AIBU to actually be told which sets DD is in?

[Iamnotminterested]

I've posted before about the lack of information from DD.s school (she is in year 7) . They were put into sets a couple of weeks ago and we have not received any kind of info as to which sets she has been placed - DD has had a guess at a few and in some lessons the teacher has said "because you are x set I expect this and this etc" but really it's just guesswork and I think it's a bit poor of the school not to send out some explanatory gumpf to co-incide with the timetable re-jig.

Am I being unreasonable? Is this just the way it is at high school and I should bloody well get used to it?

We've never been told. Only know from the descriprion on the front of workbooks. The reports don't even say.

What year is your child in, Kez?

We have never been formally told but all the kids know. They were set in Maths and English in Yr7 and now in Yr8, there are top sets in Science, Geography and History but anything below top set is mixed ability. I think it depends on the school. Another local school divides the whole school in half and has a top half and "bottom" half for every lesson (glad DS is not at that school but depends on the child - if you were in the top half then it might be better than being in the mixed ability classes at our school).

My daughter is 16 and is at college. So, she has been right through secondary. Son is in year 10.

I think over the years I have had three communications in total on their sets, all conversations. One when my daughter was put up in English at the 11th hour before her GCSEs, one on my son who is technically in the wrong English set but it means he can be in the right Maths one (and a compromise was necessary) and one - at parents evening - when I was concerned about my daughters English set in year 8 and was reassured it was the right place for her to be. Otherwise I have only known from the schoolbook description, so I do know, just not 'officially'.

have never received any information about this from the school....ever.

No, we were never told either. I found out once that DD was in top set, only to find out later that they divide the school in half so there were two top sets.

Mine are about to leave secondary, and all I ever knew was that they were in the "fast track" for maths, and the DC told me - not the school.

I'm not sure that parents need to know TBH. What difference would it make if you knew? I don't think you'd have an argument for asking them to move up or down, because you'll have no idea of the ability of the other 240 people in the year group to measure your own DC against.

We get a letter at half term with the new timetable enclosed - although the letter didn't explicitly state the sets (every subject is set) the timetable did say 7x1 or 7x2 - the final number being the set. Odd that other schools don't given they're supposed to communicate with parents!

School communication is always dire.

Like why do children drop NC level when they go from primary to secondary? Why isn't there continuity.
Like why are NC levels in MFL in KS3 so out of kilter with everything else (I don't get the "they've only just started studying this" arguement)
Like the confusion over grading at KS4: does a B grade mean "if you carry on like this, you will get a B at the end of the GCSE" or does it mean "if you took the exam tomorrow, you would get a B". What on earth is the point of the latter - DC is not taking the exam tomorrow so the concept is just plain weird.
Like having four levels of grading for effort. This means that there is no middle grade: everyone is either 'above average' or 'below average'. It's a total nonsense.

we are not told

and frankly its the school's business, not the parents'
as only the school has the data on the whole cohort so knows WHY different pupils have been put in different sets

in a school with 300 per year, no parent knows where their child is relative to others at least until the middle of year 8

I suspect it's to stop parents going in and complaining. We weren't told at either junior or secondary, but the kids work it out fairly quickly.

Only thing is you get things like dd's friend, who told dd that said friend was top set when she wasn't, and I had a sort of embarrassing conversation with friend's mum who was commiserating that my dd wasn't in the top set with friend. Unfortunately for her it was dd who was in the top set not hers. Not sure at what point she found out.

senua Dc's junior school gives marks for effort
"A-Excellent
B-good
C-satisfactory"

Um.. do you not think they could at least put "D-unsatisfactory" even if they have no intention of using it? In this case everyone has to be above average.

Tiggytape - actually I think it IS the parent's business. Schools and parents should be a partnership, in support of the child. It's much easier to work as a partnership when both parties are in full possession of the facts. Obviously I don't need to know little Billy in class 1's levels, but I would quite like to know where my child is in relation to the rest of his cohort, and I'd like some broad brush context to that - as in 50% of the year got Level 5s.

(I am embarassed to add that yes I am that parent who complained about their child's set for one subject - but in our case it was justified and clear that a mistake had been made - for which the HoY apologised)

Nope. Never told. Kids know of course and might talk about it but it was seen as the children's business and the school's business. We get plenty of information about their progress - especially in yrs 10 and 11 when GCSEs are approaching - but sets aren't really relevant IMO. It's very different from primary

Dcs school explained all about the bands at the introduction evening. There are 3 bands and a crossover band. Then on timetable they are further split into 3 sets per band. It is quite easy to work out where they are.

Tiggytape - I completely agree with you. I also see my childs' education as a partnership between school and home - as stipulated in their organisers, for God's sake! - and I don't give a monkeys about Hannah down the road or Ben whose come from the private school, I would just like a leeeetle info about my child.

but how would know what set they were in affect that?
surely more important is that whatever set they are in, the classes are at the appropriate level for your DC

the kids always know, even if they choose not to tell you
and its usually written on the front of their exercise books

it can have consequences - my friend was told her daughter should be moved up a set, it didn't happen; friend didn't want to be interfering pushy parent. result - daughter couldn't get higher than C but needed B for college, so had to PAY to redo it at evening class. pita

Yes, JuliaScurr, our local school with the top half and bottom half has the same issue. I know that if you are in the bottom half, the highest you can go for in maths is a Grade C - they won't be taught any higher - written off in Yr9 which is when they start their GCSEs. On a positive note, my friend's son at another school was in Set 2 for maths all the way through and achieved an A* which many in top Set didn't achieve.

Tiggytape
I understand your interest. My kids are in years 8 and 10. I also understand how utterly hacked off schools get with parents who are not qualified teachers second guessing them the whole time. State and Private.