Mixed ability or streamed for an able child?

[hippospot]

Need to choose between two secondary schools soon.

Both Ofsted outstanding, both mixed, both will get some intake from DD's primary.

School A is closer (15 min walk), newer (no results yet though that doesn't worry me), smaller, fewer facilities, fab head. Mixed ability for all subjects except maths.

School B is further (30 min walk), bigger, well established, excellent facilities, fab head. Streamed for most subjects.

DD is very academically able, was pretty bored in year 5 as found lessons easy and pace too slow.

I prefer School B as I think being in top stream will stretch her more and I do worry that in mixed ability class there might be more disruption.

I was picked on at school for being "studious" at a mixed ability school. It was not cool to be clever. I also found learning to be frustratingly slow-paced and got fed up of disruptive children slowing things down even more by needing to be told off constantly.

Should I even be worried about this?

Academically I think she'll do well in either school because she is conscientious and motivated, but I want her to be able to find her "tribe" and not be at all ostracised for being bright.

From what I’ve read on here, the research show mixed ability works better for most children, but not for the top 10% or so. I was certainly put off a school that doesn’t stream for maths where the maths teacher at the open morning explained that my dd would enjoy explaining things to the rest of the class - what a way to single out a child and set them up for bullying.

I'd pick school B because of it being well established, excellent facilities, fab head. Streamed for most subjects.

If it's bigger they might be able to offer more subjects and there'll be a bigger pool of kids to make friends from

To clarify, maths is streamed in both schools.

Speculoos you are right that the bigger school offers more subjects too. It offers more languages and being a linguist myself this does appeal (though at this stage my DD hasn't had enough exposure to languages to know if this is her thing or not).

To work really well, mixed ability classes need teachers to be better skilled than when they have a streamed class. My (not large, not UK) secondary school was largely streamed, but syllabus rearrangements to give us more subject choice in the middle years meant that we went to effectively unstreamed classes for things like History, Geography and French. We had utterly brilliant history teachers who continued to do brilliant things that engaged both ends of the class. In other subjects it was more variable.

In terms of the cohort I think it is legitimate to think in terms of your children "finding their tribe" - if you have a group where you comfortably belong, it is much easier to develop the confidence and social skills to mix with a wider range of people. I didn't "find my tribe" until I was at university so this has been part of my thinking with my own children. Hasn't entirely worked with my daughter I suspect (but she does have an academic peer group to challenge her, just not mixing socially with most of the girls). My son has just moved schools and is looking so confident and comfortable in his new environment I'm a little bit jealous :)

So on your estimations at the moment I'd probably say school B - but if you still have the opportunity, try to find out more about school A, talk to the head or other teachers, get more of a feel for the environment. I could imagine that they might create one top and one lower class for some subjects eventually even if they were otherwise mostly unstreamed, for example. Good luck with the process.

From what you've posted, school B.

Sorry posted too soon. School B for it's established set up, facilities and streaming.

B.

Mixed ability classes were awful.

Large, loud and because I was plodding along as average ability inspite of high intelligence, no one spotted my dyslexia or ADD.

Truly grim school record with no A levels or polytechnic or university applications.

Do they stay streamed / unstreamed all through?

My school started with everyone in mixed ability and by (what was then third year) year 9 the only things not steamed were RE, home economics, art and needlework.

Where will she be happy?

All other things being equal: Streamed.

Streaming deffo. My DD1 (highly intelligent) was expected to teach other kids in the (mixed ability) class. Held her back and drove her mad. Clever kids need more stimulation.

Do you mean streamed or set?

If streaming doesn’t work, why do they do it for maths? I would probably go for B.

There was a previous thread in this that got a bit heated but I think the overall view was that not setting works apart from for the most able children
The local comp we considered for DD doesn’t set and a couple of the teachers there ( and other teacher friends) advised us it wouldn’t suit her.

You really need to find out whether it is streaming or setting.

Oops-said that twice-sorry!

You do need to clarify if streaming or setting.
Streaming does not work well for a child that is patchy (i.e much stronger/weaker in some subjects than others).

My DC go to a school that is mixed ability apart from maths. We've not had any particular issues with them not being taught to the appopriate level. Also, the reality is that in KS4 (which starts in Y9 at their school) selection of GCSE options mean the classes are not full ability range (e.g. only the better scientists choose triple science, only those DC who are good at MFL choose a MFL ...). Plus as others have said, mixed ability works better for all apart from the top 3% or so.

My dd has just started Y7. She had her form but this is different to her set. She is with the set for most subjects and she is loving it. She is academically able but instead of resting on her laurels she has the challenge of being with other academically able kids.
I was only set for Maths and English and it meant many classes were spent in boredom. I was also academically able.
Even better is that DD's school is big on encouraging sport and extra curricular activities too.

Mixed ability may work better if it's done well.

My experience for a dyslexic child was that mixed ability English didn't help skills aquisition.

OP.
People are asking do you mean streaming or setting.

Setting = each subject, or group of subject is sorted by ability, so you can be top set maths&science, bottom set English.

Streaming = sort by general ability, so you are either top, middle or bottom stream, which is less good for people with spikey profiles.

Some larger schools stream and then set within the streams.

Does the no setting/streaming school (except for maths) continue like this all the way up the school? I have a mid/low ability DC and I wouldn't be happy with this. If it is only in y7 and set after that then less of an issue.

Streamed. How can very bright children be anything except bored and frustrated if they are held back to the pace of much slower pupils? And how can less bale children feel confident if there's always some knowall with their hand up or the majority of the class 'get' somehting and they are clueless but too embarassed to ask.
No contest.

I meant setting not streaming. Agree with TeensTimesTwo setting is the best way for everyone.

In my opinion working in classes based on ability is 100% better for very able children. Not so much for others.

"How can very bright children be anything except bored and frustrated if they are held back to the pace of much slower pupils?"
That's not wht happens in good mixed ability teaching. Agreed that it might in crap mixed ability teaching though.

Thanks everyone.

I believe it is setting not streaming. I will use the open evenings to ask lots of questions.

Your input much appreciated :)