Maths streaming - should I push for my son to move up a set

[boinoo]

I just need to check in with other parents (and hopefully teachers) who can advise.

My son is in year 8 in a mixed comp. He's a quiet kid but I get in impression he contributes to lessons and is doing ok academically. He was placed in bottom set for maths which came as a surprise because he is bright, just quiet. I mentioned it to the teacher at last years parents evening but she wasn't keen to move him up. He got one of the highest score in their term test at 83% and we are fortunate enough to have a weekly tutor too. Two children with worse grades have been moved up and he's been told he has to stay in that set.

Parents evening is coming up. Should I ask the teacher to move him up a set?

I think you could ask why he hasn't, but not specifically for him to move up.

Instead ask for a well reasoned explanation of why he is in the set he is. It isn't always good to be moved up a set and then find yourself struggling. Sometimes confidence and good results come from going at a slower pace.

Don't wait for parents evenings for these discussions, they're so infrequent that progress will be very slow.

Why do you want him to move up? What are the implications? In our school (non selective comprehensive) the bottom set take the foundation level GCSE. Do they think that's what he's capable of but you disagree? What does the tutor think?

His tutor thinks he needs to be challenged because the work is too simple for him about 95 % of the time. He said it isn't stretching him enough.

Good point, thanks

Good idea, thanks

Out of curiosity- why does your DS have a tutor for maths?

Eta, or fo you mean tutor as in form tutor? (In which case, can't they talk to the Maths teacher?).

Because he is in bottom set? Because his parents know that maths is important and can afford to give him support?

It is very common to have a tutor.

He struggles with confidence and I was worried when he joined the school that he was too shy to participate. My son's primary school pushed them in year 6 because they wanted to prepare them for what was to come and I wanted to keep momentum. His confidence has grown but I'm not convinced he isn't slipping through the net and being missed a little.

What makes the tutor more qualified to make this decision than his qualified teacher who teaches him, not in isolation, but can assess against the rest of the cohort? Children will always do "better" with a tutor because it's 1:1.

Point being, the tutor's opinion is irrelevant. The only person you need to speak to, is the teacher.

he would be bottom set without the tutor in all likelihood
and perhaps the teacher is aware of that fact?

@unbelievablybelievable I don't believe his opinion is irrelevant in the same way mine isn't. We all work with my son at different points on maths so a collective assessment is probably a good thing. It is easy for a child to be overlooked in a class of 30.

Perhaps but isn't that the point of education? To improve and learn new things?

atm he’s at the very top of the bottom set? That will be a confidence booster

the other higher achievers in his set also haven’t been moved up

I would definitely be asking and appropriately advocating for your son, especially in maths where he could be missing being taught higher level stuff. Teachers are fab in the main but don’t always get it right when there are so many pupils to consider. Frame it as working with them though and wanting to help.

I don't know that tbh. Two children with worse grades have been moved up because moving up is dependent on the end of term test and he says he got more than them on the test. That's great for them, not saying that's the wrong thing to do, just not sure why he would be held back if that was the case.

did he come top?

Thanks, good points. Always happy to work with them. No problem there. I know teaching isn't easy, I just never know when to step in.

If he suffers from low confidence, bottom maybe better

Far better for an unconfident child to be near the top of a subject group, knowing that he can answer questions and not fearful of saying the wrong thing in front of everyone.

When it's in relation to sets, it is. My DS was in bottom set until y11 but was still on track for higher tier. His cohort were all very able so even bottom set were aiming for 5s/6s. (State school - no entry exam.) But the school down the road has sets 3&4 doing foundation so much lower. Sets are very school and cohort specific.

Valid point but what if he is capable of more and he is kept in that set to quell his confidence issues.

I agree
DD was in top set for everything but for DS is better off being at the top of a lower set where he was more confident
By all means speak to the teacher but sometimes a lower st is the best place

How many sets are there?