Changes in year 9 question (England)

[Samesdaynight]

So my child's secondary school does not have sets based on ability which I find quite unusual. They seem to have been put in sets for maths but for everything else they move to different lessons together as a form class.

My question is, when they choose their GCSEs is this likely to change? Are the classes then split up? I am just wondering how this usually works and if anyone has come across this before?

Thanks in advance.

It will depend on the numbers opting for some subjects.

For core subjects I would imagine they will be in ability groups depending on things like triple Science and foundation or higher Maths.

We asked this question when we looked at schools
The majority don't set for electives - history, geography etc. Which I think is pretty worrying.
For key subjects such as Maths and English, set by ability. Science will depend on dual or triple award but only brighter kids do triple anyway.

My DCs' school did set for most academic subjects from y9 onwards - certainly science, English, maths, French. However, my DCs did their GCSEs a few years ago - 2018 and 2020.

My child’s secondary school only streams for maths. I thought this was fairly standard nowadays as the evidence for putting children into streams for all subjects doesn’t show any particular advantage? (Or a small advantage for high achievers but not for the lower achievers).

Logistically its hard to set for optional subjects. It comes down to where there is space in a timetable.

Obviously they will do their options separately because each child will only go to the options they are doing. I wouldn't expect them to be in ability sets for those because, unless your child's school is enormous, I wouldn't have thought there would be enough students doing each option to do that. So they will probably be in sets for English and Maths and maybe Science, but not others. In my school options were 5 Art/design/technology options, 3 humanities options and 5; technology options. There were 5 tutor groups in each of year 10 and 11, so you barely had one class per option in each year, certainly no chance to set. I don't know. maybe like a 10 form entry school could do 5 subjects with a higher and lower set in each?

This was something we asked when we chose our preferred Secondary schools.

Our school has set for Maths and English since year 7. In year 10 they also set for Science.

We avoided the school that doesn't set at all. They don't get particularly good results and personally I think setting is essential for good, appropriate level teaching.

You'll need to ask your school what they do.

My DCs' school had 8 forms in each year group and was able to create sets for the 'bigger' optional subjects like history.

According to the head it was an average size
Comprehensive.

in year 9 at our school, you are set for most subjects, including PE, but not for practical subjects. At GCSE there are higher or foundation papers for some of the subjects, so it’s important to be in the right sets. The least academic will be in smaller classes. Top sets will work at a faster pace. And we move students up a year in June, after half term.

My ds school only set in maths from year 7 and science from y8. All other classes are mixed including year 10 and y11. I think this is partly because it is a small school, only 4 form entry. I would rather they set in more subjects but it does get good results

Fair enough, that's a much bigger school though. If history was one of 4 options in an 8 form entry that's a higher and lower set for each option at least! Or maybe a single set for a less popular option and a higher, middle and lower for a more popular option. If it was 5 forms to 4 options that's one set for most options!

My DDs school is 8 form. Theres three options blocks, so about 10 subjects in each... out of the 15 or so available. So there may be 3 history classes... but its one each in A, B and C. And whether they do Hostory in A B or C depends on the smaller subjects

@Samesdaynight no one can tell you what your DC's school will do, so it’s best to ask them.

IME in general pretty much all schools set for maths and many set for English, certainly at GCSE (some schools for example will study different texts in different ability groups). Everyone takes English so, although there is no tiering, there are enough students to set.

For science, some schools offer triple to a specific group based on ability (my DCs' school did this) so those students study the triple content in the same lessons that others do double – so a higher ability level is needed. In my DCs' school that group were in lessons together for all subjects because of the way the timetabling worked. They then took 10 not 9 GCSEs.

But increasingly schools are offering triple as an option – so with extra lessons – which means that all abilities can take it (tho obvs that takes up an option slot). It's possible to sit F level of science so triple in this way may well be fine for a weaker candidate, esp if they are stronger in one science. If the triple option is offered, groups may or may not be streamed.

For option subjects, as PPs note, it depends on the size of the school. A five-form entry school is perhaps 650 students across KS3 and 4 which is a very small secondary; a more average size is closer to 1200 students and 8-9-10 forms (a big school is 2,000 students), which may make setting more likely (for example, as many as half the cohort may choose history so the group of 100+ students may be set. But they may not.)

My subject is MFL and one year we had 60 opting for German so we had a top set of about 26, a middle group of about 20 and a lower set of 14 or so who were all targeting the foundation paper. But some years that wasn't possible due to timetable constraints.

Basically you need to ask your school – but as you can see, many permutations are possible. Apologies for the essay!