Recieved report...What to say in email

[benfoldsfive]

My Dd I'd in year 7 and we have recieved her report and am not impressed with her at all!! Should has dropped 2 sublevely levels in 4 topics, remained static in 3 topics and drop 2 full levels (from 5a to a 3a) in drama since Christmas. The rest has progressed in. Her effort levels were a 50/50 split of always works hard and usually works hard - Not one never works hard. So it really is a mixed report! I struggle to understand firstly that she can put the maximum effort in and drop 2 full levels since Christmas ! and that we weren't informed!

parents evening is in the middle of April and I don't want to wait that long. is it OK to email the school and ask her teachers for a progress report? If so what should I say? I don't.want to come across as precious but I want to help her. I am dyslexic and the thought of writing the email correctly scares me!

Feel like we have failed her.

I'd just email the school saying "I have some concerns after receiving dds report, would it be possible to come in over the next few days for a chat to go over her progress"

Not sure how the English system works but here in Scotland I'm pretty sure they work up the levels e.g. 4 is harder than 5, so they go from being "secure" in reading at level 5 to "making progress" at level 4, so it might not be as bad as it sounds.

In your position I would phone the school office and leave a message for the head of year. Understandably you want to question backward and lack of progress despite putting effort in.

Were the grades at christmas her current working at levels or were they target grades to achieve by the end of the year?

mostlyjustalurker, they were her actual assessed/working at grades at Christmas. There is a sperate column on the sheet for her meg (minimum expected grade) for.The end of year. That's what worries me, in English, maths, science and French she is at her meg. but others are way of. I.e she has a whole level to jump! but I'd still putting in either a standard or above standard level of effort? have they just given her the wrong end of year target?

It was specifically to email if we have concerns? Do you think I would still be okay to call? that would be better for me?

Assuming it's the old national curriculum levels 5 is harder than 4.

Drama could be something as simple as a change of teacher (as it's very subjective) or that they're doing something totally different which she just isn't as good-that happened to dd1 in music, but the other way round. She jumped three levels because they'd gone from studying music composers, to composing and learning to play piano. As she'd already got grade 5 in piano that was a doddle for her.

I would ask to come and discuss it with the head of year and/or her form teacher, and take it from there.

Yes, sorry, 5 is higher than 4. This is going to sound precious but dd does to a drama school at the weekend and is actually really committed and has passed her lamda exams no problems. I think that's why I a concerned because I know she is better than that? The subjects were she has slipped are the ones in which she is taught as a form and not in sets for, so I'm wondering if it is an actual reflection or a blanket mark for a naughty class!

Atleast for the streamed subjects she is meeting her grades.

I will email and ask for a meeting.or.a report, whichever is easiest for them.

I really would not worry about the drama as early as year 7. Just try and keep her enjoying it. Other subjects such as history, geography, RE and music will be new to her in the way they are taught and she does seem ok in the subjects she has studied before.

Children often dip in year 7 while they get the hang of new teachers for every subject and moving around a large school. It will absolutely not be a blanket mark for the form. No school can get away with that. Has she said her form is naughty? Is she being distracted? I would ask to see the head of year to talk through these issues. I would guess the report is actually telling you her grades so they have informed you and the report is not flagging up concerns about working hard. You can phone for an appointment. You do not have to send an email. Get a friend to help.

I forgot to say that the other assessments of her standard could be extremely conservative. The teachers then will be able to show super progress in June when she does get a higher grade!

The dropping large amounts would concern me but the some students find different topics more interesting or difficult than others for example in rs a child may not be interested in Christianity but be very interested in Hinduism. I would ring the head of year and explain your concerns.

Honestly, a lot of primary schools round my neck of the woods exaggerate their attainment at the end of year 6. They are under HUGE pressure to show the right amount of progress between ks1 and ks2, but they don't do external exams since the SATS were scrapped. So sometimes it feels like they just make them up! (Or give a "best possible" grade, not the "average for them" grade, if I'm being charitable)

Secondary schools often do exams in the first or second term to check where the student REALLY is in terms of ability, and go from there, but if a student has been overrated by primary schools, secondary end up needing to make 7 or 8 levels of progress in real terms so it looks like they made the required 4. Absolute PITA.

So it might be absolutely no fault of her own, just that the school have finally got a good grip on her levels. And of course she's working hard and trying to adjust to a new environment so I wouldn't panic. By all means, do ask for more info... Just don't panic if they can't flag up a "serious" reason for it. Secondary school assessments are quite different to anything they've done before. It takes a while to settle.

The overwhelming majority of the problem here is not the children settling in or primary level inflation, which increasingly look like a convenient smokescreen used by many secondary schools in the land. It is quite clearly about where Y7 sits on their priority list and I'm warming up to go nuclear over the issue. Or rather I'm currently struggling not to do that while I figure out an effective approach that might get actually get a response and a bit of positive change.

It is not universally the case but Y7 typically have the worst or most inexperienced teachers, a lot of supply/covers and to date far too much assessment to find out where they "really are" has been laughably casual junk. Last time for English it was definitely the level given to just one bit of homework completed in a half-term holiday (Hi mum! You got me a 6a!). They'll be making Y8 setting decisions on such data, so it's not that funny given that this school are apparently not so flexible about moving sets.

This scenario is clearly quite common given what Ofsted have said in Most Able v2.0

Thanks to all posters. She has fallen in with a somewhat undesirable group and I am probably over sensitive to any drop!

I have called and left a message for a call back.

Remaining static is fine, you wouldn't expect every child to make a sublevel progress since Xmas. (They are made up anyway).
Going down two levels in drama is a bit weird, I can't imagine any teacher doing that and not expecting a call. It could even be a typo.

Sublevels are such bollocks, I really hate that they cause parents such angst.