DS bored in year 7

[whitecatsandblackcats]

DS was at state primary, then indie primary for years 5 & 6 (his state primary went into special measures).

He's just started secondary in year 7 (state) and tells me he's bored because he's covering stuff he's already covered in year 6.

I'm not really sure what to do with this info, it's a huge school and they're obviously not going to change the curriculum to suit my DS.

Any advice?

Seems like main problem is he's not being set, yet.
Not clear when or if setting will happen? Doesn't he like being top of the class? DD got a big identity self-esteem kick out of that. It's fine to coast a term but I wouldn't want to coast for yrs either & at his age a month can feel like a year.

Sounds like he misses old friends, too. Success & happiness at school is mostly about the social life.

Yeah sure I'd ask his tutor about this. Just lay out that he's not being challenged & risks becoming disengaged. School need feedback.

I’ve worked in teacher education for over 10 years. I agree with lots of the posts on this board, but the thing that stands out to me as a massive red flag is Year 7 pupils doing lots of copying off the board. That suggests to me non-specialist teachers or really poor teaching. (Neither are surprising with the current teacher recruitment crisis). If your child continues to be board I would definitely be raising this with the head of year - with lots of examples from your child’s books. No one ever learnt anything from a pile of copying and it’s laxy, lazy teaching, possibly put in place to satisfy lots of senior managers doing book checks. I wouldn’t go straight in with this point in November, but perhaps ask your child to tell you how often it’s happening over the next few weeks.

Sorry, if your child continues to be bored not board

Thanks for all the thoughts everyone, all very useful.

Everyone's responses are helping me untangle my thoughts - there are two separate issues. 1 is DS saying he's bored, seeming a bit grumpy about school and 2 is the fact that cause he didn't take SATS the school have marked him as 'no data' and plonked him in middle sets for maths and english (all other subjects are mixed ability anyway). The 'no data' thing means he doesn't have the flight path stuff and predicted grades that his peers have - which makes him feel different / wrong / frustrated.

In science (his top subject) he was asked to predict his own grade but then told he couldn't put that grade down as it was too high. Yet he was also told that his exam results were fantastic and that he couldn't be given a target for the end of the year as he was already at 'end of year' standard (so he couldn't be given a target). This to me seems a bit odd, why can't he have an 'end of year' target that is beyond the usual year's work or level?! And why can't he put down a high GCSE target if his current working level is so good?

TBH I would be pleased he doesn't have a target/flight path set on SATS. I have one DC whose SATS results were unexpectedly good so he has targets that he is nowhere near hitting which is completely demoralising. My other DC had a nightmare on the day of one of her maths SATs papers and did uncharacteristically badly and is so far ahead of her expected levels that they are entirely meaningless.

Assuming the school constantly assess and review their students (if they don't, you do have grounds to complain!) he will soon be moved to the "correct" set and set some targets based on his currently working level (if that's a thing your school do). It's still very early days in his secondary school career.

Thanks RedSky - frustrating for your DC that the flight paths are inaccurate. It makes me wonder why they do them at all as I'm sure the things that happened to your DC must happen to other children as well.

whitecatsandblackcats - they do them because computers generate them as a result of the central government obsession with tracking data. Schools know how well government expects their cohort to do in their GCSEs as a result of their SATS and are judged on that, so create systems that supposedly measure whether they are on track to do that. If, statistically, the school does not get enough of that year group of children meeting or exceeding the levels that, statistically, children who got those SATS results should get, then the school is judged negatively for it, hence the silly systems for trying to work out whether or not children are on course to make the school look good or bad. On an individual level, they are, imo, ridiculous and unhelpful - just a stick to beat teachers with (eg refuse pay progression) if too many children in their class don't seem to be progressing like automatons/statistical data. They are not really hugely helpful to the individual child. It's not as if teachers can even accurately predict how children will do in brand new GCSEs when they have so very little experience of preparing children for the new exams and marking systems, anyway (and they aren't even teaching the GCSE syllabus anyway in year 7). What is important is that the teacher knows the syllabus they are supposed to be teaching and can identify where the child in front of them is understanding the syllabus and where they are finding things difficult. They work this out bygetting to know the children in their class as individuals, not as bits of government data.

Tbh, it sounds like your ds feels like he's sticking out like a sore thumb for being different - no target grades, obviously not in the right sets, etc. It is harder work settling in if you are feeling, through no fault of your own or anybody else's, a little bit "othered." How can you establish your place when you know you have started out in the wrong place and might either be moved and have to start again, or end up stuck in the wrong place? If there are sets for English and maths and your ds is not in the top ones but ought to be, and sets a lot of store in his academic ability, he may feel he is missing out on getting to know children he feels he has more in common with.

If your DH is in too low a set for Maths and English then he must be producing work that is by far the best in the class. If this is the case, the school will move him. Sets are VERY fluid. If he is not coming way ahead of everyone else then he is in the right set. You needn't worry, he will find his level and the school will ensure he is moved if he is not in the right place. Schools move students all the time. No school will let someone getting 100% all the time in a middle set just cruise there.

With regards to science grading, are you sure your DS is properly understanding the teacher? It may be that they explained something and he misunderstood as it doesn't make sense that they want a predicted grade but then tells him they can't give him a predicted grade. I would clarify this with the teacher as no one here will really be able to clarify something going on between your DS and the school.

We'd warned DS that he'd be bored at the first term of year 7 and he was. His prep had covered most of the work already, but it was a good opportunity to get used to everything else.

They did new stuff in the second term (except for French)

Thanks for all the responses, I'm going to start a new thread as I've been to see the head of year and since then have some slightly different questions now.