undue pressure

mums the word · Post by **mums the word** » Thu May 15, 2008 1:54 pm

She isnt getting level 7s yet ! they are her predicated levels for year 9 and she has to work toward that level which as I said she is on target for in most of her subjects apart from the ones I mentioned.

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu May 15, 2008 1:56 pm

mums the word wrote:She isnt getting level 7s yet ! they are her predicated levels for year 9 and she has to work toward that level which as I said she is on target for in most of her subjects apart from the ones I mentioned.

But even if she was getting level 7's in Year 7, I don't understand your question Katel.

mum3 · Post by **mum3** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:14 pm

I think what Katel means is why do children always have to be pushed to a higher and higher level all the time? My children are/were all at a high achieving grammar school and I just don't understand why they can't just be allowed to work at the level they are happiest with(which is of a perfectly reasonable standard and certainly above average) but they are always being pushed to get higher marks. I would imagine in a comprehensive it is even more stressful to have to keep in the top sets. Some children certainly are very competitive and like to work harder and harder but some children (and their parents!) are perfectly happy with the level they are working at and don't particularly want to get higher and higher marks. This does not detract from the fact that they are receiving/received a very good education from their school, and the older two have managed to get into decent universities too!

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu May 15, 2008 3:43 pm

Yes, but if you're achieveing level 7 early and you're not being pushed then there is a point to it, because your child is being challenged and taught well. Just because someone is ahead academically does not mean they are being pushed

katel · Post by **katel** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:10 pm

mum's the word -phew, what a relief! I thought she was being expected to get a level 7 in everything at the end of year 7!

t.i.p.s.y - there is a huge jump between level 5 and level 7. I'm not sure it would be possibly to fit all the work necessary to go from 5 to 7 in every subject in one year. Particularly a year in which the child had had to deal with all the other changes of going to Secondary school. It would mean huge amount of pressure and very little time for anything else - school isn't all about academic success, you know!

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:43 pm

katel wrote:mum's the word -phew, what a relief! I thought she was being expected to get a level 7 in everything at the end of year 7!

t.i.p.s.y - there is a huge jump between level 5 and level 7. I'm not sure it would be possibly to fit all the work necessary to go from 5 to 7 in every subject in one year. Particularly a year in which the child had had to deal with all the other changes of going to Secondary school. It would mean huge amount of pressure and very little time for anything else - school isn't all about academic success, you know!

I'm fairly sure didn't say school was only about academic success! I also know the differrence between curriculum levels - your question was vague and therefore up for interpretaion, and I didn't interpret it but merely said I don't understand your question!!!

katel · Post by **katel** » Thu May 15, 2008 6:51 pm

sorry, t.i.p.s.y - I don't understand your response to MY response to your question!

Bexley Mum 2 · Post by **Bexley Mum 2** » Thu May 15, 2008 7:44 pm

I think Katel mistook KS3 level 7 targets for current attainment. Tipsy, quite rightly in my opinion, suggested that whatever level a Year 7 child is achieving - be it level 3 or level 7 - they should still be encouraged to do more. I think the difficulty arises when "stretching" a child becomes "pushing". I'm sure nobody would question that, whatever level a child achieves, a good teacher would encourage them to do a little bit more (without making them feel their current levels were unacceptable).

My year 8 son is given a written report 4 times a year and, after each, he is asked to identify areas for improvement and he agrees 3 targets with his form teacher. However, good his report may (or may not!) be, I think it is healthy for him to strive to achieve more. In fact, since he has been in an environment where expectations are high, he has become more focused, more mature, more responsible and more willing to rise to challenges. There's nothing wrong with striving to achieve and even the most able child should be stretched, but, of course, no teacher should make a child feel they need to do more because what they have already achieved is not good.

My son's history teacher marks each piece of work with two comments. One starts with "WWW" (what went well); the other starts with "EBI" (even better if). That seems to me to be a healthy approach - praising what a child has already done, but guiding them towards greater achievement.

katel · Post by **katel** » Thu May 15, 2008 9:52 pm

I agree, but with reservations. We have to be careful not to move the goalposts on them all the time. It's quite hard to have a sense of achievement if every time you hit a target somebody moves it further away! I remember passing my driving test on the 5th attempt at the age ot 32 and proudly telling my mum -and her saying " When are you going to take the Advanced one?" I could have cried. Or killed her. Or both.

My dd has just had a commendation from her school because she was the only one in her year group (of 148) to get a 1 (the highest grade) for effort in all subjects. I suppose some people would have said to her "Well done - now get a 1 for achievement in all subjects as well" We didn't - we celebrated her achievement without qualification.

T.i.p.s.y · Post by **T.i.p.s.y** » Thu May 15, 2008 10:14 pm

katel wrote:I agree, but with reservations. We have to be careful not to move the goalposts on them all the time. It's quite hard to have a sense of achievement if every time you hit a target somebody moves it further away! I remember passing my driving test on the 5th attempt at the age ot 32 and proudly telling my mum -and her saying " When are you going to take the Advanced one?" I could have cried. Or killed her. Or both.

My dd has just had a commendation from her school because she was the only one in her year group (of 148) to get a 1 (the highest grade) for effort in all subjects. I suppose some people would have said to her "Well done - now get a 1 for achievement in all subjects as well" We didn't - we celebrated her achievement without qualification.

I agree Katel and I wish it happened in the workplace. My hub has done so well they've just upped his target and if he fails (although he made the original one) then no bonus!