KS3 Target grade confusion

[BravePotato]

I have googled around, but still a bit confused.

Just received the target grades for my DS (who just started y7).

They say his target grades are level 7b,mostly, for the end of y8.

Now, this confuses me no end as it seems so high.

DS is average (even below average for English (level 4b/c SATS), slightly above for Maths (level 5c). Yet his target for both Maths and English is 7b

How did they get to these target grades? Is it the notorious (and even more confusing for me) Family Fisher trust? Is the school dreaming?

And most importantly, should I question the targets?

They even have given him a 7b target for MFL (is that even possible? he has and some French at primary, but not much)

WWYD? Anyone shine a light on this?

Or are they doing away with these levels anyway, and it's all irrelevant?

I'm an MFL teacher and have rarely awarded a level 7, and when I have it's only been to the very brightest at the end of Yr 9....

I agree that these seem very high Y8 targets....

I reckon they cocked up, no? In which case, should I say something?

Yes I would say something. But do it in a 'this confuses me no end' way, rather than a 'you cocked up' way. No point getting their backs up.

Speak to the form tutor, ask how they get the target levels. If it's all ok, she can reassure you. If it's not right, she can flag it up for the appropriate person to look at.

Do they just give target grades or predicted grades as well? At our school we get both. Predicted are what they think a student will get if they carry on working as they are now; target grades are aspirational and what they think a student is capable of getting if they work harder.

Looking at the KS3 figures for DS's school (which is end of year 9 not end of year 8 and also a selective school) only about 10% get a level 7 in MFL. Although it is a boys' school so perhaps that is a factor. Figures are much higher for Maths (98% level 7/8) and English (about 60% level 7/8).

To be honest, I wouldn't think it possible to go from 4b/c to 7b in English in 2 years. Progress in maths can be quicker than English (based purely on my own experience!).

I would definitely ask for an explanation!

Not a teacher but my understanding that an average child should be L6 at end of KS3. So this average child at the end of KS" would have got L4.
If this was my child I would be querying the grades.

Or you could just ignore them completely as they are made up bullshit, fed to parents as some sort of science.

Levels have been scrapped so they school may not even be using them in a couple of years as the new GCSE is coming in that also uses numbers.

May just leave it then