selective steam in comprehensive secondary school

[wellprepared]

Hello all,
did not have any clue where to put this question and thought this would be most appropriate one.
recently heard that comprehensive secondary school assesses children before hand to put them in selective stream for secondary school.
has anybody come across that.
Many Thanks

[whichwitch]

Most of the comprehensives in our area do a VR and NVR test prior to the children starting in Yr7. The results of this alongside their Yr6 SATs results are used to determine which stream they are placed. There is fluidity though, a child might be in the top stream for maths and english but in the middle stream for maths to give just one example. Its not a "selective" stream as such.

[millie33]

When my dd started in year 7 the school had an express group - based purely on SATs results, so all the children in there had 3 level 5s. The class had all their lessons togther, whereas the rest were streamed for core subjects and then mixed ability for PE, Geography, art etc. This was very popular with the parents of children in the express group and they did not want it to be partly dispanded in year 9. However as a parent of a child who had 2 level 5s in science and literacy and one mark off a level 5 in numeracy - I felt my dd was disadvantaged. She was very aware that her friends in the express group were doing more work and being pushed. I think what annoyed me was that over the two years there was no movement between groups and also that it was blanketed across all the subjects. Thankfully she is now in the top sets for everything for GCSEs - just took a long time to get there!

Millie

[wellprepared]

Most of the comprehensives in our area do a VR and NVR test prior to the children starting in Yr7. The results of this alongside their Yr6 SATs results are used to determine which stream they are placed. There is fluidity though, a child might be in the top stream for maths and english but in the middle stream for maths to give just one example. Its not a "selective" stream as such.

Thanks a lot "whichwitch"
I had no clue that comprehensive schools also do VR and NVR
its good to know that
many thanks

[wellprepared]

When my dd started in year 7 the school had an express group - based purely on SATs results, so all the children in there had 3 level 5s. The class had all their lessons togther, whereas the rest were streamed for core subjects and then mixed ability for PE, Geography, art etc. This was very popular with the parents of children in the express group and they did not want it to be partly dispanded in year 9. However as a parent of a child who had 2 level 5s in science and literacy and one mark off a level 5 in numeracy - I felt my dd was disadvantaged. She was very aware that her friends in the express group were doing more work and being pushed. I think what annoyed me was that over the two years there was no movement between groups and also that it was blanketed across all the subjects. Thankfully she is now in the top sets for everything for GCSEs - just took a long time to get there!

Millie

Thanks a lot Millie33
This might have been some time back. as recently I heard that SATS don't include science any more.
I might be wrong.
Its good to know that the high ability groups can be called by various names in different schools.
so may be I need to concentrate on her overall ability if the schools are looking for 3 level 5's
Many thanks

[katel]

Ring the school asd ask what they base their streaming on. The non selective schools round here all use different "sorting hats".

[menagerie]

One of our local comps streams from Spring term of year 7 and the other doesn't stream until Yr8. The one than doesn't stream can be hard for the brighter or more studious children to settle at, but it has excellent results long term at GCSE level.

[Amber]

There is a difference between streaming and setting. The former takes children and places them in a group for every single subject, ie the same one. It was popular in the 60s and early 70s I think and isn't really in vogue any more. It assumes a relatively uniform ability across all subjects which is why it generally gave way to the tighter setting regimes. However, I do seem to remember way back that there is a school somewhere (I thought maybe Warwickshire) which does have a 'selective stream' within a comprehensive - I wonder if that is what the OP thought of. Maybe Ed's Mum will know?

Setting is different in that children may be placed in one set for say, Maths, and a different one for English, etc. This is usually more fluid than streaming and plays to children's strengths more. Most secondary schools in my experience begin setting sometime in KS3, but may have to tailor it a little more loosely in KS4 to cater for different numbers of students choosing particular options.

[mitasol]

I'm also not entirely sure what you are referring to? If you mean partially selective schools there are a number of them. Some information here http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/school ... -selective" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you're talking about setting/streaming generally then as others have already pointed out, it is up to the individual school policy and best to ask them direct.

[ks]

Reading girls school - in Reading! - has a selective stream.

I don't know much about it, but the girls take an entrance test only if they want to go into the selective stream. Their website gives a little information about it. I've not come across it elsewhere so I think the concept is quite unusual nowadays but it does exist.