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got a DS, 7. New to all this levels 2, 3 etc, wtf does it all mean, please help

17 replies

dirtyface · 13/07/2013 21:44

am REALLY shit with all this school stuff. and i know i need not to be. i am just not one of these parents that seems to instinctively "know" whats going on at school etc. i have been pretty laid back about it all until now, as long as he's happy, his teachers are happy with him, then i'm happy. i am the parent who forgets pe kits, who loses homework, who chucks away half the shit really important letters in book bags, who forgets book bags often sometimes, who loses library books, who has no real idea what they are doing at school really Blush. basically i really need to sort it next term.

anyway, they have recently done sats. i missed parents evening because we were on holiday. yes in term time so had like a 1 minute meeting with his teacher. she told me he is "doing REALLY well" and really was glowing about him in his report. which sounds great but tbh i think they just talk positive about everyone these days. and then i read his report properly when i got home there are all these levels that just don't make sense to me

there are levels 2, 3 and 4. but then at level 2 there are 2a, 2b, and 2c Confused

he is mainly at level 2 with some 2a's and 2b's but has a couple of 3's.

please can someone tell me in simple terms if he is really doing OK? just be honest. am under no illusions my lads a genius, neither me or his dad were anything great academically so i won't be offended :o

but i do want to know if maybe i should be pushing him more at home, and try harder to be better at this school stuff as i really dont think i am and tbh got no excuse for it :( plus got another one going into full time next term as well.

sorry for long post did not intend for it to be so epic but writing it all down made me realise exactly how shit i have been in the last 3 years!

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AlienAttack · 13/07/2013 21:53

If you just google something like "year 2 SATS expected levels" you'll get lots of information that you can read through and develop your understanding of the current assessment framework and what your dC is needing to demonstrate to be assessed at what level.

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dirtyface · 13/07/2013 21:56

see maybe i am thick but what you have just written might as well have been in chinese tbh

(thanks though!)

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spanieleyes · 13/07/2013 22:01

Ok, let's keep it simple!
Is your son coming to the end of year 2? If so, the expected level is a 2B. A 2A is slightly higher and a 3 even higher!
The a's, b's and c's are called sub-levels and are only reported for reading, writing and maths. Other subjects are usually only given a whole level ( a 2, 3,4 or 5)

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maillotjaune · 13/07/2013 22:01

Year 2, right?

From memory 2b is the expected (or average, or aim?) at the end of Year 2. Can't remember details as my older 2 are now at the end of Years 3&5) but I think your son is doing just fine.

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maillotjaune · 13/07/2013 22:02

x-post with someone who actually knows Grin

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RayABlokeIUsedToKnow · 13/07/2013 22:02

In year 2 a 2B is the national average. 2C is slightly below but by no means at all miles behind, just needs some support. 2A is slightly above and a level 3C is bright but not outstanding.

Some counties are high achieving and have set their average as 2B/A. Bucks for example do this.

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spanieleyes · 13/07/2013 22:02

Oh, and if he achieves a level 3 for reading, writing or maths, most schools will only report the whole level, rather than giving a sub level!

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AlienAttack · 13/07/2013 22:04

Seriously? which bit is like Chinese? Sorry, but you can obviously use the Internet if you are here so sure you can use google. And "assessment" is a fairly standard term to describe how teachers might convey what children can do. There are thousands of links, any one of which will give you all the information you need. Are you also suggesting your DC's school has sent home a report for year 2 and not once in the last 3 years have they given you any information about how "levels" are currently used? I'm sorry if you really are struggling but nobody just "instinctively" knows about levels, they put a small amount of time into understanding.

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mrz · 14/07/2013 07:36

Level 1 is below the expected level for most 7 year olds
Level 2 is the expected level for most 7 year olds
Level 3 is above the expected level for most 7 year olds
Level 4 is the expected level for most 11 year olds
Level5/6 are the expected levels for most 14 year olds

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dirtyface · 14/07/2013 09:52

ok thank you all

bit clearer now

was just a bit confused by the a's b's and c's tagged on to the numbers and what they mean. so a 2 "a" is worse than a 2 then? for example

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mrsvandertramp · 14/07/2013 09:59

Each level is divided into 3 'sub-levels' called a, b, and c. a is higher than b which is higher than c. So, after 2a is 3c, then 3b, then 3a. You would hope your child would normally go up 2 'sub-levels' in each year, but sometimes they make less or more progress in one year.

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mrz · 14/07/2013 10:02

Technically the sub levels don't exist in the National Curriculum only full levels

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mrsvandertramp · 14/07/2013 10:04

Also, the teachers use tests that are aimed at the level the children are expected to be on. If the children are above the expected level then the results probably won't be broken down into sub-levels, which is why you have been given a result of 3 (which you should be very pleased with.)

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BoundandRebound · 14/07/2013 10:05

It's simple, you are interested in whether he's happy and enjoying school, yes? In which case you are doing far, far better than grade obsessed parents and I say this as a school data manager eg its my job to know about assessments

National expectations are bollocks at primary - they are not an average they are an expectation of attainment designed for govt to be able to judge the school in league tables so schools teach to test

Children develop different skills at different rates.

If you really want to know a 2 is lower than a 2c but is used by some schools to denote working within a level 2. End of year 2 national expectation is 2b eg majority of kids are working at a solid 2 level, end of year 6 its a 4b.

But if teacher reports doing well and happy, he's in year 2 and he's around a 2 or a 3 I would say he's doing well and happy

Hope that helps

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mrz · 14/07/2013 10:44

Teachers do use tests and tasks as part of the end of Key Stage but these are NOT the levels reported. In Y2 schools must report level 1, 2c,b,a and level 3.

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BoundandRebound · 14/07/2013 10:47

I think my post boils down to listen to what his teacher says

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ReadytoOrderSir · 14/07/2013 12:10

You might find this summary doc helpful (apart from the typo that puts a 5a where it should be 5c) www.staveley.cumbria.sch.uk/documents/NCLevels.pdf‎

(copy & paste the link to make it work ... for some reason my computer keeps trying to add random extra characters at the end!)

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