Top Year 6 DCs helping peers and younger DCs

Key Stages 1-2 and SATs advice

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berks_mum
Posts: 939
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: Top Year 6 DCs helping peers and younger DCs

Post by berks_mum »

DG and G55, thank you for your posts.
1) How can a parent request for additional for a high performing DC.
2) What is an acceptable evidence for DC's high ability apart from feeling bored/not stretched enough in class work? Scores/levels at practice SATS? Passing superselective GS exams with high score? Others?
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Top Year 6 DCs helping peers and younger DCs

Post by Guest55 »

I judge by what I see in class when I know the ideas are new.

Old KS2 tests, for example, are online so could have been seen before so I'd be cautious about results which do not match classwork.

Talk to the teacher ...
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Top Year 6 DCs helping peers and younger DCs

Post by mystery »

berks_mum wrote:DG and G55, thank you for your posts.
1) How can a parent request for additional for a high performing DC.
2) What is an acceptable evidence for DC's high ability apart from feeling bored/not stretched enough in class work? Scores/levels at practice SATS? Passing superselective GS exams with high score? Others?

I am assuming that your child is feeling that he is not learning anything and is getting bored. It's a tricky one.

Does the classwork in his books and the homework he receives show anything that is moving him on from what he knew / could do last term / last year or improve speed and accuracy or in depth understanding? If not, then maybe you could discuss this with school?

I don't know what counts as evidence of ability. It very much depends on the teacher and whether they want a two-way dialogue or not. A lot of teachers have their own little ways of deciding for themselves if a child is able or not and it's not always correct ......... hence many moons ago the now defunct G and T programme where teachers were helped to identify "sleeping cheetahs".

If your school is responsive, willing and has the capacity to adapt to your son's needs then a quick conversation should be sufficient. If it isn't, you'll find they tell you they'll be providing something appropriate but then nothing will really change and by the time you've worked this out for yourself another month / half term / term / school year will have passed by - or they'll tell you that your child is not as able as you think and provide some one-off flimsy piece of evidence which you can't debate as you've never had a copy of it to look through.

My year 6 child is bored silly. I've done everything I can to sort it out short of an official complaint ........ for various reasons I don't want to do this and now, by the time it had gone through the system, it wouldn't make a difference.

Her lack of progress is highlighted for me at our school by the fact that they're in a mixed age class and top year 5s have caught up with the top year 6s who have just been back-pedalling for the whole of this academic year. My child tells me of repeated exercises and worksheets from last year, last term and this year. She doesn't imagine these things.

(I have 2 Ed Psych reports, high 11 plus score as evidence too ------ they don't deny she's able (not anymore - they told me she was a dullard in year 2 in no uncertain terms ---- but they tell me things are happening that are not happening in reality).

You've got to decide if you're on to a loser or not here Berks-Mum and handle it in a way that doesn't disillusion your child with school in general. It's a tricky one.
berks_mum
Posts: 939
Joined: Sat Dec 28, 2013 4:52 pm

Re: Top Year 6 DCs helping peers and younger DCs

Post by berks_mum »

mystery, I am worried about similar things and holding back from talking to the teacher.

I may feel very annoyed(emotional?) if some worksheet with silly mistakes is equated to inability for the given level whilst problem solving approach, ability to process complex information, ability to find alternative problem solving methods are completely ignored. I don't know what is the likelihood of that happening though. Also, with my English, written communication may work better for me as I will have time to look in the dictionary, separate emotions and facts.

Side note, it seems SEN(working above level) exists in the school but only one DC(governor's son) receives it. Special teacher for Maths(one to one tuition paid by school?). It seems, some other unsuccessfully requested it last year. Don't know who to believe though. Having said that, their DCs did get into highly selective GS and the DC receiving special help from the school is unlikely to get into. Same for L6 practice tests.
silverysea
Posts: 1105
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 3:32 pm

Re: Top Year 6 DCs helping peers and younger DCs

Post by silverysea »

I would consider contacting Potential Plus for support about approaching the school with this or at least reading their website. They've done it so many times before.

It's well worthwhile making sure you get into the right school for secondary but year 6 is often a dead end I have experienced in two different "outstanding" primaries and heard from others.

I read recently of school heads regretting having an outstanding oftsted, it just puts more pressure on them, having to help other schools, the risk of going down and no way to go up. Good is better than outstanding.

Many teachers IME prefer normal students to high IQ ones-me telling my DDs school her scores has done nothing with most teachers, and made some hostile. They ignore quiet ones and give extra praise to children of staff. In secondary the turnover is so high there is no point talking to many of them where we are.
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Top Year 6 DCs helping peers and younger DCs

Post by Guest55 »

Many teachers IME prefer normal students to high IQ ones-me telling my DDs school her scores has done nothing with most teachers, and made some hostile. They ignore quiet ones and give extra praise to children of staff. In secondary the turnover is so high there is no point talking to many of them where we are.
Sorry, where is the evidence for these statements?
'Many' teachers? Not in my experience or any of the schools I know
'Give extra praise to children of staff' - almost the opposite! Their parents tend to get to know about every minor misdemeanour
'the turnover is so high' Another statement that neds proof - what do you regard as high turnover?
russet
Posts: 243
Joined: Sat Aug 10, 2013 12:46 pm

Re: Top Year 6 DCs helping peers and younger DCs

Post by russet »

Berks_mum and Mystery, you could try asking if your school would let them take part in the UKMT Junior maths challenge. If the school does not think they have enough able students to enter the test themselves, they could find which secondary schools sit it in the area and get your child to take it there. The questions get students to think about solutions and are good for adding depth to a child's learning. The UKMT website has examples of past papers, so you could see if it is something your child would enjoy.
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