, so I could say a Year 7 is completing work to a Level 7 standard which would be a B grade roughly in old terms.

Best talk to your school and ask how they are assessing, with Life After Levels.

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