Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

KS3 - KS4 Flight Paths

61 replies

lookatmeimsandradee · 14/12/2016 17:31

Hi
Ive just had dd first progress report (year 8)
It's all changed and I think Ive got my head round most of it.

The flightpaths that the children are assigned (Mastery, Secure, Developing, Foundation, Entry) are supposed to give an indication of what the GCSE levels they should achieve.
When I asked my dd what "flightpath" she is on for each subject, she didn't know.
It's not written in the progress report either. All I have is Needs to improve, good progress, excellent progress.

For those with better understanding

Should the school be telling me what flight path she's on
Am I allowed to know (I want to know)
Is the information going to appear at a later date in the year (after year end exams maybe)
Any help gratefully received before I email the school.

OP posts:

Traalaa · 19/12/2016 12:01

I agree, noble if the parents don't understand it's utterly pointless, but surely... (and I may be wrong here) with the lovely girl, the parents must have known whether she was seen as a potential A, B or C, etc GCSE student. Each term the progress tracker simply says whether they're perceived to be broadly on track for that target still, or really nowhere near/ slipping, etc. It's easy for parents to get that I'd have thought. Most do.

Just to give a counter example. One of DS's friends got a report which showed her on track for academic targets and above track for lots too (so lots of green and blue), but her effort and homework marks were ambers at best and largely red. Just that alone showed her parents what their daughter was like in the classroom. Every detention, she'd managed to convince her mum that she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, was blamed wrongly etc. Seeing it so baldly on the page her parents realised that not all the teachers could be wrong and that their daughter's behaviour and attitude clearly wasn't the best.

I can totally see how whole report thing must be maddening as a teacher, but as a parent I do want to know something. I am honestly not too sure what the answer is! I hope you've broken up and can just enjoy the festivities, with no report in sight.

noblegiraffe · 19/12/2016 12:13

the parents must have known whether she was seen as a potential A, B or C, etc GCSE student.

No. Who tells them what KS2 results mean for GCSEs? Or KS3 levels? I've seen enough posts on here asking 'is this good?' to know that plenty of parents don't know.

Posters were saying upthread that they were being told if their child was on target, but not what the target is. How useless is that?

Bumpsadaisie · 19/12/2016 12:15

Mines only KS1 - what's a flight path please?

Traalaa · 19/12/2016 12:22

Ooh... okay noble. I was just going on my experience with my DS. We were told at end of first term of yr7 what they'd aim for him to get at GCSE. It was based on SATs, CATs and them getting to know them that term. I just assumed alls schools doing the flight path did the same thing. You're right, it is utterly pointless if you don't know what the target is.

Bumps, it's something a lot of secondary schools seem to be doing. So each report tells you if your child is 'on track' for whatever target the school deems them to be capable of. Judging by what noble's just said, there's a huge variety in how schools apply it!

TeenAndTween · 19/12/2016 12:47

I quite like what my DD's school is doing.
Effort grades 1-4 so you can see if they are trying.
Then
'working well above' (1.5 years or more ahead of national expected)
'working above'
'working at' (where working at in y11 would be 4/5 tbd at the moment)
'working below'
'working well below' (1 year or more behind expected)

I can see at a glance whether DD is trying and broadly where she is at. By comparing reports I will be able to see whether she is making expected progress, or not.
It is very clear, and not trying to be over-precise.

hippo99 · 19/12/2016 14:48

I used to work in a primary school office and saw how long it took teachers to write reports

A lot of parents either didn't read them or didn't understand them (this was when levels were "in") parents with cba, English not first language, illiterate or low education.

noblegiraffe · 19/12/2016 15:00

Effort grades 1-4 so you can see if they are trying.

You really can't tell how much effort a kid is putting in. We grade proxies for effort, like if you have to prompt a kid to get on with their work, whether it's neat, whether they put their hand up to answer questions.

This means that students who struggle to be in the classroom, or struggle to be neat, or have social anxiety so don't put their hand up get downgraded even though they might be trying really hard at their level.

I think broad bands for GCSE targets, 1-3, 4-6, 7-9 might be the way forward. Fail, pass, A-level potential.

TeenAndTween · 19/12/2016 15:08

Noble I do see your point re grading effort. You can only look at outward indicators, not what is going on in their head.

However for parents it is better than nothing I think; and if DD were being graded on being neat her grades would be much lower than they are. Also it is good to know that despite DD being massively behind in PE she isn't opting out or being disruptive in the lessons.

hippo99 · 19/12/2016 15:26

all I want to know is should (based on their individual attainment) DS's take geography, computer science (both want to take options) and which other options should they take as I can't fathom their report....

Need to choose after Christmas. Will have an options evening, but tbh didn't find it particularly useful when I went with DD a couple of years ago as each teacher was trying to "sell" their own subject regardless of DD's natural ability, attainment etc...

Noble - Side note, why don't parents generally get CATs results? I found out after their CATs, one of my DS was 2 years below reading age, (I never knew this at primary school). I only found out CATs results with DS as SENCO got in touch with me with a reading strategy.

Their reading (and writing) ability is a concern of mine moving forward choosing their option.....

TeenAndTween · 19/12/2016 15:34

hippo I found I had to ask the teachers directly. If DD takes history, do you expect her to get at least a C for her GCSE? They were incredibly reluctant to offer opinions on suitability unless asked direct. Even the science teacher when DD mooted doing triple science (which would have been a disaster) didn't clearly say 'bad plan' but couched it in waffle words.

(Are your DSs good at maths? There is a strong link between maths and CS).

hippo99 · 19/12/2016 16:01

Will try more direct approach teen, as I said my experience with DD was teachers selling their own subject... Most of them didn't know DD from another pupil....

Will teachers know though when new style GCSEs won't have been sat when we have options evening

Maths and Science are their strongest subjects,

Flip

1 2 3