Need help before tomorrow please, teachers of CE Maths

[inthename]

My ds is Yr 7 independent school.

He was scoring 80% + in internal assessments at the end of Yr 6 and 78% in a PIM assessment also at the end of Yr 6.

Last term, about 5 weeks into the term, they did Level 1 CE assessments for fractions and algebra which I'm now being told he scored 36% and a Level 2 CE assessment on fractions which he scored just 6%. They haven't done any other assessments since.

He also failed a pre test for a senior school on the Maths paper.

I have repeatedly requested meetings with his maths teacher as ds was saying she had upped the pace drastically and kept refusing to explain anything. She fobbed me off, didn't have time to meet me and blamed it on ds being late into maths once a week due to a music lesson but always maintained that she wasn't able to provide ds with a short bullet point type thing so that he didn't miss any explanations. She also developed a huge fascination with the few times ds forgot his maths exercise book which apparently impeeds progress (we just used to get told to work on squared paper!)

Anyhow, we were told that she was going on maternity leave and ds was looking forward to working with a different teacher as she seemed to be destroying his previous confidence and what he did or didn't know.

Today, I've received an email from the head of maths who was absent for the last two weeks of term that the whole department have decided that as of tomorrow ds has been moved down to what they call 'set 2' which is basically the bottom set along with something about allowing ds to consolidate the basics.

I've arranged a meeting with the head of maths as ds is very upset by this, he worked his way out of this 'set 2' and doesn't want to go back there and is certain that it was a topic specific issue rather than a whole maths as a subject problem. I'm also concerned that this move will then mean that they leave him in this set for the whole of CE as they would be covering the CE topics in a different order.

So, how do I put it across so that they leave ds in the set he is in currently rather than move him on the basis of a specific assessment? I'm not being funny, the pace in the other set is the complete opposite extreme and is everybody who really struggles and we've had no warning of this move at all.

Quite a lot about this would worry me.

1. I would be seriously querying why only one assessment was done last term and why you have only just heard about the results - after a good year 6 this should have raised questions in the head of maths' mind as to what was going on. Too late now but find out when this term's assessments will be and when results will be available. Ask if you can have a fortnightly maths report from head of dept himself as to progress/problems - too much has been allowed to slip, I think.

1. The music lessons should be on a rotation basis so he only misses part of maths occasionally. Request this. But this coupled with the missing maths book seems to me to indicate disorganisation from your son and I also think he has got on the wrong side of the teacher, who then avoided meeting you. Ask the head of maths how he intends to help your son with organisational issues .

1. Maths is a very building block type of subject and I think it is possible that yr son might have difficulties with one area yet be ok in others - again, an argument for staying in set one if you really think it is the right place for him. Is the set 2 teacher someone he has had before? this could change yr view of set 2 if it is not as it could be the teacher has a style more beneficial for your son

1. Get to the bottom of which Level CE yr son should be taking for his target school(s) and ensure set 2 will teach to that level even now in yr 7. Ask head of maths to get copy of assessment from target school which he failed. Ask if it is poss to retake at a later date this year - it should be if yr school can explain difficulties yr son has had this year and on the back of previous good results. Perhaps son could have an interview with maths teacher at target school for an oral assessment to show he does have ability (assuming he does!)

1. If head of dept really thinks yr son is struggling with maths, ask if he can have extra support now to nip it in the bud - is there a maths club? maths homework help? lunch time session with head of dept himself?

Good luck! Take notes of what you agree as to action from now and keep on the h of dept's case - be on his side but ensure action happens. Being in set 2 could be the making of your son's maths: provided he is closely monitored and progress or the lack of it is dealt with swiftly. You could probably insist he stays in set 1 but I would recommend going with the head of dept's view provided all the questions above are answered to yr satisfaction and that he does not languish in set 2 if he could be promoted back to set 1.

I'm not a Maths teacher, so can't help on those specifics but I'd want to know:

why did you only recently find out about his dreadful assessment results? did your son keep them from you, or did the school not report them? what consolidation work did they do with him at the time to help him improve? If he was struggling so badly after only 5 weeks of the term why did they not move him, support him or contact you then?

can you change the time of the music lesson? Maths - where he is clearly currently struggling - is not an ideal lesson to miss, especially the start of the lesson, when explanations are being given.

I would query how the 'whole department' can have made the decision your son is being moved down (and only now inform you of that decision) if the HOD was off for two weeks before the holidays (somehow I doubt they met over the break). If his previous track record in the subject is good (which they were from what you said, although not brilliant) then why the sudden down turn?

On the other hand, a slower paced set, where he can consolidate what he is clearly struggling with could well help his confidence.

Don't minimise the impact forgetting his book - and several times is a problem, not a one off - can have on progress. He needs to be more organised. In a subject like maths, where it can help to look back on previous work, corrections and comments, your son can't do this if a book is left at home. It also - rightly or wrongly - suggests something to the teacher about his level of commitment and effort in the subject. Perhaps the school see moving him down as a needed wake-up call. Acknowledge to the school you know he has been disorganised, tell them how you plan to help him improve in this area, and ensure he does.

Do see the HOD and discuss your concerns regarding progress and confidence, and what you can do (working together) to help him regain his former good grades. Don't go in all guns blazing demanding that he stay where he is, as that will simply make it look that you are not bothering to see the problems he is having in the subject. Ask them what topics are coming up, what you can to at home to help support him. Ask them to be clear and honest about any and all issues he is having with quality and completion of work, effort and attitude. It could simply be he is having a tough time adjusting to the faster pace of secondary. Moving down now will probably not harm him long term and may well help. However if you feel that the pace of set 2 is really going to be so slow he will be bored senseless then explain this to the HOD. Also, if you feel a move down will destroy his already fragile confidence then express this to them too. If it helps, write out a bullet point list of your concerns so you don't forget anything.

And help your son to see, that even if he does get moved down a set, he is not a failure. Moving up to secondary is something a lot of boys struggle with organisationally, yet they still come out with good results years down the line.

How many math classes are there? At my DS's old prep there were 4 the scholarship stream, then three more many of those even in the bottom set still sat level 2 and 3 math CE and got places at good selective schools. My DS1 is crap weak at math frankly I wouldn't have cared what set he was in I would be more interested in the teacher and if my DS liked his teaching style and thus learnt something. If your DS is struggling with math and the results of the assessments clearly show he is then perhaps he needs to be in a class where the teacher has time to address his problems and there may not be time available in the higher sets for those not getting it and he may find that he's getting left behind.

Thanks. We're both having trouble sleeping because of the way the head of maths has literally dropped this in my lap.

Happy - there are only 2 groups. Set 2 is basically the bottom set and is all students who routinely score under 50 - 55%

At the moment, Set 1 is working on level 1/2 CE stuff and working up to level 3. I don't have any information on Set 2 because ds was moved out of this set at the end of Y5.

I've had problems with communication with the Set 1 teacher throughout yr 6, she graded ds very low (they have a teachers report thing each half term and she kept grading him a 3C without being able to justify why) then he scored highly in the end of yr 6 exams. I think she was hoping that he would get moved out of her group but the exam score meant the HOD over rode her.

Going into yr 7, his homework is always correct and the work he does in lessons is always marked as correct, so I had no reason to believe anything was wrong, she wrote in his report that he struggled with certain aspects but did not at any time say or suggest he would be moving down.

I had to contact the HOD about his next possible school as she is also classed as the 'co-ordinator' of this and received an email back stating that they as a department had reviewed the assessment grades and have decided to move him into set 2 as of tomorrow morning and she would tell him tomorrow. The email also gave the impression that this would be for the whole of CE so that he could learn the curriculum at a slower pace.

I've had to arrange a meeting as I replied objecting to the move and she has asked me to go in and discuss it. I have had no real explanation, ds is in the 'acclerated learners' group and has never had any problem with any work they do in these seperate workshops.

Ds is very very upset as he realised last half term that the teacher didn't wish to explain anything, replied to any question with 'its year 7 now' then explained the easy concepts over and over again whilst speeding through the difficult ones.

He was holding on to the fact that this teacher goes on maternity leave and there is a new teacher coming in. He feels that the opportunity to prove himself has been very unfairly taken away but is currently laying awake fretting that there is no way of getting his view across as the HOD will expect him to go to Set 2 tomorrow.

I'm confused as to why the HOD has only told me in a 'by the way' fashion, the night before its supposed to happen and even more confused by the request to meet with me and whether the decision can actually be reversed or not.

Apologies its so long, as you can tell, I'm confused.

inthename has your DS practised his maths over the holiday and tried to sort out his gaps? If so and he now thinks he understands the topics that he scored so low in then you have more of a case for him remaining in the top set for a further trial period. If not then, I agree with everybody else, surely the most important thing at this stage is for him to fully grasp each topic so that he can then have a firm base for the next phase of maths. Otherwise his maths will fall to pieces for GCSE. Fractions and algebra are pretty key and level 1/2 CE rather basic for a top set in year 7 so I would be surprised he got such low marks if it was only the difficult concepts he did not grasp. Pride should be a secondary issue. As HG says the quality of the teacher is more important than the set and full marks at CE level 2 at the end of year 8 is better than erratic understanding whilst working to a higher CE level.

If it's any consolation some of the children in our set 2 do better than some of the ones in set 1 by the end of CE. Your school might be structured differently, but in ours set 2 cover level 1 and 2 in year 7 and just focus on level 2 in year 8, although some children will eventually only sit level 1. In set 1 we cover level 2 in year 7 and level 3 in year 8, but some only sit level 2 at the end. As long as your son still has the opportunity to sit level 2 in set 2, which I imagine he would as this is the normal level, then I would say go for it, he may find that the teaching style of the teacher there suits him better than what he was getting in set 1, especially as he did do badly on critical topics, which probably together form a good 40% of the CE.

I've just moved a form 8 pupil down into set 2, with the full expectation that next year in year 9 he will be back in set 1 - sometimes it is a numbers game and if more than half of the cohort are performing at a higher level than one child they deserve to be in the higher set - in another year the relative position of your child may be totally different, e.g. There may be more weaker children, or more gifted ones who make the year group average lower or higher, so your child who scores say 50% could one year be in set 1 if there aren't so many bright children in that year group. But another year be in set 2 as there may be loads of really able children.

They are definitely moving him down.
Head of maths is going to monitor each half term.
He actually failed 5 topic assessments which his teacher basically didn't tell me.
Hes very upset but this time I asked them to talk to him whilst I was in the room.
I've registered my disappointment at the complete lack of communication.
Now to be 'positive' even though I don't feel it and get him back where he should be.
She let slip that he finished Yr 6 at a 4a, which isn't that great considering he finished yr 4 of his state school on a 3a - more questions to be answered than answers given at this stage.

You are paying for your child to attend this school and you can't get answers?! That is atrocious! You need to throw your dummy out quite frankly as you are the client expecting a service from the school and you are not getting what you pay for! I have had various issues with my children at school and often have learned that what the child is telling me isn't quite the same as the feedback from the teacher-but at least I am getting the feedback. You will obviously be upset by the apparent fall in his ability etc but the one thing screaming out at me from the situation is that the school are not being forth coming about communicating with you.

Actually 4a at the end of year 6 isn't unexpected given where he was at the end of year 4. You expect on average 2 sublevels of progress a year. If he was just achieving 3a then for him to be 4a/on the cusp of 5c at the end of year 6 would be perfectly normal progress especially in a diverse subject like Maths where it is possible to be very strong in one area and find another challenging. Progress isn't linear and it is quite normal for children to plateau whilst they consolidate skills and knowledge.

I too would be concerned at the lack of communication. Whilst I expect my year 7s to communicate their test results to their parents normally, when things are going this wrong I would be expecting parents to be informed: as a subject teacher I would have raised it as a concern with HOD/Pastoral/his form tutor. Perhaps the teacher did. But somewhere communication has broken down. It should not have got to this stage without a 'heads up' to the parents. Hopefully now you will get regular updates.

I would be more concerned, as a parent, that my child did not tell me he was having big difficulties. Did he know his results and not tell you? If so I would be concerned by this and it could suggest he is very anxious/afraid of failing. However you are feeling, try to communicate to your son that this move is to help him and not because he is a failure. Every child finds a subject difficult from time to time and a lot of children find the pressure of working towards the CE from such a young age very stressful. The move to secondary, with more independence and responsibility expected, more teachers to get to know, more books to remember and more homework to juggle, can be very hard for some children; particularly, in my opinion, for boys. Help him with his organisation and encourage him to see his progress and strengths.

She let slip that he finished Yr 6 at a 4a, which isn't that great considering he finished yr 4 of his state school on a 3a - more questions to be answered than answers given at this stage

That is precisely 'expected progress' during KS2.

It sounds to me that set 2 is where he needs to be. A slower pace might make all the difference.

Your son's school have handled this very badly and I do appreciate that you might be panicking with regards to future schools etc. However, I do wonder why this is a complete surprise to you as I tried to tell you in a previous post that 80% was at the very bottom of the exam marks for level 5 maths in Year 6 (78% being a Level 4a). Are you sure you weren't given any indication of this in your son's end of year report for Year 6? Have you been 'helping' your son with his maths homework to mask his lack of confidence? Moving forwards, it sounds as if your son needs a slower pace (even if just for a term or two) to restore his confidence and you should try to be positive to minimize your son's disappointment. Depending on the size of the year group you may find that a number of pupils in set 2 actually scored similar marks to your son in the maths exam at the end of Year 6. Obviously, try to get his music lesson changed so that he doesn't miss anymore maths lessons.