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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

Set stress - year 7

27 replies

setstress · 06/09/2021 08:51

I've name changed for this as I don't want to be linked to other threads. DD started secondary school on Friday - out of 6 sets she has been placed in set 5 with several of the same people she was in primary school with. Several of these children have additional needs/ autism diagnoses.

I'm shocked she has been placed in such a low set and more than a little upset - primary have never indicated she has struggled and has been a steady "as expected" on school reports. I certainly wasn't expecting top sets but this has really worried me. Is it worth speaking to the school? I don't want to be labelled as "that" parent yet and if that is where she that is where she is but it certainly isn't where I want her to end up permanently so it would be good to know what we can do to help (tutoring etc)

OP posts:

uglyflowers · 06/09/2021 10:20

Hi as a parent of a child with autism, I just wanted to point out that you can have autism and be very bright.
As a secondary school teacher, I’d say - firstly are you sure these are sets and not mixed ability groups? Most of the schools I worked in taught year 7s as mixed ability. Secondly, it’s fine to question things. No one will mind at all. Maybe speak to the head of year first. These things can affect children’s confidence.

UserAtLargeAgain · 06/09/2021 10:31

I would give it some time.
Firstly, as PP says, you don't know on what basis the sets have been created. They may be mixed ability, or there are several sets at the same level. Even if they are on a definite ability basis, most secondary schools will do their own assessments in the first few weeks and move students about accordingly. It's highly unlikely that she's going to be there permanently.

bocodilloconqueso · 06/09/2021 10:48

Are you sure the sets are not mixed ability? I don't think it's common for schools set children this early.

Original poster

setstress · 06/09/2021 10:55

Thanks for the replies and I just want to stress I did not mean any offence at all with regards to the children having diagnoses - in the sense that it is questioning whether my own child might have some additional needs we were not aware of.

Also the children she are with not her friends at all, and a couple of them were very badly behaved at primary school.

According to a friend they are in the sets the primary school recommended they be in. Other children from within her class are in higher sets.

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 06/09/2021 11:04

Sets for what? It would be very unusual for Y7s to be set for all subjects from the start based on primary school say so when they haven’t sat SATs.

I’d contact the school to clarify what is going on with classes rather than worrying when you only have the word of a friend.

Original poster

setstress · 06/09/2021 11:26

@noblegiraffe all the children on her form are in all her classes. I will contact the school as you are right I may be worrying unnecessarily

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 06/09/2021 11:31

That sounds like they are being taught in mixed ability form groups not sets. They will probably do some assessments in school before doing any setting (maybe maths only in Y7).

UserAtLargeAgain · 06/09/2021 11:32

If she's with the same group for every class, then it doesn't sound like sets (where there would be at least different sets for English and maths).

It's also odd for the primary school to specify sets (how would they know what level every other child not at their school was working at)? Much more likely for them to be asked to split the children into 6 groups based on differing personalities, mixing children up etc.

FawnFrenchieMum · 06/09/2021 11:35

If all the children in her form are in her classes then surely thats not sets, that just a form group? Or have I mis understood?

When my DS started in yr7, he was with his form group for most subjects except Maths, English and Science, these were based on SATs and Primary recommendations, however within weeks they did their own tests and moved them all around.

LindaEllen · 06/09/2021 11:41

FWIW my local secondary school will put pupils into classes named 7R1/2/3/4/5/6 etc, but that's only because that's the code for the timetable - they are then moved after the first half term when the teachers see what their abilities are. Could this be happening in your DD's school?

MrsKDB · 06/09/2021 11:44

Setting in yr 7 is unusual. Check with the school. It’s more likely they are in mixed ability classes.

pointythings · 06/09/2021 11:51

Setting in Yr7 is unusual - our school didn't set for anything until Yr 9, and even then only for maths and the sciences - everything else was mixed ability throughout.

Zodlebud · 06/09/2021 12:15

IME, where a school sets at all in Y7 they usually wait a term before splitting the children into their groups. Otherwise how on earth do they have an accurate assessment of ability or speed at which they pick things up.

You also often find a set that is full of very bright kids but they just need to go at a slower learning pace. I wouldn’t panic now.

Hellocatshome · 06/09/2021 12:31

Sounds like they are being taught in tutor/form groups most likely they will be assessing them probably mostly without them knowing and reorganising into sets later in the year. The 5 is probably just a way of distinguishing them rather than they are 5th brightest if you see what I mean.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 06/09/2021 13:50

Doesn't sound like setting.

DD's school had no access to SAT scores etc last year, but did do banding tests (NVR only). From what I could work out the Y7 tutor groups were broadly grouped based on which band the children were in but nothing more than that. They all had all classes together because of Covid bubbles.

This year (Y8), while DD is in the same tutor group, they only seem to have one academic subject together as a class and are now set for most of the others based on what the school worked out about each child during Y7.

indie123 · 06/09/2021 21:00

Are you sure its not mixed ability. My daughter just started year 7 too and classes are mixed, they said they might move some children around at the end of term depending on ability but not just yet.

When i was at school we didn't have sets until year 9 and i believe its still like that there

I would have a word with the school. Sometimes people pass on wrong info so always best to verify

Eatenpig · 07/09/2021 06:50

Out school have mixed form groups and then those children are again mixed up for mixed ability lessons. No sets until Jan

PeterPomegranate · 07/09/2021 06:55

I honestly don’t see how they would have properly set them so soon? And also they wouldn’t necessarily be in the same set for everything. So it seems likely it’s just a mixed form group?

Son also just started in year 7 and we’ve been told they’ll be set for maths (3 sets) after half term based on a maths test they’re doing in a couple of weeks.

They’re also doing cognitive ability tests next week which I do find a bit odd.

Angel2702 · 07/09/2021 07:02

Ours set them based on primary info and their own assessment they carry out before they start. However they assess every half term and move up and down accordingly, they don’t always stay in the same set for the whole year.

MrsHamlet · 07/09/2021 07:15

Our form groups are numbered 1 to 7. They're not sets.
There will be some setting but that happens at half term.

Evvyjb · 08/09/2021 19:25

We teach mixed ability, in forms, from y7-9 and then mixed across the year at ks4. The classes are numbered 1-4 (2 sides of the year, 8 groups) but it has absolutely nothing to do with "sets".

Original poster

setstress · 08/09/2021 20:49

This is very reassuring and thanks all I've spoken to the school who have said it is mixed ability - I'm still mildly concerned as it still seems to be heavily leaning towards a lower learning demographic but I have to accept that

OP posts:

MrsHamlet · 08/09/2021 20:58

I teach a mixed ability y8 group with a lot of students with additional needs. They're grouped that way so they can have support. My top target is still 8 though, and it's my job to deal with the "lower learning demographic"... the autistic a level student who got an A* in my group this year doesn't seem to have held the others back, if that's your concern.

Method · 08/09/2021 23:10

I'm surprised so many people say their school doesn't stream, most schools around here set for Y7. Our school set for English, Maths, MFL and science based on primary school information, mock SATs and CATs. Some local schools ran the CATs in the last term of Y6 so they could set from September, others do the CATs in early September and set in October. Have they told your DD specifically that she was in a lower set or are you assuming?

UserAtLargeAgain · 09/09/2021 07:38

I'm surprised so many people say their school doesn't stream, most schools around here set for Y7.
I'm surprised so many schools do set (which is different from streaming). I thought that research suggested in most subjects (maths being an exception) that the majority of children did better in mixed ability classes.

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