Can you move classes in Year 10?

bexiboo92

Having been in the same situation as your daughter I completely understand; year 10 I was just starting to understand maths (a bit late!) and as I progressed, I got moved into a different group with a different teacher who terrified the hell out of me and wasn't very approachable. I ended up resitting in college and passed with flying colors.

Keep fighting for her. As others have suggested what about a private tutor or maybe some one on one time with her old teacher? Who runs the extra classes after school, her teacher now or other teachers?

The school have a duty to listen to your concerns and act on them so please don't give up, for your daughters' sake.

Own_My_Own

I had a similar problem with my DDs school. They moved her to a higher science class that was doing GSCE science, when her old class where doing BTEC. She really struggled and was getting upset. Nobody ever available to talk to me or ring me back. I was on first term names with the receptionist I spoke to her so often just trying to catch someone.
In the end I left work early one day and went down there. I just said I wasn't leaving until someone saw me a out the issue. I waited for over 45 mins, with the receptionist telli g me someone was on there way. In the end she got annoyed making excuses and phoned the Head. She came out within 5 minutes and I had my chat with her. She made phones calls to the year office and teacher while I was there and got it all sorted in 30 minutes. DD went back to here BTEC class, and has since passed with distinction. It may not be as good as a GCSE but, she would have failed that, so she got the better result in my eyes.

If you are really unhappy, and no one will talk to you, go to the school.They cannot ignore you, if you are there. Just stay calm, and take a note of the points you want to make with you, so you don't forget anything.

Person_one

pollypenny wrote: »

A difficult one. It reminds me of a girl who said that I wouldn't help her.

However, she spent more time paying attention to the boys in class than to me and the one time she asked me for help was in the middle of a controlled coursework assignment.

Needless to say, I had previously invited her to stay behind for ten minutes so I could go over something.

Y10 can be a time when boys are the most important thing for girls. Might be worth checking with her.

Hmm, this seems a bit dismissive when the OP has described her daughter as crying tears of frustration over not understanding her maths questions.

We had a maths teacher at my school who was appalling, and was responsible for a year in which nobody took maths A level because she was the only teacher of it. I think it took them about 5 years to get her out, I've no idea why teachers aren't accountable in the same way other professions are and are seemingly immune to losing their jobs due to poor performance, but I wish you luck in sorting it out OP.

Spendless

I was also going to suggest private tutoring to you if it is an affordable option?

My yr8 child came home from school just before feb 1/2 term, saying his maths teacher had told him he was bottom of the class and would be being moved down a set. Concerned this will have implications for him later on in life and may limit possibilities I found a private tutor. Within an hour he'd confirmed what I suspected that son has the ability but not the enthusiasm, the tutor is taking steps to change that and we've seen a difference in 2-3 1hr lessons. Son has already beaten his end of year target.

Costs vary round the country. I'm paying £20 for an hour's weekly tuition.

ladymarmalade

That is a difficult one...as a teacher that currently has up to 33 students in one lesson, it can be very difficult to spend time with one person if they don't understand something in a lesson, especially if there are badly behaved kids in that lesson too. However, often a pupil 'translator' does the trick. Getting a pupils to re-explain what you have just taught, but in their own words. That sometimes does the trick immediately in a lesson if there is something someone doesn't understand. However, all my pupils know that my door is always open at lunch and break and after school and pupils sometimes come of their own accord for some extra practice etc. Also if I think a pupil has fallen behind (for whatever reason) I may out them on a 'catch up' session after school.. not a detention, but some time with me where there will be only themselves and another couple of pupils where we can spend time going through any issues they have. So...it might be worth your daughter going along after school.

As for changing groups, that would depend on they way the timetable works. Perhaps they can do it, but are simply being difficult, or pehaps they are setted and don't feel she would cope in the set above or find the set below stimulating enough. Perhaps the other classes are full...I know I wouldn't be impressed if someone tried to add another pupil to my class of 33!

My best advice would be to get your daughter to go to the after school sessions, try and get back in touch with the school but on the side try and give your daughter extra help on the side. Find out her exam board and get hold of some accredited revision guides. Go on the exam board website and find past papers and the marks schemes. Find out exactly where she is struggling and make sure they are the bits she focuses on! I know it creates extra work for yourself, but it would hopefully give your daughrer some confidence back.

Also, on the back of my 'translator' idea, does she have any close friends who she could work with? They could have a study group after school perhaps and that might work wonders. It sounds daft but peers can really teach each other a lot!

onlyroz

I'd also suggest private tuition if you think that your daughter has more ability than the school is able to coax out of her.

As for schools getting rid of bad teachers, this is not usually possible unless they do something criminal like fiddle their results or molest a child. Most schools usually just try to make them so miserable that they leave of their own accord (e.g. by giving them all the bottom sets to teach). I had an appalling chemistry teacher at school but we were stuck with her because we had the daughter of the head of Chemistry in our class and she didn't want to teach her own child.

Dunroamin

74jax wrote: »

My DD was always quite good at maths and sciences (she soooo gets that from her Dad). On entering Year 10 (first year of GCSEs) she hated maths, REALLY hated it. Said the teacher had it in for her, wouldn't explain things etc etc.

I totally understand 15 year olds can say the world is against them etc so about 3 weeks into the year (Sept) I spoke to her head of year and asked for a meeting with her current maths teacher and her previous maths teacher. I was told on the phone this wasn't allowed and to give my DD time to adjust to Year 10. I could, to be honest, understand this. She now has loads more work than previous years and can be 'lazy' in homework etc so told her to knuckle down and concentrate. Which she did do - in all subjects.

Since then, I've had tears - not the ridiculous 'world against me' tears, but the ones of frustration when she just can't 'get' something. Her teacher told her to go back to KS1 Bitesize and start from there.

I've tried calling the teacher, but just get notes back. I've wrote explaining DD is finding it hard. The teacher keep replying that DD is to go to afterschool maths and lunchtime maths where she can do more work. But the problem is the WAY in which it's taught. An example is DD didn't understand something in class, told the teacher she didn't, so teacher gave her 20 questions to stay behind and do after school. But DD doesn't understand the questions.........

My last letter was 3 weeks ago (again after no call back from a voicemail I'd left) explaining DD was concerned about her mocks and was needing some extra help.

Cue the mocks and her mock result of a C - to be fair, from the year we've had with Maths I was amazed at the grade C she got..........

I've just found out 2 other parents have wrote in to the school following the results and their child has now been put in the class with the teacher they had in Year 9. When I asked this back in Sept I was told categorically no class moves were allowed.

I don't know the circumstances of these other moves, but surely if I've raised concerns from Sept and am still doing so, my DD should be given the same opportunity.

Are there any heads of year or teachers on here who could recommend my next step?

It's sad to see someone who was predicated an A in maths for years, to now struggles so much that she has now just 'given in' in a subject she loved.

One of the questions was something like 'Pete has ingredients to make 8 cakes, he wants to make 12, how does he get the correct ingredients' DD said she was so muddled she couldn't answer........ Is this her just being a stubborn 15 year old or should I try and take it further?

I am open to all replies, so if you think she's just being a teenager, please tell me - I certainly don't have blinkers on when it comes to her and school........ I just don't want to regret not pushing this IF this something that the school can help with.

And they say GCSE's haven't been dumbed down!

**professor~yaffle**

well, pete could make 12 smaller cakes, I suppose :rotfl:

Arithmetic based on those hypothetical scenarios used to throw me off course a bit, as I'd find myself thinking things like: "but why would someone be doing that..?!"

Spendless

Dunroamin wrote: »

And they say GCSE's haven't been dumbed down!

My son's private maths tutor says that many of the questions are based on the ability to do fractions and says he's amazed no gcse maths book on the market address this. He also says it often confuses modern teenagers. Pete just needs 50% more ingrediants to make 12 cakes instead of his 8.

Dunroamin

Spendless wrote: »

My son's private maths tutor says that many of the questions are based on the ability to do fractions and says he's amazed no gcse maths book on the market address this. He also says it often confuses modern teenagers. Pete just needs 50% more ingrediants to make 12 cakes instead of his 8.

But as a year 10 question it's appalling - like something you'd do at primary school!