Level 6 Reading

[silverysea]

But our outstanding OFSTED schools simply won't do more of these great things instead of literacy and numeracy or whatever the current name for 3 Rs is-the choice is between working on level 3 to 5 for everyone, for hours every day, all year long, or letting those that have already reached 5, to do something in numeracy and literacy labelled 6.

My child was unhappy doing repetitive work! She began to hate maths and reading, because it was too easy. She suffered. Being held back and bored when you are able is torture. I can't see how getting work at your level is wrong, in any subject.

Teachers in England don't have the power to switch more time to art, sport or other worthy pursuits. The government insists they devote a set time to these basic skills-no doubt there is a better overall system, but meanwhile don't hold back the able children who LOVE reading, writing or math, the harder, the better. They exist and they need help to do their best, and not be squashed and bullied for being different, same as every child.

[Guest55]

There are plenty of FREE resources for enrichment in Year 6 and schools do have freedom to spend time on music and art and other activities.

No need for boredom or repetition - have you read the ACME paper?

http://www.acme-uk.org/news/news-items- ... ematicians" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[southbucks3]

My children's primary is a state primary ofsted rated "good". I doubt very much the teachers are a bunch of government rule breaking rebels. The children also habitually achieve very good sats results, but there is more than one way to skin a cat!

[moved]

I run intervention groups for our high attainers. This does include preparing them for L6, but my main focus is on preparing them for secondary transition and giving them skills that will help them in year 7. There is no unnecessary acceleration in my programme and I have plenty of experience in both secondary and primary.

The L6 maths papers were deliberately developed to include reasoning and problem solving. The areas covered from L6 are easy extensions to the primary curriculum.

My children are enjoying analysing their texts, writing well and solving an awful lot of nrich maths investigations. L6 was never really L6 and should be both challenge and fun for the children involved.

[moved]

There are plenty of FREE resources for enrichment in Year 6 and schools do have freedom to spend time on music and art and other activities.

No need for boredom or repetition - have you read the ACME paper?

http://www.acme-uk.org/news/news-items- ... ematicians" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What is also interesting is that one of the leading consultants on L6 maths is also heavily involved with ACME.

[Daogroupie]

Why is it ok to love sport but not ok to love academic study? Students with sparkling eyes enjoying the challenge of the texts. Why is it ok to start dumbly into a machine and play computer games ignoring all the humans talking around you but not ok to discuss literature with other students who all have something interesting to say about it. Too many students coasting in primary school because they have to sit in classrooms with nothing to actually learn. DG

[southbucks3]

DG
Why is it not ok to read a good book, share that book with class and teacher thus sharing their enthusiasm. They can write a review about that book and ours do, without being tested on it or proving how good they are at reading with a test paper.
When the children play hockey we do not get an end of year report saying how many goals they scored, when the enter athletic competitions we know what position they achieved, but it is not made into a spread sheet and sent on to their new schools, they play sport at school for enjoyment and exercise. The new school teachers will suss out who can run fast in a jot.
Ds2 recently had a homework on the Jarrow Crusade, this had been discussed in class, and the homework was discussed too. The only way of finding out the information required was careful reading from internet or books, and careful extraction of the right answers and information. They do not need to focus on government selected texts and questions to expand their comprehension skills.
The school would never dream of telling two children who were good at hockey that they should bring their special sticks into school and do extra drills to one side while everyone else played in a game together. Their prowess helps others learn the game and follow suit, the good ones are encouraged to support the others. Should the good ones want to do extra hockey they join a team, or play at home.

[kenyancowgirl]

Why not run a charity week? The "bright" ones could create the business plan and work out the maths behind it; the creative ones could design the products and the marketing strategy using literature/media etc; the streetwise ones could head up the sales teams; the sensitive ones could visit the charities and select the appropriate one; the entire class could look at the history behind the charity and the entire class would be working together to problem solve, create and see a project through and get a spirit of community.

I suspect that an example of applied learning, for the benefit of others, would rate very highly amongst the children themselves, parents, prospective parents and even those hardened cynics at Ofsted. Would it be more beneficial to the children than prepping for a L6 test? It would to me...

[Amber]

Really like that post SB3 - never seen it put like that before.

And love that idea KCG - my son's primary did something similar once where they produced a cookery book to sell for charity. But sadly that school 'plummeted' in the eyes of the mighty OFSTED and so that, along with the off-timetable week where the children were vertically grouped across all years to do a special themed project, had to go in favour of more 'targeted learning'.

Children whose eyes sparkle at the thought of L6 reading comprehension can surely be engaged on something a little more creative and imaginative to encourage their wonderful brains to extend themselves in new directions, given that they are likely to find ample opportunity at secondary school to explore this side of things. If my child's passion was the high-level analysis of complex literary texts at the age of ten then I would assume that could be channeled by ensuring a wide range of reading material was available out of school. I would not expect the school to cater for it any more than if his or her passion was lacemaking or painting toy soldiers to simulate battles with. Both arguably worthwhile and educational but not part of the primary school curriculum.

[southbucks3]

if his or her passion was lacemaking

We did lacemaking at school, both in persons and after school...I became rather good at it. I can still chant the patterns in my head now...I do remember the finished articles always looked a little greyer than the cotton on the reel though.

I have of course always lived in bucks...not herts...we also made corn dollies and kept goats, chickens and pigs at school.

Sorry...off thread