Those levels and targets and G&T

[circular]

Just had DD (yr8) termly progress chech, and on the whole the best yet.
What we do not understand is how these compare with yr6 sats. when we asked the teachers last year ( then concerned of some 4a targets when she had already been level 5 in yr6 ) we were just told it is 'different''.
she is still only working at 5a in English (eoy target 6c) and that's top set.
Two subjects she is classed as G&T in she is working at level 6b, with 6a Eoy target. Yet for Maths where she has already reached her 6a target she is not G&T.

Other subjects for which she has met/ exceeded previos targets, the target has been raised. As it hasn't for maths & MFL does this mean she won't learn any more this year?
She also has no FFT targets still.
And the bit about level 5 being the 'national average' at ks3. What GCSE grade does that equate to?

We get to discuss with the form teacher next week, but this usually means setting 2 targets to improve the worst of it. In the teachers view that is likely to be improving PE (difficult as she misses lots of lessons for Violin) and food tech which bores her silly as she did it all in yr3 and 4. These were the only subjects she did not get P's in.

She would rather have targets to start Drama and RS Gcse course early with a view to taking RS in year 9 and drama as a twilight option, as she won't have room in her choices.

This just highlights the ridiculous system. When levels were first introduced the advice was that parents should only be informed of levels at the end of key stage. Now you are given them every term it creates this confusion. Levels are indicators and will go up and down. Of coursae she will continue to learn Maths as new topics are done all the time or old topics extended.
As to GCSE grades, very roughly, a level 5 should result in a C or D grade. A level 6 a B or C and a level 7 an A. This is for Maths, other subjects may be different.
G & T, well that is a whole different issue!

I'm not fully understanding your situation, but I would like to say that that there is a difference between giftedness and attainment on national tests.

IMO&E, target setting is negotiable between the school, the student and the parents. i think the student's opinion is the most important, and as long as the targets are serious and stretching, you should try to go with those. Drama and RS targets are good ones, as long as they are specific, measurable and achievable. I wouldn't give an attainment target for RS, but have something really specific such as 'understand that alternative point of view'.

For a Year 8 student, I would have a more general one that is applicable across all subjects, or something that is more pastoral, eg organisation, neatness.

I can help a bit on the KS3 target bit as a teacher explained to me that if they get level 5 at KS3 they're on target to get C at GCSE, level 7, A at GCSE.

I personally think the G&T thing is a load of bollocks. Our ds's school doesn't bother with G&T as it's an oversubscribed grammar and the physics teacher told ds that the whole of the top set would be classified as G&T making the concept meaningless.

Thanks for the replies. I guess I did not explain the concern over the targets too well.
Firstly the target eoy levels that have already been set. Some have been increased since last term, others haven't although already reached. Is this likely to be because the teachers don't teach above a certain level in yr 8?
Secondly, the improvement targets ( usually 2) that need to be agreed with form teacher next week. in the past it has always been picking out anything with a 'W' or if none, the most 'M's and looking to improve in that area. She has 'P's across the board, even the form tutor/pastoral stuff EXCEPT two subjects which she we definitely be dropping for GCSE. so cannot see the point in improving these to 'Praiseworthy' level.

She responds to being stretched but not pushed. She was previously at a selective (7+) private school. Whatever work she produced was never good enough - always being told she was not working to her ability. Although there was never any question of her work not being up to standard for the school. So when she got a place in the better of our 2 local comps. we moved her.

So she left junior school thinking she was a dis-organised underacheiver, not yet ready for a secondary school education. Yet as soon as she got to yr7 everything was too easy, and she still says now there have been little new things learnt.
On her last parents evening ALL teachers we saw wanted her in their GCSE group. She is clearly doing better in an evironment where she is near top of the class. Although she appears to be making very little effort to acheive this, and never seems to have any homework.

I guess this is just a mixture of getting used to grades other than A to E and the state school system in general. One of our biggest worries has always been that once it is established that she is definitely in that 5 A to C bracket, she would be left to her own devices. It seems in the state system that only the very top 5% or those with learning difficulties get stretched.