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levels in secondary schools

Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:26 pm
by MelX
Hello everyone

Can anyone advise me as to what levels a year 7 student will be expected to achieve.

My son achieved level 5 in all three subjects in year 6. He is now in year 7 and came home the other day having done a Chemistry test in which he was told he got a level 5B. does this mean he is on thw right track or should he be getting higher levels now? I recall reading somewhre that quite often children drop a level at first?

Forgive my ignorance but I am not as well informed as perhaps I should be with the 'secondary school' info.

Mel

Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:25 am
by hermanmunster
the levels given for KS3 are for all the seperate subjects now rather than just Maths Science and English so there will be an element of finding the levels. my son has been given all his year 8 results like this and they vary - it seems that some subjects the whole range is only 4b to 5a wherea in chemistry they could get 7a.

Whereas they got "5" in year 6, the levels are subdivided:

from the top:

8a, 8b, 8c, 7a, 7b, 7c, 6a, 6b, 6c, 5a, 5b, 5c etc

Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 12:26 am
by Guest55
HI,

5B is a middle level 5 - what mark did you child get in Y6? Between 62 and 80 was a level 5 - so a 5B would be between 68 and 74 roughly.

The Science teachers I know say level 5 in KS2 does not really equate to level 5 in KS3 as the skills are different. I would say it's OK but expect level 6 towards the end of Y7.

Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 10:34 am
by jah
School staff have said to me that you should expect children to move on by about half a level a year.

As KS2 is 4 years, should move on 2 levels. However, as KS3 is only 3 yrs, a low 4 will become a 5, a high 4 a 6, a low 5 may also be a 6 and a high 5 should become a 7. A school with a higher value-added score will move them on more than one with a low value-added (on average).

However, be prepared for rogue years. My children's primary school's value-added score for KS2 has plummeted this year. But it is well known to parents that the year in question has been an absolute pain all the way through the school right from reception. Consequently, many parents have removed the brighter children from the year into the independent sector.

Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 10:52 am
by Catherine
Hello Mel,

I have also read somewhere that level 5 in KS2 does not really equate to level 5 in KS3.

My son was a SATs level 5 in sciences and is now working at level 5, like yours. What he is learning is all new to him.
jah wrote: As KS2 is 4 years, should move on 2 levels. However, as KS3 is only 3 yrs, a low 4 will become a 5, a high 4 a 6, a low 5 may also be a 6 and a high 5 should become a 7. A school with a higher value-added score will move them on more than one with a low value-added (on average).
This is interesting; quite a precise account of how much pupils should progress.

Catherine

Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:00 am
by loulou
I think this a hard question to answer as a child can only achieve their level within the confines of what they have been taught or what the exam tests. My son at the end of yr 7 acheived top levels in every subject ranging from 3a for Spanish (equated to 92% as a percentage), 5a for history (98%) to 6a in Maths/English. some of the tests were set by the school some were optional yr 7 QCA tests. I was worried with some results until I did the discussion with the school. Why don't you chat to the teachers at the next parents evening to help you analyse this in more detail. The problem with asking on this forum, as you will now doubt have realised by now is that unless tests are standardised across schools you probably cannot compare your child with children at other schools.

Posted: Fri Dec 15, 2006 11:02 am
by HP
Guest55 wrote:HI,

I would say it's OK but expect level 6 towards the end of Y7.
Don't agree with this comment - sorry.

5b is absolutely fine. Your child has just made a quantum leap from primary to secondary. The level of organisational skills needed to cope with this is very demanding on a child even if they don't think it is having an adverse effect.

Your child has been tested presumable at the end of their first term, and given that some children actually regress in secondary 5b is pretty good by any standards. Also this level could be bordering 5a whereas your KS2 result could be just 5c.

HP

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 12:21 pm
by Guest55
Hi,

The average progress in Grammar Schools is two levels in KS3, so a move to a 6, albeit a low 6 IS what should happen for most children. If it is not you should discuss your child's progress with the school -

In Mathematics because they can get level 8 about 60% of pupils with level 5 will move to level 8.

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:25 pm
by kent mum
The levels vary from subject to subject. My son is now in year 8 and I remember his English teacher saying at parents evening that a level 5 at KS2 does not equate to a 5 at KS3 due to the different marking schemes and expectations.

The school may have already done there own CAT tests to give there own indications of the grades they would expect to see by the end of year 7. Again these can vary widely from maybe a target of just 3/4 in a brand new language, to a level 7 in science /maths.

It might be worth enquiring if you will be given these indications, as I believe unless the children know what they are striving for it can be very easy for them to coast along (even at Grammar school, but maybe this is more of a boy thing!).

Posted: Sat Dec 16, 2006 2:26 pm
by kent mum
The levels vary from subject to subject. My son is now in year 8 and I remember his English teacher saying at parents evening that a level 5 at KS2 does not equate to a 5 at KS3 due to the different marking schemes and expectations.

The school may have already done there own CAT tests to give there own indications of the grades they would expect to see by the end of year 7. Again these can vary widely from maybe a target of just 3/4 in a brand new language, to a level 7 in science /maths.

It might be worth enquiring if you will be given these indications, as I believe unless the children know what they are striving for it can be very easy for them to coast along (even at Grammar school, but maybe this is more of a boy thing!).