Do sets affect options and can children still change sets once in year 9/10 and on gcse pathway?

[tigerscameatnight]

Dc1 has learning difficulties.
Just started year 8 and working at level 4b to 5c. In year 5 Was a 1a!

They have just moved up to set 3 in seven subjects but not the core subjects which are set 4. They actually met their target in Science and got their highest level but didn't move up which I'm a bit confused about as they were told for last three months they would move up.

My Dad has the same learning issues and it suddenly clicked in year 8/9 , it would seem dc1 is going the same way and it's all starting to click.

The sets they are in now mean that they would only take the foundation paper I am guessing? Does it also affect the sets they can choose?

*options they can choose.

I'm not sure of standard policies, but my general experience of setting is that movement depends on the cohort. So eg the set 3 in yours may be of too high a standard, and therefore he's better suited to being ahead of the rest of his set 4 class for now. Or it could just be that because he'll be behind curriculum wise, they aren't prepared to even try and stretch his new found ability. I think for this term I'd just see how he progresses before deciding which was the most likely reason.
I'm guessing in part sets will influence papers, in that it doesn't make sense to try and teach a* curriculum to one pupil in a class with everyone else struggling to master enough for a c, when you could just move sets, but I would expect them to be capable of differentiating across a smaller range within a set.

Thank you.
I am more than happy with Cs Tbh school is a struggle. My only worry is how obtainable a C would be being taught in the next to bottom set. With science they have been consistently the top of the class by a mile so its a suprise yet they've moved up in things I wouldn't expect where little progress level wise was made. So I'm baffled how it works.

Different schools manage this kind of thing differently.

But

Final decisions Foundation v Higher aren't taken until ~March year 11.

Setting should stay flexible, especially if no streaming. At DD's school there were two streams, each with 4-5 sets for core subjects. But at least the top set of the lower stream would have been taught higher paper content.

DD moved maths sets going from y10 to y11 to give her more exposure to A grade topics/questions so moving is possible in an organised school.

Setting may affect some option choices, but again that is / should be more down to the child's current levels rather than the set they are in. A set should not limit what a child can learn, in as much as if they are managing the work they should be moved or extended within the set.

When does your DC select GCSE options? Is it mid y9, or does your school go for the 3 year GCSE nonsense?

I really think it depends on the kids in each set rather than certain sets being fixed levels iyswim. Eg at my secondary the second to top set were mainly aiming at c/d, despite there being 5/6 sets. My friends ds is in second set for maths and science at a comprehensive where they are aiming at a/b with perhaps the odd a*. Really depends on the ability level in the year group.
(Also bumping this so you can get more opinions)

What a fantastic improvement! I very much doubt they'll be earmarking who is foundation and who is higher for at least another year if not more so don't worry about that yet.

I would ask the head of science exactly what he needs to do to move up a set though. Or maybe ask if he can move up for a trial period?

My dd started back as a year 1 this week and we had a call from her Maths teacher yesterday to say she is being moved up a set so I think it's fairly flexible even in their last year. At dd's school the only thing that effects what options you take is science - if you are really strong you can take them as Chemistry, Biology and Physics. if not you take the dual science award which is a bit of all 3 mixed into 2 GCSE's rather than 3. Other than that there were no restrictions on what options they were allowed to take. They did advise them to try and keep their option subject broad to give them flexibility later on with college applications etc

that should say year 11 - not year 1!

the only thing that effects what options you take is science - if you are really strong you can take them as Chemistry, Biology and Physics. if not you take the dual science award which is a bit of all 3 mixed into 2 GCSE's rather than 3

I was discussing this with DH yesterday, it is the same in ds's school. I wasn't great at science but managed a B in Chemistry GCSE. I'd not have liked having to do all the sciences though. Wouldn't it be better to let those kids with less ability in science choose between doing the combined science GCSE and an individual science? Some people might be fine at Biology but very weak at Physics for example and that might stop them getting a C overall but if they did GCSE Biology they would get a C.

It's worth remembering that Y8 will be sitting the new GCSEs, and for those subjects which remain tiered, the new Foundation papers will cover grades 1-5 where the highest grade you can get is more like a low B than a C. I know in maths we are considering entering some C/D borderline sets for Foundation on the new GCSE where they would have been entered for Higher on the old spec.

I'm not sure which subjects will be tiered in the new GCSE, maths is, science will be, English isn't, and I think most other subjects won't be either.

Some very well known independent schools do let children do one or two individual sciences for GCSE but it seems frowned upon in the state sector. It's 3 or nothing.

Regarding moving sets, it does need to be borne in mind that the curriculum for many subjects has changed. At a training session for school governors I attended recently, our trainer stated that a lot of the Y7 maths curriculum is now in the Y6 curriculum. In other words, maths is getting more difficult! Some A level topics will now be in GCSE. Therefore it is way too early to decide upon exams. The assessment of 5a, 6b etc is also no longer relevant and schools will assess differently. Your school should let you know what they are doing. The bad news appears to be that children who struggle are likely to find things even more difficult now. Schools need to inform parents of the changes. Many have not.

Forgot to say, the grade for maths will be 1-9 with a foundation tier and higher tier. Foundation will be grade 1-5. OCR have some information on their web site if you are interested.

Mainly with the single sciences I think it comes down to timetabling.
So it is more complicated to timetable just Physics and Biology rather than 'science' and then over the year the lessons switch between subjects.

Also, I did no biology beyond the age of 14 (at my school you did Phys&Chem or biology) and that really was a bit rubbish. My DD has just done y11 and I think the double science covering 2/3 of each is good and has given her a well rounded science education.