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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

Too high targets?

18 replies

ihearttc · 06/12/2019 20:10

DS1 is in Y10. He's a bright boy but not massively motivated. He's never had to work particularly hard at school as it's always come easy to him but Y10 is proving rather challenging.

He's just got his Report and he is quite a way off his target grades especially in English. His Target grades are 8's across the board and at the moment he's only getting that in Maths. Sciences are a 7 and everything else is a 6 apart from English which are 5's.

He feels he is doing really badly but I just think his target grades are so high that they are unachievable.

He has 2 very different career aspirations...one towards maths/science and the other towards Media and he's beating himself up cause he thinks if he doesn't get his English Grades up he'll never be able to do what he wants to do.

Any words of wisdom?

OP posts:

Michaelbaubles · 06/12/2019 20:11

Well I teach BTEC Media and we take students with 4s in English and loads of them get distinctions and go onto media courses at uni so he needn’t freak out too much!

Original poster

ihearttc · 06/12/2019 20:18

Thank you thats really helpful. He really want to either do Sports Journalism or become a Pilot (which he has wanted to do since he was tiny!). His Media Studies grade is ok (they are doing a BTEC at the moment cause it was changed mid course for some reason) but he finds English Lit especially really hard work.

OP posts:

TeenPlusTwenties · 06/12/2019 20:56

I agree those targets are unachievable if he is not motivated and not working hard.

However if he's bright maybe those targets would be achievable if he were to put in a decent amount of work? What did he get in his SATs? My guess is 110+?

Michaelbaubles · 06/12/2019 21:13

For sports journalism the best thing he can do is start getting experience. A Media course is great because he’ll learn to shoot and edit video and he can use this to get his own work experience - there are tonnes of amateur sports teams who would love someone to take and post video of matches and do write ups on social media. If he plays for a team he should volunteer to run their social media if someone isn’t already doing it.

InACheeseAndPickle · 06/12/2019 21:58

I don't think he should freak out but as you say yourself he is a bit lazy and unmotivated. I think he should see the positive. He's only at the beginning of y10 he has plenty of time to push up his grades and by the sound of it he has the ability to do well if he puts the effort in. He's only 14/15 so his career aspirations will change and develop over time but a great string of GCSEs will him more options and it's worth learning to put more effort in. Even in a dream career there'll be boring bits!

BackforGood · 06/12/2019 23:14

I agree with MichaelBaubles
Become the local reporter / social media person for a local team. It might spark his enthusiasm.
Find out from local hospital radio at what age they will take a volunteer to report in on the local sports teams.

Original poster

ihearttc · 07/12/2019 17:16

Thank you for all your comments.

He did do pretty well in his SATs...think 111 in Maths, 109 in SPAG and 108 in Reading (they were the first year with the new style SATS) so I’m
assuming the targets are set from there.

He is determined to be a pilot at the moment as he has been for his whole life..but his back up plan so to speak is Sports Journalism. He has chosen 2 careers which are both very tricky to get into however I’d say he’s probably more suited to being a pilot than anything else...he’s just concerned that a 5 in English will limit his choices.

When I say unmotivated it’s probably the wrong word...he wants to achieve and do well cause he has a very definite goal but he is surrounded by friends who can’t be bothered and I think some of it is that he doesn’t want to appear different to them and study. All homework is completed and he revises well..he just doesn’t do anymore than what he needs to if that makes sense?

OP posts:

TeenPlusTwenties · 07/12/2019 19:23

My DD's y10 too, I don't know what most of her targets are yet, our school tends to focus more on predicted than targets.

What I would do is talk to your DS about working to achieve his own goals. He doesn't need to tell his friends he is putting in extra hours for revision or whatever, he can quietly work away 'under the radar'. But he will get out what he puts in.

Hellohah · 07/12/2019 22:51

I would ask the school how they set they're targets. I was kind of under the impression that they enter the SATS into a formula and it spits out what they should achieve in their gcses.

But from looking at your DS's SATS and predicted grades, they don't really correlate with my DS's. I'm assuming they look at other factors aswell therefore, presumably the school.

Hopefully the teachers will be able to tell you whether your DS is capable of the target grades and where he is struggling to hit them and what he needs to do to improve.

Good luck

noblegiraffe · 08/12/2019 09:40

111 in Maths, 109 in SPAG and 108 in Reading

This does not suggest that he is in the small percentage of the population who will get 8+ across the board.

But if you say that he is bright but not motivated, this does suggest that he is capable of getting better than what he is currently achieving. Instead of focusing on the targets, look at what he can be doing to improve.

Cynderella · 08/12/2019 19:20

I teach English and can assure you that many pupils on 5s at the beginning of Y10 will end up with Grade 7+.

Although there is content to learn for Lit and mark schemes to master, it's really skills that are assessed in English. Practising constructing arguments, analysing texts and writing fluently will develop those skills.

That said, it's lack of motivation rather than the 5s that are the issue.

Original poster

ihearttc · 08/12/2019 19:39

@noblegiraffe...to give you an idea of the cohort he is with he got the highest Maths SATS in the school. So while I agree it's nothing amazing he is in a fairly low achieving cohort.

He's in the top sets for everything...even English because the rest of the year is so low.

I think the targets are too high and therefore some of the problem is he has switched off and can't be bothered cause no matter what he does he can't achieve them so constantly has teachers on his back. He needs to get over that first. I think if they were achievable he would be motivated to try if that makes sense?

Ive tried to tell him over and over again that a target doesn't matter...it's how hard you work and what you achieve on the day that is important but doesn't seem to be working at the moment!!

This parenting teenagers is hard work!

OP posts:

mrsglowglow · 08/12/2019 20:17

my dd y10 also in a similar situation. Her latest report shows she is only achieving target in Eng Lit. The others are either well below or within reach. I was alarmed when I saw all the reds but then looking at the targets they are very high. Like your son she has never really had to put much effort in but will have to if she wants to reach the targets set. The thing is she's not really that motivated and has no idea what she wants to do in the future besides computer animation. At least your son has some career aspirations that may motivate him. What I'm unsure of is if the targets grade she's at now is equivalent to what she would actually get in a gcse. I know I can ask the school but will just wait til parent evening to ask. My dd although academically able is immature and doesn't show interest in grades at all.

Thistly · 10/12/2019 18:52

Our school gives targets based on the SATS. From what I have gleaned, the target is what the top 25% from the cohort who achieved those Sats results should achieve, so they are ‘aspirational’.

i’m not sure how motivating it is either. My dd has a lot of gaps between her ‘flight path’ target grades for each term and her actual marks. This is demoralising.

There is so much focus on the numbers.

Thistly · 11/12/2019 08:55

The converse of the 25% is the 75% who will not be achieving their targets. Bonkers.

Hellohah · 11/12/2019 11:47

@Thistly DS's school doesn't do the aspirational targets (thank God).

I googled the FFT when I got his first report stating 'FFT50' ... so that's the top 50%. Better odds than the 25/75 your poor DD has.

I agree - bonkers!

mrsglowglow · 11/12/2019 17:03

That really is bonkers! no one has ever explained that to me before. So there will always be 75% of a particular cohort that will not achieve the target? Awful really that a child could get grade 7's which is a v good grade but because of a test they did when they were 11 it looks as though they are not achieving their potential. Poor kids.

Thistly · 16/12/2019 22:39

Mrs glow glow, it depends on what target setting system they use. Pp have mentioned others.
Key words to listen out for are ‘aspirational’ and ‘flight path’ if you hear these terms, you’ll know your kids’ll be under pressure

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