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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

Any year 8 parents/teachers around?

19 replies

seeker · 01/12/2008 12:32

Could you give me an idea of the sort of targets your dcs have been given for year 8? And how many sublevels they are expected to achieve in the year? My dd seems to have such a mixed bag - she's expected to achieve 1 sublevel in some subjects and 4 in others!

OP posts:

EbeneezerSlouch · 01/12/2008 12:36

Not a Y8 teacher these days but I have been..

I would expect most children to be working at L4c-5c during Y8 (english); obviously brighter kids will be better. Usually set a target of 1-2 sub-levels per academic year.

Lots of sublevels - could this be languages - a subject where children start at 0 in Y7 and rapidly progress to L4/5ish by end of Y9, just by dint of their knowing almost nothing aged 11?

Threadworrm · 01/12/2008 12:39

Yes, in newly started languages my DS1 was set a target of jumping up several sublevels just in virtue of starting from scratch.

psychomum5 · 01/12/2008 12:40

it is a mixed bag with my yr8 DD aswell seeker, but in the main it is because some of the subjects are still fairly new to them and so they progess at a slower rate, whereas with established subjects they know more and are expected to advance quicker IYGWIM.

Original poster

seeker · 01/12/2008 12:55

I hadn't thught of that - it does seem to be the new subjects where the biggest leaps are happening - for example, in German she's expected to go from 4c to 5a - that's 3 sublevels, isn't it, not 4 (can't count!), in ICT from 4a to 6c (that IS 4, I think!), but in English, 6b to 6a - which is only 1.

The whole process baffles me!

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Threadworrm · 01/12/2008 12:58

I'm a bit because I don't follow any of these numbers in any detail at all for my son. I don't really know offhand what level he is for anything.

Reminds me of when my DSs were tiny and other mums often asked how many teeth they had through. I didn't have a clue. They all seemed to do daily inspections.

Original poster

seeker · 01/12/2008 13:03

I got a bit of paper in the post from school this morning with all this stuff on. I wouldn't know otherwise! And actually, I am only interested today - ask me this time next week and I will have forgotten AND lost the piece of paper!

OP posts:

Threadworrm · 01/12/2008 13:06

Yes, we get those bits of paper. They are intimidating, aren't they.

Original poster

seeker · 01/12/2008 13:23

I don't think I'm intimidated - but I would like to make sense of it. Not sure how useful it is, to be honest. I am more interested in the score for effort - my line being that it doesn't matter what you score so long as you do your best.

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christywhisty · 01/12/2008 13:45

We only get targets for the end of Year 9, level now and what level they would be if they carry on the same course, also included are a report of how well they are achieving.

It doesn't really make sense as DS gets excellent for effort and homework/course work but he doesn't appear to be on target, although he is doing very well.

snorkle · 01/12/2008 14:48

We don't get targets (ind. school). I sometimes think we should, but I'd prefer specific targets (able to do x, y & z) rather than SAT levels I think. Dd is year 8 & one thing that annoys me is that we don't get a parents eve until the year is nearly over.

Milliways · 01/12/2008 16:56

DS is at a Grammar school (Yr9), and they were all "expected" to achieve level 7 Maths by the end of Yr8!!

Languages and everything new were much lower, and like everyone else, a mixed bag.

He is soo glad SATS are abandoned this year

BodenGroupie · 01/12/2008 16:59

Find the whole thing confusing, dd2 is Y8 and is still working at 5C in English as she was when she joined the school in Y7. Her Maths level has gone down each term (now 4A). School says it's nothing to worry about (they don't know me . However, 5B in most other subjects. Some subjects she appears to be working at the target level for the end of KS3,
so surely the target must be wrong??

Original poster

seeker · 01/12/2008 17:12

My dd is at a grammar school too. 4 of her targets are 7s - Music, Drama, Dance and Textiles! Her father is a physicist and is considering shooting himself. I think she takes after me

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bagsforlife · 01/12/2008 19:22

I started another thread about these targets (don't know how to link, sorry!) titled Targets/Learning targets as I find the whole thing completely incomprehensible.

DS2 also at grammar school. He has got targets of 7 (with pluses and minuses??) for English, Maths, Science, Music (!!! not musical at all, doesn't play instruments or anything, is in minority of pupils who all seem to be playing piano, violin, doing grades and exams ) and then inexplicably 8 for Geography, presumably because he is quite good at it, i.e enjoys it. 5s for French, German (never done before) and PE!

Don't think your Physicist husband should take it to heart BTW.

I feel v sorry for teachers who have to work all these 'targets' out for everyone.

janeite · 01/12/2008 19:34

The expected norm is for a child to be L4 in Yr 6 and L5 by the end of Yr 9, which is how schools are "measured". The expectated rate of progression in most schools now though is that they will "go up" two complete levels during a Key Stage - so if they were L4 at the end of Yr 6, they will be L6 at the end of KS3 etc.

Original poster

seeker · 02/12/2008 11:08

Looked your other thread to link it, bags for life, but couldn't find it. What year is your ds in?

OP posts:

snorkle · 02/12/2008 15:16

link to bagsforlife's thread.

bagsforlife · 02/12/2008 15:21

Thanks snorkle!!!

Original poster

seeker · 02/12/2008 19:55

How can I not find a thread that I posted on?

OP posts:

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