DD not met end of KS3 targets

[smellylittleorange]

To be fair I have pointed out to Teachers that some of them seem extremely high especially since she is doing a two year KS3 but there are two issues i'd like your thoughts on

1. Do these targets matter - is it best to start afresh in the three year GCSE?? She has had anxiety issues this year so i have not pushed it - there have definitely been times when she could have got down to being a bit more academic - it is extremely obvious the subjects she likes and puts effort in.
2. Is she coasting and getting away with it because she is well behaved girl who hands in her homework who will probably get good enough GCSEs but not in danger of failing.

Its hard to know - I want to intervene I really do - I don't want to add to stress but tbh she gets annoyed every single time I ask her to do homework and she is really disengaged. It's so frustrating. she has also got in with a gobby crowd at school who she admits disrupt her lessons.

I just don't know what to do - this has been going on for a while and I've been hoping she would knuckle down and get on with it - but she hasn't . the school don't seem to bothered - is that ok ?

These are based on old KS3 levels ...apparently

What did she get for her y6 SATs?

The one that does concern me is her maths, as she seems to have gone from a 5b end autumn y7 to a 6c end year 8.

In old money you would need 5.7/6 end y9 to be on target for Cs at GCSE. But no idea how that equates to end y8 and new GCSEs!

I know nothing about levels, but they seem to be expecting massive differences in attainment for some subjects.
For example geography was predicted to make 3 units difference, dance even more.
But only 1.3 in technology and computing. So that Geography, where she has not made expected progress, has actually really improved. She must have worked really hard.

I think she was solid 5B for Maths and 5A in assessment for English but 5C for teaching assessment . I think the original targets were based on Sats and Cats ..

I suppose the KS in two years doesn't help. I was under the impression schools should not do it if they can't guarantee the end results would be the same.

I am worried about Maths as I know she has a goodbrain for it ..she just disengaged..her Teacher said in the spring she could get up to 6.7 if she wanted too but no progress there.

Progress has been made in English which is pleasing ..i think the target was too high.

Science she is a bit 'meh' about and it shows ..sheis in different sets for all of these subjects so not streamed .

I suppose I am more worried about the coasting if I am honest. She is disengaged in academic application atm. She is obsessed with her phone, guitar and keyboard. She is an anxious soul so I try not to put too much pressure on her but there does come a point when you just have to sit down and get on with the work instead of procrastinating or moaning about it. I've tried sticking a homework timetable up on fridge ..making rules (no screend until work done) but she hates it! I don't know where to go, if anywhere , next. She can do it ..I know she can when she actually gets down to the work ...her results in History and RS are testament to that.

Am I being naive to hope that going into the GCSE year will focus her more..but what if I don't address it and it gets too late ?

Subjects other than English, maths and Science tend to start lower but improve faster when they learn what is needed.

MFLs tend to start very low due to lack of teaching in primary.

If these are FFT automatically generated targets then they take no account of motor skills hence PE, Dance, Tech could be way off.

There's often a dip at the end of y8 and start of y9 in my experience, mainly because of kids coasting and doing enough to keep off any watch lists but not enough to do really well. That's also the time rushed homework and not revising kicks in too.

She'll do ok at gcse if she works hard and realises that every year is a step towards gcse. I always say the most stress free gcse students who appear to find everything easier are the ones who worked well in y7-9. Others just need pushing to realise they have to do a bit more

She has got an award for trying hard in Dance which has pleased me ..so obviously whole picture not there..she hates PE and Tech and says she enjoys Dance but just can't 'do it'. On the other hand she has been told she has been put in G and T for music..so that is not reflected in her levels at all. She intends to take GCSE French, Rs,History and Music. Her aim atm is to go to a 'good University' to do History ..perhaps becomes a Histojournalist or go on stage ..!

As a secondary maths teacher I know that most students do not make linear progress. It is very rare for them not to make gradual progress during early secondary then ramp up much more rapidly towards the end of Y11.

TeenAndTween is spot on about the PE etc too, PE teacher friends frequently complain about their students having target grades based on their English performance.

Keep trying to focus on getting her into good habits but don't beat yourself up about it.

In terms of the new GCSE grading structure, the detail is here:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39490307

but to summarise, a 4 is an old C, 5 is high C + low B. Government have confused the issue big time as they've said '4' is a pass for individual students, whereas schools are being judged by the percentage of 5 and above they get.

Thanks Maisy Pops ..credit to the school at parents eve all the subject teachers have been positive about helping her reach her targets ...offering up their own time to help her etc. She also has the same form tutor throughout her school life who has commented a target they will work on next year is revision technique so positives there. Im I'm looking forward to her starting GCSEs as the curriculum is covered really well alternatively in places like YouTube and the Web so she can do independent learning etc

If you look at how much progress she has made since the start of the year or y7 even, she has made good progress in most subjects. If she is making one full level of progress each year then she is doing fine. Looking at the levels she was at the start of y7 I'd say she's on track for at least C's and B's before the changes to grading.