Clash of personalities with teacher

[circular]

DD1 had an easy start in yr7, and was placed in top set for both English & Maths. In general, found everything too easy, and let her written work slip in English. Continually said that one of her two English teachers hated her, but took it with a pinch of salt - she can over exaggerate slightly.
But on meeting said teacher, I could see what DD meant. I was quite shocked that the teacher was consideriing moving DD down a set, even though she could see there was no lack of ability.
When I told DD, she said she would rather go down to set 2 than work with that teacher another year.
As it turned out, she stayed in set 1 for yr8, that teacher took set 2.
At the start of yr8, her new teacher questioned why she ended yr7 on a level 4, when she was clearly wayabove that. She was level 5 ks2, although resultant never sent through from prep school. Her target for eoy is 6c, which we think she would have reached or bettered.so it looks like at best there has been some personality issues that caused the yr7 problems, and at worst as DD says, the teacher simply hates her.

Now coming to the end of yr8, and their teacher has told them there will be about 4 or 5 of them movng down as there are too many brighter pupils in set 2.
Don't know yet if DD will be one of those moving down, but likely to question it if she is. Also don't yet know which set her last years teacher is taking. DD has said she will insist on moving down if said teacher is taking set 1

The worse case scenario would be foe her to moownsown to set 2 AND have that teacher. DD
is adamant that if this did happen, that teacher would do her best to spoil her GCSE chances by putting her down at the end of year 9.
There's also the issue that only the top sets get to do triple science, which she needs to do. And she would need at least a B in English to get into a decent uni. Which would not be possible if this teacher fixes it so she has to sit the lower paper.
All her other teachers say she is on track to get at
least A's.
Sorry this has been a bit of a rant, but we are genuinely worried of the damAge this one teacher could do.

What NC levels is she working at in the other subjects? Is there a big discrepancy -v- English?

Does she have any problems doing imaginative writing? DOes she prefer / excel at factual writing?

Does she not enjoy reading novels, but enjoys information books?

Might it just be as simple as she doesn't like fiction? We are a family of encyclopedia and biography readers rather than fiction and I remember the frustration I used to cause my English teacher by point blank refusing to read anything that was not, at the very least, a novel which was based on factual events. I somehow managed to get an A in ELit GCSE by devouring the relevant Letts books and maybe your DD will just be one of those who finds literature dull. From what you've said she is clearly bright enough to do reasonably well in it, just not as well as you had expected but my advice would be to not push too hard as it may be counterproductive and let her focus on books that do inspire her. Even at 6 my DS is the same btw, hates stories but will gladly read childrens' encyclopedia chapters on pretty much anything and I just plan to go with the flow on it.

There was a big discrepancy in levels at the end of year 8. She was hitting 7's in Maths, Science, Drama and Geography. 6a/6b in Histoy / RS. Although top of the class in Music & MFL, only at 5's as they weren't teaching above that level. New teachers for Music & MFL this year both advising her how to get to level 8.

First progress report in Yr9 was a complete hash. Many of her eoy targets were below her actuals at the end of yr8. Queried with school and found out they were best guesses set very early in the term before any assessment, and one or two were typos. So hope to get a better idea of these in a couple of weeks time.

Definitely worse at creative writing. Factual writing well above average, and surprisingly pads it out. But she is not totally uncreative - Musical, good at drama, reasonable at art, cooks well, makes and designs jewellery.
Her verbal skills far outperform her written skills and she holds her own in adult conversation. Although in some ways, very immature for her age.

Not sure on the books. She will read a novel if she finds something to grip her but that's pretty rare. But when she does find one she will seek out everything by the same author. Do not generally catch her reading text books (unless Torchwood encyclopaedia counts) but she will read factual info. on the internet.

Sorry Circular our posts crossed, you have pretty much answered my question in your last paragraph :-)

Vicky - I think it's quite likely that she just does not enjoy reading for the sake of it. And certainly not because a teacher may tell her to. Unless she wants to find something out, she just does not see the point. And she usually has something else she would rather be doing.

I agree with not pushing her to read - she was pushed far too much at junior school. Although I won't give up trying to seek out suitable books for her, and leave them tentatively lying around.