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Secondary education

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

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Original poster

Streaming - how do you know what stream your child is in?

24 replies

Stargazey44 · 07/09/2017 18:21

Its day two at my daughter's new secondary school, which streams its pupils. I wondered how and when parents know which stream their child has been placed in, i.e. high, middle, low ability? My daughter did not perform as well as expected in SATs which largely informs the process of streaming at this school, so I would like to gauge what ability group she's in sooner rather than later. How did other parents find out?

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 07/09/2017 18:23

Usually they look around at the other kids that they were with at primary school and figure it out for themselves.

Allthebestnamesareused · 07/09/2017 18:32

usually because they are called set 1, set 2 and set 3

woodlands01 · 07/09/2017 18:35

Ours are called M, T and S - work that out if you can!

Original poster

Stargazey44 · 07/09/2017 18:46

She's the only one from her primary school, so can't compare unfortunately. The streams I think are deliberately named obscurely, e.g. CG, PK...

OP posts:

Tanaqui · 07/09/2017 18:46

Middles, tops and stupids?!?!?

LoniceraJaponica · 07/09/2017 18:46

Is she streamed or set?

PotteringAlong · 07/09/2017 18:48

It will only be until Christmas (I'm assuming as you said you think she underperformed in her sats you think the school has placed her in the wrong band) and then the school will adjust their bandings based on how they are actually doing. Don't panic.

woodlands01 · 07/09/2017 18:51

Nothing as straightforward as that Tanaqui.

Pizzaexpressreview · 07/09/2017 18:52

mastering towards and secure!

BertrandRussell · 07/09/2017 18:54

Are you sure it's streaming not setting?

donajimena · 07/09/2017 18:58

I'm still not actually sure where mine are. Yr 8 and 10

TeenTimesTwo · 07/09/2017 19:35

Our school sets (per subject or subject group) rather than streams (high ability, low ability) until y9 (actually hardly for anything in y7, then all the traditional academic subjects in y8).
I know what sets DD is in from her timetable. e.g. Eng4 means set 4 for English.

Otherwise if it is streaming, you need to listen out for her complaining the work is all too easy. Or you could contact her tutor and ask, but you won't get her moved without them seeing for themselves she is in the wrong stream.

Battyoldbat · 07/09/2017 19:37

M, T and S
Marvellous, Terrible and So-so?

Do you have a new parents evening soon? Why don't you ask the school/hoy/tutor?

gazzalw · 08/09/2017 08:15

Usually schools don't just stream on SATs marks because they know they're not necessarily a true reflection of a DC's ability (particularly if the primary schools have offered lots of extra-curricular support to bolster results/outcomes). Many secondaries do a pre-year 7 entry internally set school exam. This will then be used in conjunction with SATs scores AND a child's primary school report to determine sets/streams.

Has the school's website not got any info online to help you work out where your DD sits in her year? Or why not just ask her HoY?

WhatHaveIFound · 08/09/2017 08:24

Maths was setted from day 1 at my DC's school and it was on the basis of in school tests. English & languages are setted from Y8 and we were informed by letter which they were in, helpfully in sets 1 (top) down to 5.

BertrandRussell · 08/09/2017 08:51

I really hoped streaming was a thing of the past......

Seeline · 08/09/2017 08:55

Ask the school?

Every school will operate a different system......

nocampinghere · 08/09/2017 10:48

i have no idea either
schools deliberately keep it quiet i think!
since you can't suss it from knowing some of the other kids from primary (who she is with / not with) you'll have to ask. be prepared for them to fob you off though.
don't worry too much until at least after christmas - there'll be a lot of adjustment hence why they keep it deliberately ambiguous imo.

ifonly4 · 08/09/2017 10:57

At my daughter's school they often moved them up or down at the end of the year depending on how well they were coping in their class, so try not to worry. If your daughter doesn't feel like she's being stretched in class or with homework in any subject, either of you can speak to the school.

I imagine (unless they are really struggling) be taught the same things, but there could be extensions to some things, ie my DD's maths set had five extension questions they had to do on top of the 15 everyone got. English, there'd be an extra question to answer on what they'd studied.

Battyoldbat · 08/09/2017 14:39

What is the difference between setting and streaming?

I'm curious as to why you wish streaming was in the past bertrand? Genuine question, we're at the start of our secondary school life and setting (as I understand it) seems pretty sensible to me so I wonder if/what I'm missing.

TeenTimesTwo · 08/09/2017 14:50

batty

Setting takes each individual subject (or group such as the humanities) and puts you in an ability group for that subject. So you could be in Set 1 for maths as you're brilliant, but set 5 for English as you struggles.

Streaming takes your general ability and puts you at that level for everything. So you are streamed into say A, B or C and you are in that for maths 7 English & Science & humanities & languages. This is generally not considered so flexible or good especially in the early years of secondary. It doesn't work so well with kids with skewed profiles, and if done early in secondary can be unduly affected by quality of primary rather than the child's ability.

Some larger schools may stream then set within the stream which is a bit better.

It is easier to move sets mid year as it means only changing for one subject. Whereas if changing stream it might mean a whole new timetable and a new set of teachers. Hence why streaming to early isn't great.

TeenTimesTwo · 08/09/2017 14:52

streaming TOO early (typo, honest)

Battyoldbat · 08/09/2017 14:56

Ah ok, thanks for the explanation.
yes in that case streaming does seem not that helpful.

Thistly · 08/09/2017 23:58

In our school, sets are really rare to move between, although apparently certain subjects appear to be set but the course content is identical.
I think that if you are concerned you need to talk to the school, as clearly from all the different stuff on here, each school takes a different approach.
When is the first Parent's evening?

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