Don't really know what to make of year 7 short report

[Matlow]

Does anyone have a moment to glance over my sons short report and tell me what they think? It doesn't look great to me but perhaps I am not interpreting it properly. Any honest opinions would be great. Thanks.

We had one a bit like that for DD1 and wasn't quite sure it was very informatory! At this stage/age it's the "effort" bit which I'd be focusing on and in your shoes I'd maybe be a bit concerned about Science?

Just had DS y7 report, so no expert, but as far as I can see English, Maths and Science are sbove average, and look good.

The other subjects will develop once settled more into secondary.

Level 5 by end of year 7 is higher than "average" according to our school.

I'd concentrate on effort grades and helping with organisation. Perhaps a chat with the science teacher is in order to understand the effort grade.

So the target on the left, the current in the middle and the 'trajectory' is what they think he will end up with by the end of the year.

I too would look at effort and organisation grades.
Start with your child, ask why they think there is such a range in effort and organisation grades.

Definitely contact science teacher to ask for specifics. Maybe also the subjects giving C grade too.

See if you can unpick organisation and see if you need to scaffold more.

If child is organised and puts in effort the grades will come, so don't worry about grades at the moment.

I thought the trajectory was more the grade they were immediately given when they arrived, perhaps based on cats or SATS.

The science effort grade is a worry, when he's got a fair amount of progress to make by the end of then year to achieve the target - 2 sublevels.

Pooka It might be, I was only guessing really.

At my DCs school in subjects like the sciences where you cover a series of topics the grade is not expected to rise before year end, whereas in subjects like languages it would.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I think I was concerned that his actual grades and target grades were quite low but I agree I should be concentrating on his effort and organisation. If these improve I guess his levels will follow. He has always been in top groups and things have come quite easily for him so this should be a wake up call and he can catch up. Tiggytape is right the trajectory grades are where they think he will end up based on current performance. The Maths is puzzling as he came into year 7 on 5b from primary, was assessed in first term as 5c and is not expected to improve on this. He did a test in February that was marked 6b but was perhaps on an area he was more confident in. I kind of imagined he would be all 6's by now! I will stop thinking about levels and concentrate on supporting him to improve his effort and organisation scores. Thanks again.

He needs a kick up the arse re his effort in Science, it must be pretty bad to get a D. The Cs aren't great either.

The attainment looks good, if he can pick up the effort (C and D) then it will be even better! It's a big change going into year 7 with lots of distraction, hopefully the organisation will come with time.

You're right noblegiraffe it's definitely not good enough. I can understand the organisation as he is really scatty ( he has lost his zip card several times, phone twice, keys, pencil case, coat, PE kit etc) hopefully it will get better as he gets older, he is a late July born. However the effort is another matter and really needs addressing. I'm going in!

All level 6 in year 7 is very unrealistic, unless he is super bright.

Roughly - level 5 at end of year 9 = will be a C at gcse; level 6 at end of year 9 = B; level 7 = A; top level 7/ level 8 = A*.

Secondary schools are famous for not being joined up with primary leavers levels, and often repeat work, work is to easy. Levels are too low.

I would be gutted if DS have l5/6 sats and then came home with 3/4s. I would be talking to the teachers. I would be most displeased.

Boss- how are you getting those levels? L5 in y 6 is a C I though?

Level 5 at the end of year 9 is the national average. (Or was when they did KS3 SATs, there isn't a national reporting process at this stage anymore.)

Just track it through, using two sublevels of progress per year (the governments expected progress level for all children)
Level 5b end of yr6
Level 6c end of yr7
Level 6a end of yr8
Level 7b end of yr 9

National curriculum levels go up to level 7 (level 8 is exceptional performance and only exists in some subjects). So if a pupil is in level 7 in year 9, they are at the top available grade. Assuming a steady progress (which is stupid really, as kids progress in fits and starts, but it's what the whole levels of progress system is predicated on, so let's go with it) if they are working in the top available grade at the end of year 9 they will also be working in the top available grade at the end of year 11. So mid level 7 = A. If they are at the very, very top of the level 7 (7a) and pushing into level 8/exceptional performance then they will be an A*.

Ta da!

I have taught two truly exceptional kids who were, by the end of year 7, working in level 7 in some areas of my subject (English) in the nearly ten years I've been teaching. They are the sort of kids who will walk into Oxbridge, breeze through their degree / masters / phd, have huge successes everywhere they turn. They were just leaps and bounds ahead of everyone else.

Ha! Out of curiosity I just googled one of them and stalked glanced at the facebook page. Oxford, studying biochemistry and on the rowing team. As expected!

DH is a teacher and says primary levels are so inflated these days, they do not match secondary levels.

Very true baby. How can they possibly match? They spend all of year 6 intensively prepping for the SATS and are surprised when they can't maintain the same levels without such extreme anounts of support. Not to mention the fact that the requirements of the levels /assessments are very different at secondary school (in my subject at least). It's a stupid system.

No expertise in education. Ime ks2 SATs cannot be entirely trusted. My dc's friend who was still only level 2 maths in early year 6 but after put into a booster class for a couple of months in spring term she reached level 4 just before the actual SATs.

This looks very similar to my DD's report - is it from go4schools? Very similar results too. It was a bit of a shock to get her first report and find that her levels didn't necessarily correspond to KS2 teacher assessments and SATS... From a solid 5a in Reading and Writing she went to 5c, but from a level 4a in Science she got a 6c! It seems that they measure very different things in KS3 and from I have seen in her homework, etc. the level of maturity required is much higher. Also reports in y7 vary a lot and go up and down depending on which module/topic they are doing. In your son's case I would be concerned about his attitude and effort, as there seems to be a consistent theme of disengagement that I would want to tackle now. Have you asked him what is going on?

I had heard that primary SAT levels were unreliable and so wasn't overly hung up on that. However he was assessed at the start of year 7 as 5c Maths 5c English and 6c Science (?) English and Maths were only one sub level lower than end of year 6 which is fine. It's a bit disheartening that he is expected to make no progress at all in Maths and he has gone from it being his favourite subject to his worst. The science is just strange and his initial assessment must have been flawed as he has dropped from an unlikely 6c to a more likely 5b.
I had a good chat with him last night about his effort grades. His initial response was that he had 6 A's for effort and only one D so I should be happy! He did finally accept that C's were really bad and D was completely unacceptable. He has promised to try much harder and be more organised and push beyond the bare minimum, which he doesn't do at the moment. It has been a massive step up to secondary school and I think he has been really enjoying messing about with his friends in class and having a laugh at the expense of his work. I think we are due another short report in a few months and he knows he will lose a really big ( pre agreed) treat if the effort grades don't significantly improve. So onwards and upwards. And yes the report was from Go4schools.

boss thanks for the explanation that was really useful.