Dd doesn't have a maths teacher

[dingit]

Yr11, 10 of class got GCSE last year, now doing additional maths. They sit in with the class doing GCSE work, with one teacher, who naturally take up most of the teachers time. They don't seem to do a lot during the lesson, they do some self study, but are still just getting used to this way of working. They then have a lesson after school once a week with the teacher.
I keep emailing in to complain, but no one really seems concerned, dd seems to be wasting her year. Anyone got any idea what to do?

her reply was she only needs a B to do A level maths

Bollocks.

I know, I know. I think that's because that's what the college ask for.
I will report back what the school says.

I will report back what the school says.

I could give you a cliché tick list to go in with .

Go on then

They're just settling in at the moment. (Up to Spring when we can discuss what will happen next year)
We're assessing her ability, (We wish we had more of a clue than an A* at GCSE)
There's others in the class just as bright. they're just not as far ahead. (Your daughter is comparatively thick)
It's just in tests she tends to do well. (Thick but lucky)
We've given the same work to other classes and they're doing all right. (Though in fairness they had someone teaching them)
She needs to put her hand up more if she gets stuck.(so the lack of teaching is her fault)
She seems to like taking part in the lesson with the rest. (she is not disruptive)
Well, we'll have to put some of this into practice. (Please go away now)
We don't think rushing ahead with her education is the best course.(We intend to keep doing very little)
Breath of understanding is important. (We can just keep putting a work sheet in front of her)

noble it wasn't meant as a derailment. I meant it as a lot of schools don't seem to have a good way of dealing with the brighter mathematicians and I was attempting to commiserate. Self teaching is not ideal, not even for the highly motivated. It sounds like I came across differently and I apologise.

Not at all a derailment, Kitten. Your DD aside, her school isn't doing well by their top set either, by not entering them for any additional qualifications. They will struggle with the leap to A-level if they have been coasting with just GCSE. And it's doing your DD a clear disservice, if in another school she would have had the opportunity to get another qualification under her belt.

It seems to be such a lottery as to what happens to bright kids in top maths sets, with them having such different experiences in different schools. No joined up thinking even though we all face the same issues.

Agreed. It's a big leap to a-level and it's such a quick pace when they get there.

There needs to be a clear set of good practice guidelines for schools.

Actually this thread is helpful because I heard that Dd's school does "triple math GCSE" for top set & I puzzled how they did that. I suspect must be regular math (yr9), stats (yr10) & additional math (yr11).

I'm meeting the head of maths tomorrow. I know what I want to say, but when push comes to shove, I get a bit nervous, and don't some across very well. Can any of you wise ones give me a few pointers?

What do you want the outcome of the meeting to be?

The way I see it there are 3 options,

1. She carries on as she is.

2 she rejoins the GCSE class and tries to get her A *
I really can see why she doesn't want to, they are all very competitive, and she would see it as a step back.

1. They get more of the teachers time, work actually set, and going over work in their intervention lesson.

funnily enough she did really well in a test today. I'm also going to query her predicted grade which, wait for it, is an A!

May also think about getting her a tutor, if we could do it between two of us it might work well.

I would recommend the tutor route. Your dd's school has really let her down by allowing her to get an A at Y9, where she should be getting a brilliant A in Y11. Schools that do this are often trying to push as many kids as possible through the D/C borderline so that they can improve their league table positions. I would be properly outraged if my children (both talented mathematicians but younger than your DD) were encouraged to take a GCSE early unless the school was certain they would achieve an A - the way the school has done this your DD has been cheated out of the grade she deserves.

Other posters are correct in saying that it's possible to achieve an A grade without the deep understanding that's really beneficial if you want to take the subject at A level. I think it's shocking your DD has been left to coast once she's got the school her league table points in Y9. Although I am generally very much against tutoring, I think this is probably the only way your daughter will get the mathematical education she needs and deserves. A tutor will enable her to retake her GCSE and get the A* grade she should get, as well as tackle the additional maths qualification with confidence, and have some decent preparation for A level.

This thread has convinced me more than ever how much an A* doesn't matter.

Really lljkk? I think it matters a great deal. many pupils with an A grade struggle with A level maths as it is possible to get an A without having really grasped the more difficult Algebra topics, which are precisely the topics needed for A level.
As a Maths teacher who has successfully delivered Add Maths alongside IGCSE with no early entry, I agree with those saying that OP's daughter would be best upping her grade to A*, although I understand her daughter's reluctance to do so.

1. is clearly unacceptable as it failed so badly as a method last year. Besides, your daughter deserves to be taught. Ofsted would not be impressed at a student being left untaught for two years. If they observed a lesson where a group of students were sat at the back with a book and no structured input, it would be graded inadequate. Is the school expecting an Ofsted?

2. Reasonable option. It is a shame that your DD can't put her education above her pride. It's also a shame that she is competitive with her peers rather than in a supportive group as a collaborative effort with the additional maths would work better.

3. I'd have specifics in mind. A structured scheme of work with expectations for each week's work clearly laid out. Homework set and marked with constructive feedback. Absolutely no budging on that. I'd also push strongly for IT access during lessons - laptops or tablets with headphones. If the kids are having to teach themselves, then they should be able to look stuff up on mymaths or the Khan Academy. Clear assessment points with mocks, past papers etc. Access to the teacher during lessons who should check that they are making progress.

If not, see point 1 about Ofsted. Your totally valid complaint should be escalated to the head, then the governors if no satisfaction.

Lljkk, I'm not sure how you could look at those DfE statistics I linked to, and conclude that an A* doesn't matter. In terms of a-level outcomes, it makes a huge difference.

Thanks Noble, I didn't think of playing the ofsted card ( they must be due a visit), and laptops is also a good idea.

stats not broken down by groups who took got their highest grade GCSE in yr9, 10 or 11 so they aren't so relevant to OP's kid; but even if they were, the perspective taken here about the importance of A vs. A* is not what I see as what matters IRL outcomes.

I hope OP gets a resolution that her DD is happy with.

What is really important is a thorough grounding in algebra. That's pretty much universally agreed as the key to a good crack at A-level. The A at GCSE wouldn't matter so much if the OP's DD were receiving an excellent and thorough teaching of the additional maths qualification. She isn't, she has been left to languish since Y9.

Her algebra must be worked on really hard this year. Resitting GCSE to get an A is one method; A maths features in both C1 and C2. Another possibility is an excellent and thorough teaching of the additional maths qualification. Through the school, or through tutoring.

What is not going to be a good start to A-level is an A achieved in Y9 and bog all decent maths since then. She will really struggle.

Don't quite agree with that LeBearPolar.

I work in a school where lots of B grade students at GCSE get between a B and a D at AS and A2.

If you structure and chunk the course and don't assume the students can work independently e.g. set 5 hours of homework a week, students can be successful.

Obviously, it is much harder from a B than an A* though.

My dc's school has all set 1 and 2 students doing FSMQ in Year 11. DS did it, got an A. Oddly, they don't do maths GCSE a year early, they do both maths and FSMQ at the end of year 11. Seems to work for them, though, as all the students got A* for GCSE and nearly all of them got A for FSMQ.

Hes now in 6th form doing maths and further maths A levels. He's quite frustrated because about half his maths class haven't done FSMQ, so the teacher is going over stuff that a lot of them already know.

I'm not sure I see the point of doing the FSMQ if it doesn't help at the A level stage.

But it has helped at the A-level stage if he is now finding A-level easy because he did it. Would he rather be struggling along with the ones who didn't?

Just back from school, but not really any the wiser.
Head of maths was very defensive, and said they were doing all they could, they are one teacher short anyway.
Maths teacher agreed to set them more tasks at the beginning of the lesson, but said their muttering at the back of the class was a distraction. Can't sit them somewhere else, not allowed. For insurance purposes.
Asked if she should resit for an A*, and she wasn't overly enthusiastic, insisted the FSMQ is good grounding for A level.
Admitted that putting them in for GCSE in year 9 was to bank the grades ' so they didn't lose interest', in past years they sit it in year 10, and all study FSMQ in year 11.
On a plus note, dd does seem to be getting better marks, and is about to sit a mock tomorrow. I think a lot of it is she lacks confidence from her failure in the summer.
If by the end of term she is not progressing, I will either get her to resit her GCSE, or get her a tutor.
I think the maths department is failing the whole school at the moment, I'm dreading seeing what DS is up to in half term reports ( year 9). At least we won't have the debacle of him being entered early, although he is not as able at maths as dd.
The whole meeting has left me with a bad taste in my mouth, dd and I both left feeling the everything was our fault!

their muttering at the back of the class was a distraction.

distracting the lucky kids who actually get a maths teacher this year? How dare they. I'd have been pretty pissed off by that comment. It may be true, but it's the school's fault.

They can sit them elsewhere, they can hire someone to babysit them in another classroom. Doesn't have to be a maths teacher, seeing as the maths teacher is ignoring them anyway.

Did you bring up laptops?