To Tutor or not to Tutor that is the question!

[mike1880]

What does a "B" represent in the school's assessment scheme? In most schools it would at the very least represent the expected standard, if not more. How many A*, A and B do they hand out? How far down the alphabet do they go? At what point do reports start saying rude things about the need for more effort or attention?

Mike

[Chelmsford mum]

Both my elder daughters go a so called super selective that is very high attaining in tables etc.(FWIW)

I don't recognise at all the kind of grammar schools that are often described on this forum.
Their school does not expect everyone to understand everything and bend over backwards to help.Their pastoral care is excellent and they are not in an exam factory.(The latter issues have not come up on this thread but they often do.)

A school ,grammar or otherwise, where no one feels they can say they didn't understand is a strange, alien school to me.One of my daughter's reports did say that she needed to pay much more attention in class in some subjects.(Those she dislikes ) I did feel their reports were realistic too.
Surely their school cannot be the only grammar that these things are true of....

[Milla]

However, it has gone against her. I have just had her report and even though she has got A* in the science, Geography, Spanish, ICT and History exams - A's in all her other subjects and x1 B in MATHS.

B in maths is a disappoinment for her as she was top performer in her primary.

Just adding my tuppenceworth to ... what IS the problem!! Those are fantastic results, just brilliant. Enjoy them!

[lottie]

Hi All

Thanks for all your comments.

We are very pleased with our DD results, especially as she enjoys all her subjects and found the end of year exams quite easy going and non stressful.

I definitely wasn't complaining - honest! I just wanted to point out that lacking a big knowledge base of maths pre-grammar school has hindered her. She has struggled with certain elements of maths, that we were unable to help her with (as I said both her dad and I are not academic - we like Richard Branson didn't do too well at school!!). She has never found maths hard before and a lot of her peers still find it easy - so this is where my theory of non tutoring making a difference has come from.

In regard to the debate of GS kids not asking for help - well even though our DD would 'never' ask for help, some of her more confident friends wouldn't hesitate - so they're a mixed bunch really.

We can't fault our DD,s school, it really is fantastic and she absolutely loves it. We are not 'grade obsessed' and having A*/A's is just a huge bonus for us, as her enjoyment and contentment at school is far more important - I only stated them to show the 'lower' grade in a pre-grammar school strong subject - I'm waffling now!

Another possible theory is - having non academic parents means that shy kids are hindered by not having anyone to ask!

[tiredmum]

what year is your dd?

[mystery]

Hi Lottie, interesting thread. A few people above, including myself have asked you some questions to help to work out what might be the real reason your daughter is a B in maths and A / A* in the rest. While you keep on thinking it is do with not having had a tutor for the 11+, you are missing out on finding out the real explanation. When I look at 11+ practice papers I can't think that having had lots of tutoring for that syllabus would per se make a difference to your grade at the end of Year 7.

Great results though. But you could still get a tutor!! (Maybe a lot of the kids in the class still do if the teacher is not great at explaining ..... most kids and parents do not let on about it by this age). Or do some stuff at home - so much stuff in Smiths that is self-explanatory you don't have to be academic yourself to do it ----- it's only year 7.

[katel]

NOOOOOOOOOOO! Don't get a tutor - her results are brilliant! Don't make her think they aren't by doing extra work or getting her a tutor - they work quite hard enough as it is.

Maybe she's not QUITE as good at maths as she is at all her other subjects? Maybe her brain needs to develop a tiny bit more? Maybe she had a slightly off day on the day of the test?

Whatever it is, B is absolutely fine - don't give it another thought, and don't let her give it another thought over the summer.

[fm]

Totally agree. No tutor required. Horrible idea.

[yoyo123]

you say she was always top of her class in primary.

My daughter and her friends started to think they were slipping in year 8 ( doing year 9 work) maths.
Her teacher pointed out that for many of them it was the first time they had not got 10/10 everytime, the first time they were actually being stretched in their mathematical ability. Differentiation ,especially at the top end, is not always practised I am sad to say.

I was always a bit wary of teachers ( with my school hat on here) who said a child always got 10/10 in maths and spelling.

A brain needs to be exercised. It;s like being a natural runner and sitting eating doughnut all days because you know you will get over the finishing line.

[Amber]

I was always a bit wary of teachers ( with my school hat on here) who said a child always got 10/10 in maths and spelling.

Quite; though in my experience it tends to be parents rather than teachers bandying this kind of information about. As I have said before on this forum, spelling tests don't test anything but a child's ability to do spelling tests. Getting 10/10 is not really a measure of ability. Using spellings in a cloze-type comprehension starts to get more meaningful. Unfortunately, the way our education system works, scored tests tend to be given great weight by some parents. Many schools now do not give spellings to learn' for a test on Friday', but look for more imaginative ways to test a child's phonological knowledge and application of same. Maths tests with 10 questions are often similarly blunt instruments to test a child's wider mathematical ability. Ditto levels on the reading scheme to test a child's reading and comprehension skills. I think parents like to hang onto this kind of score as proof a child's ability; when in reality teachers are using a wider range of tools. A parent at my children's school went into the Head when the G&T letters went out and her child did not receive one, as he had always had 10/10 in spelling tests and was on the top level of the reading scheme before anyone else in the class. She could not understand why this did not make him gifted - and I think this is a not uncommon consequence of a system which 'bigs up' the importance of actually quite unimportant little quizzes.