Pathways

[HFK123]

Hi
I really don't know where to go with this query, so I thought this may be a good place to start. My son is in year 8 and is in the Developing pathway.
He has been placed in this pathway as he didn't do particularly well in his SATS. We foolishly thought that the SATS results were just a measure for the school, so I didn't put any pressure on him to do well (he was 10 for goodness sake!). My advice to him was to just do his best, I did not want my 10 year old to be stressed about exams!! I had an 18 year old in the house doing his A levels at the same time, that was bad enough!!!
However - this has had such an impact on where he has been placed in the pathway system. I'm assuming this is a country wide scheme and not just for our school? Basically by being in Developing, they are saying that they only expect him to achieve a 3 or 4 in GCSEs (C or D I believe).

I cannot believe that a test taken at age 10 can have such an effect on the rest of his schooling! His teachers now can control whether he moves up, but my son has to try 10 times harder than a child that is placed in Advanced. So if he gets into any trouble at all for something like chatting (which I appreciate he shouldn't be doing), his teacher is going to continuously hold him back.

As far as I am aware, there are no concerns, apart from the odd detention for chatting, he isn't causing any trouble or falling so behind in his work, that the school have had to call me in, so what will it take for him to move up!

He scores higher in some of the tests than kids in Advanced, but still they won't move him!!! This is really stressing him out, so consequently stressing me out as I am his advocate (who else is there?). He has asked me to ask the teachers to put him in a higher level, then if he fails to keep up, they are welcome to move him back down.
He's asked me for tutoring for Maths, which I have organised and bless him, he really is trying hard and is asking the tutor to set homework!!!. However I fear that his motivation will be lost if he sees no positive results!!
Where can I go with this? I have explained all of this to the head of year, but she just keeps coming back with the same response.
TIA

The 'targets/predictions' from y6 SATs to GCSEs is a national system. It is what the schools are measured on when calculating 'Progress8'.

However how your school is using the SATs results to set 'pathways' is your school's own system. It sounds from your description that these are 'streams' so he doesn't have any (?or just core maths/English/science?) lessons with people on a different pathway.

He should not be limited in his learning by his 'pathway'. If he is doing work easily he should be asking for and being given extension work. These 'pathways' should be reviewed at least yearly (if it was simple sets it could be termly).
Which 'pathway' should also not be affected by behaviour. In as much as if he is academically performing at the level of the harder stream then that is here he should be (why should strugglers have to put up with all the bad behaviour?).

What I would be doing is

1. Ask his tutor / year head how often the streams are reviewed
2. Ask for reassurance that teaching isn't limited by the stream
3. Ask what sort of performance is needed to move streams

At the point when our school streams (y10), it takes pains to point out that there is overlap between the streams, and that people are not limited by their stream.

What you haven't said is whether he is actually finding the work too slow/easy. That is what matters much more than the stream.
(ie Is this an actual issue, or just a pride issue that he isn't in the top stream)

Hi
Thank you for your response.

I believe the streams are reviewed termly, along with the report.
Re your last question, maths is the only subject he is struggling with, hence his request for extra tutoring, he doesn't really argue with not being in the higher levels for this subject.
Science, he scores higher in tests than the rest of the class, but still hasn't moved up.

It's probably a mixture of pride and being an actual issue. Streaming has always raised these types of concerns, which is why I thought they'd got rid of it. The problem with it is that even if it's just pride, then this type of measuring doesn't motivate.
We've abolished ratings on our appraisals at work for the very same reason - they can be subjective. One manager can score one employee highly, another manager may rate the same employee low. The problem with low ratings is that they do not motivate, in fact they have the opposite effect. And this is exactly what is happening to my son. He sees no way out and is just being told on a daily basis by this measurement that he is a failure.

Due to starting high school at a lower level than a child that did well in SATS, he has to work far harder to move up, even though he may score higher than them in a test.

Can he move up in English but not in maths? In which case that sounds like setting.

Whereas if he has to move everything together that sounds like streaming.

Even if setted, it may be they are more wary of moving up if he has lower SATs in-case a test score is a one off and he would struggle next set up.

I think the naming of the pathways is awful though - how to depress the less able pupils!

Yes, he can move up in one subject, without the others, so by the end of say year 9, there could be a wavy line between subjects, so it's setting.
I totally agree about the names - Developing???!!! The lowest one is Foundation.
So they're Foundation, Developing, Developing +, Secure, Advanced.
I have no issue with him working at his level and being where he is comfortable, and I am certain he wouldn't want to be out of depth either.

You've really helped! It's not the system as such, it's the labels!!

In that case, just keep encouraging him to try his best. if he keeps coming top in his sets they'll end up having to move him.!

Totally rubbish names.

The pathways is something your school has developed. In fact most of the schools in our area use it for first term timetabling only and then they do internal tests and re-set the pupils after those results after the first term.

Keep pressing for him to be placed in the appropriate set.

How do you know your ds scores higher in some tests than kids on a completely different group? What did your ds get on sats? And which group/set is he?

Most kids discuss with their friends what scores they got. Also some teachers will even say well done starpupil you got higher than sone of the top set in that test.

Does he actually sit the same tests as the kids in Advanced?

What did he get in his SATs?

You should ask the subject teachers what he needs to do to move up in each subject he’s doing well in.

My DD is in top set and often says that she has extra questions to do on the tests than her friends in the lower sets but that isn't taken into account when they get their scores. So sometimes her friends get a better % mark than her and think they have done better. She doesn't like to point out that her test was harder so doesn't say anything. She would love it if they gave her both scores (with and without the extra questions).