Can you explain how sets / streaming work? Do they all take the same GCSE?

[ParentOfOne]

I understand every secondary school does it differently: some don't use sets at all, some only for maths, some for most subjects.

But what does it mean and how does it work exactly?

Does a lower set cover less curriculum? Or the same curriculum but less in depth? E.g. they might cover the same topic but do fewer exercises because it takes them longer to do each?

How do pupils move from one set to another? If I am in a lower set, then make progress and they move me to a higher set, does that mean moving me to a class where the other pupils will have covered more topics?

Is each set a separate class? So if there are 3 sets it means 3 teachers teaching 3 different groups of pupils in 3 different classrooms?

Most importantly: do they take the same GCSEs? Or do lower sets take a simpler version of the test, and are therefore their grades capped? E.g. if you are in a lower set, even if you ace your test, you can only get a B (or whatever the equivalent is now)?

Does this mean that the most important set is the one you are assigned when you take the GCSE?

Thank you!

In our school, I know that maths is split and they take different papers. English and others do same paper regardless of set.

It does all vary depending on school

gcse wise they can take different ones; in science (one of the most complicated imo) they can take combined or triple (so three individual subjects) and take foundation or higher tier. Foundation is capped at something like a 6.

its problematic
they should all cover the same ks3 curriculum to give them the foundation for gcse. Ideally with less differentiation you can tailor the teaching more (ironically) and get the curriculum content solidly understood. If that works in practice…

Oh and some GCSEs don’t have options - English is just one paper covers the whole range. A bottom set might do a functional skills qual if theyre struggling

Sets will be taught by different teachers at the same time.

It depends on the school/their intake as to how different the teaching of the curriculum In different sets may be e.g. if there’s only 3 sets, there is probably a reasonable difference in what’s covered in content heavy subjects like science and maths. However, if there are 6 sets, there would be marginal difference in the covering of the curriculum between sets 2 and 3 for example. I’ve put pupils in sets and there can be very little if any difference between actual ability of kids in different sets if it’s a big year group.

With moving sets, I would say it doesn’t happen too often in earlier year groups but in my experience of Year 11 it happens a lot in maths to make sure they sit there right paper for them foundation/higher. Apart from obvious anomalies of course, who would be moved straight away providing there is space. Probably there’ll be 2-3 points of assessments when whole year groups can be compared and then the student would have to also show they need to move up or down in their class work and homework too.

First thing: sets and streams are different.
A stream would be e.g. high ability, and everything is taught to high ability. Sets can be different for different subjects (so you can be an English genius in top set english, and struggling with maths so a lower set maths. Streaming doesnt allow this variaion.

AFAIK only maths, science and MLF have tiers of entry at GCSE. So in other subjects there is no limit on the grade obtained. In maths, sci &MFL, the higher papers cannot get below a certain grade (3 in science, not sure about others), and the higher papers cannot get you above a certain grade.
Where I am, higher sets do higher papers (and yes, this has more content). Low sets do foundation papers, and some mid sets may have people doing both.

Before GCSEs lower sets tend to go a bit slower, reinforce proir learning more. This means the higher sets may do more work, something a bit harder, more practice, or cover more complicated examples. They don't tend - from what I can see of my kids school - to do extra topics, just extra in each topic. So, say they were adding numbers. Lower sets might add 2 and 3 figure numbers. The top set might extend that to 4/5/6 figure numbers. English the higher kids might be asked to write a page about a topic, kids who are struggling might be expected to write less.

Science is a more complicated one as well as not all schools do triple science. But some schools will only do triple 🙄.

We do both so top set does triple, they will normally all be doing the higher paper as well. Then we have sets doing combined science, some will do the higher paper then the lower sets will only do the foundation paper the maximum grade they can get on foundation is a 5. But it's important to remember it's easier to get a 5 on the foundation paper then on the higher paper so if they are board line 4or5 student it really is better for them to sit the foundation paper. It can be hard to persuade parents off this sometimes though. 😕

Maths has 2 tiers if entry, as does science and mfls.
Otherwise it is the same for all.
Higher sets may talk about more complex ideas in eg English Literature, but the core content is the same.
You should be able to move up sets if performing well. My DD1 moved sets every year for maths, even between y10 and y11.

Better to be in a lower set going at your pace and level than a higher one getting lost.

For subjects that have tiers than although Mumsnet hates them KS2 results and the resulting flight paths are useful (alongside other tools) of predicting what level a student will achieve. A student getting 115+ is going to be higher tier, those getting below 100 will be foundation or level 1, It's fairly easy to see early on who will be in either tier - the exception is children who have English as a second language because their grades can be improved rapidly as their English improves. Children with undiagnosed SEND can also make rapid improvements if they get the right support in place. Children on the cusp, teachers will look at their mock grades and potentially work ethic to decide whether they have the best chance of success going for higher or foundation.

Most schools stream top and bottom sets so those students can get the adequate support / challenge and cover the relevant content. Many schools start the syllabus early so the end of year 11 is revision s there is the possibility of students who move up a set to learn any higher they have missed.

For some students it is better to be the top of a lower set rather than flailing around at the bottom losing confidence

Lower sets tend to take foundation papers rather than higher, so grades are capped in some subjects, maths, science, French, German. Everyone does the same papers in English. It is possible for students to move between sets or for someone in a higher set to end up doing a foundation paper if they've struggled in mocks for example.
Higher sets may do extra GCSE's ie top set maths may do Further maths. Everyone will be taught for the papers they are doing so the foundation papers have a little less content and in maths the questions won't get as complicated as they do in the higher papers.

In DD3's old school GCSEs were set for science and maths. All other subjects were mixed ability.

There were 6 sets for science, and the year group was split in half, so all science lessons for one half of the year group were at the same time, which allowed for set movement in year 10. In year 11, mocks at the end of year 10 determined the path a pupil would take.

Science
Mock 7+ would be separate sciences, higher paper.
Mock 6 would be trilogy higher
Mock 5 or below would be trilogy foundation.

Mathematics
Mock 7+ higher paper + further maths
Mock 6 higher paper
Mock 5 or below foundation.

Higher sets cover more and at a faster pace. Lower sets will prioritise the content that gets the bulk of the marks in the paper, but might not finish the curriculum.

So to answer some of your questions:

If there are three sets then yes there are three teachers in three different rooms teaching three classes.

Some subjects (English) have the same exam for everyone. Some subjects (maths, French, German) have two exams, higher (hard) foundation (easy)

I'm a maths teacher and my school makes the decisions about which exam to enter a student for in the February before their real exams - so literally three or four months before their exams.
For most students this is a simple decision - they have done the higher paper in the mocks and done well so it's obvious.
For students where we are not sure we usually ask them to sit both mocks (last years papers) and see which one they do best on.

It's about getting the student the best grade possible.

Oh how I wish this were true in schools. Unless things have changed, even those who will struggle to gain a 1 have to take GCSE Eng x2.

@ParentOfOne as others say, it depends on the school. But usually lower sets can expect to sit foundation (capped at a 5 - a strong pass). Higher goes no lower than a 3 (if you drop below that you get U) so yes a candidate looking at 4/5 should sit F.

Edit: as others say, only maths, science and MFL have tiers, otherwise there’s one exam for all.

Should add also that your GCSE certificate doesn’t say you took F or H, just states the grade.

In the school I taught in we often had enough taking MFL GCSE that we could set, which made it easier to teach (higher has more complex content, tho the same topics). Otherwise if we had mixed groups entry was decided in yr 11 but it was usually clear.

F is much much easier in MFL to gain a 4 or 5 btw than gaining a 4/5 in H.

My son was in the "top" set for Maths, but that just meant they had fewer Maths lessons, rather than teaching to a higher level. He had two fewer lessons per week, and the time was used by forcing them to do RE as an extra GCSE. Very strange! Presumably they had spare capacity with RE teaching and needing something for the teacher to fill their timetable. Those who opted out on religious grounds just sat in the library for those two lessons supposedly doing homework!

I think, as others have said, different schools do it in different ways!

It’s worth pointing out that for the majority of ‘options’ subjects, all teaching for GCSE will be in mixed ability groups: so Music or Geography or Product Design etc etc will be taught in mixed ability classes and all take the same exam.

Some schools will tweak this in slightly different ways - there may be streams or ‘bands / semi streams’ or there may be simply 2 classes that have slightly different pupils in them. However in smaller subjects, the only group doing that subject will potentially contain those who will ultimately get between 1 and 9.

The moving set situation is a tough one as others have said there won't be much difference if there are 5 sets. At DC's school there were 10 forms, 5 per "side" of the school so 5 classes all taught maths at the same time. They wouldn't move students that often unless there was a strong case to do so ie foundation to higher pushing.

Deciding a child's potential at 11 is problematic because some are soaring at 11/12 some are not and then excel later. The best thing is to have a consistent approach to homework and understanding where your child falls within their cohort and choose a school that focuses on the individual child rather than their results. We discounted a school who said if your child is a grade 6 then they are capable of pushing up their own grade, we will concentrate on getting a 3 to a 4. Brilliant if your child is that 3, not so great for your child if they are the 6 as GCSE results do have a correlation with A level results.

Depends on the size and ethos of the school.

DD's comp stream and set for pretty much everything. But it's a massive school - I think there are over 20 maths sets.

The important thing is that you can move sets so that you are in the right one. For example DD was put in top set maths in Y7 because she scored very high on the NVR banding test. Within a term they had realised that she was miserable being with all the whizzy maths kids and so she did 2 further moves before getting pace and level right for her.

Moved again in Y8, stayed in the set for Y8, 9 and 10. This year (Y11) she is in a tiny class of 14 for those with "ability to hit top grades but who are currently not on track for and need extra help". There are sets for the Maths Olympiad superstars, the on-tracks, and the 'we will get them a 4 by some means', all with teachers focused on the needs of that particular cohort.

Same story in English and Science. Options like geography aren't set to the same level as fewer children but same principles.

In most schools, although each maths set may be being taught at a different level, they'll usually be doing similar topics at the same time, and there will be overlap between adjacent sets. There's also some recapping each time you visit a topic. That means there isn't usually a problem if someone moves up a set - if there's a topic that set 2 covered in year 7 but set 3 didn't, then set 2 will probably revise that topic in year 8 before moving on to new material, so those who've moved up a set (or just didn't quite get it last year) are okay.
Schools I've worked in have reviewed setting each term, and moves between sets were definitely possible. It wasn't as simple as "come top on the test and you'll move up" - we'd usually look at the previous tests as well, so that we didn't get someone yo-yoing between sets. Of course, if moves upwards are going to be possible, moves downwards also have to happen.

@DoublePeonies : " First thing: sets and streams are different."

So a stream is the same for all subject? If you are in a high ability stream it means that you get to do all subjects at a higher level?

Whereas with sets you could be in the top set for maths and in the middle set for English?

Does this mean that it's an either / or, ie a school which uses streaming cannot use sets, and viceversa?

Do most schools use sets? Based on this, I don't quite understand the logic of streaming: just because you are good in one subject doesn't mean you'll be equally good in all other subjects

Thanks!

@ParentOfOne Schools can use both. Streaming can help timetabling. With sets everyone does English at the same time. But if you have 2 streams and then set in the streams only, stream A can do Englush whilst stream B does Maths for example.

DDs school did two equal halves instead of ability streams, then set within that for KS3.

I don't think many schools just stream.
Some just set and some stream and set.
A lot only set for English and Maths.
Some larger schools will set for everything.

@ParentOfOne we had to avoid a school that streamed exactly for that reason.
Currently in Y11, and looking at top grades in physics, maths, comp sci, and scraping a 4 in English and French.
BUT - he's unusual in having such a wide ability. Most kids are generally ok in an academic stream or a stream with higher support and structure.