An interesting article

[CarpeDiem]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... hools.html

Interesting how what we think is best for DC could actually have the reverse effect.

[mystery]

Yes, but the only solution to this issue is, unfortunately, classes of 1 if no-one is to suffer from the ill-effects of being in the bottom part of their class. Or maybe a different method of teaching so it is less obvious that one is? I have never seen worse ways of making it clear to children how they are doing than we have at our primary school - different groups, different classwork, different homework etc etc. All so obvious to the children, and not always correct either but the impressions it creates seem to stick for years.

I know of one school near here where the bottom group are the moles and the top group the owls. Great (not!).

[CarpeDiem]

I know of one school near here where the bottom group are the moles and the top group the owls. Great (not!)

OMG I cannot undestand how they can do such a thing surely a parent must have pointed this flaw out to the school.

[Amber]

My son's reception class had squares, circles, pentagons and hexagons. And another class one of my children was in had penguins, swans and eagles. They did stop short of dodos. Should just have gone the whole hog and chosen Dummies/Boys from that nasty bit of Town, Averages, Almost Clevers and Those With a Pushy Mother.

The wider issue of the English obsession with differentiated teaching is, as ever, not discussed.

[FluffyCat]

My son's reception class had squares, circles, pentagons and hexagons. And another class one of my children was in had penguins, swans and eagles. They did stop short of dodos. Should just have gone the whole hog and chosen Dummies/Boys from that nasty bit of Town, Averages, Almost Clevers and Those With a Pushy Mother.

Oh no, my son's reception class had the same and I never realised the significance I am the dodo

[Okanagan]

My son's reception class had squares, circles, pentagons and hexagons

Sounds familiar. I've seen triangles/squares/pentagons/hexagons, and also recently meerkats/antelopes/zebras/giraffes.

[mystery]

Each September I wonder whether my dd will be labelled a sloth or a gazelle. They don't use these particular names at our school but you can quickly tell at October parents evening what the teacher thinks. The child performs accordingly.