Understanding Primary School Grades

[Deleted User]

Please can anyone who works in a Primary school, help me understand what these grades or interpret them for me.

My son is 6, nearly 7 and in Year 2. He is having a referral made and on it is says his levels are:-

Reading 2C
Writing 1A
Maths 1A
Science 1A

What does this mean?

Thank you.

Lunar_Eclipse

Level 2B is the national average for the Key Stage 1 curriculum.

It is basically the government target for children to achieve by the end of Y2, so your son's current levels indicate that he is not on track to meet these average targets. Although children develop at different speeds and you have no need to be overly concerned, it's great that it's being flagged up, so that he can get the support he needs to do the best that he can.

At my children's primary school, their goal was for children to progress an average of 2 sub levels per academic year, ie a 1A to a 2B, 2C to a 2A etc. (Levels have an A, B & C, with A being the highest.)

Softasputty

Deleted_User wrote: »

Please can anyone who works in a Primary school, help me understand what these grades me, or interpret them for me.

My son is 6, nearly 7 and in Year 2. He is having a referral made and on it is says his levels are:-

Reading 2C
Writing 1A
Maths 1A
Science 1A

What does this mean?

Thank you.

The average ability child by the end of year 2 is expected to achieve a level 2b so your son is well on track to achieve this in reading as he is only 1 sub level away and there are more than 2 terms left. Each level is split into 3 sub levels with 'a' being the top of the level and 'c' being just in that level. 1 more sub level in writing, maths and science and he will be in level 2. I would say he is well on track to achieve 2bs in KS1 SATs if he makes satisfactory progress thus year.

Hope this helps.

[Deleted User]

Thank you both, that makes sense, I just didn't have anything to compare it with to try to make sense of it. Knowing by the end of Year 2 he should be averaging 2b and how those grades are ordered, helps me a lot. thank you.

Btw the referral isn't for his learning, its for a stammer.

Softasputty

Lunar_Eclipse wrote: »

Level 2B is the national average for the Key Stage 1 curriculum.

It is basically the government target for children to achieve by the end of Y2, so your son's current levels indicate that he is not on track to meet these average targets. Although children develop at different speeds and you have no need to be overly concerned, it's great that it's being flagged up, so that he can get the support he needs to do the best that he can.

At my children's primary school, their goal was for children to progress an average of 2 sub levels per academic year, ie a 1A to a 2B, 2C to a 2A etc. (Levels have an A, B & C, with A being the highest.)

Meaning he is on track as it is only November and final teacher assessments will be at the end of June. Please do not panic. Schools have a great deal of pressure on them to exceed expectations and often this makes parents feel that their children are underachieving. He isn't. I am a primary teacher (15 years) and a special needs co-ordinator (7 years).

Softasputty

Deleted_User wrote: »

Thank you both, that makes sense, I just didn't have anything to compare it with to try to make sense of it. Knowing by the end of Year 2 he should be averaging 2b and how those grades are ordered, helps me a lot. thank you.

Btw the referral isn't for his learning, its for a stammer.

This referral will be to a speech and language therapist. You can also ask for your GP to refer you. Giving him time to speak and working on his breathing, in order to help him slow down his speech and give him thinking time, will probably be advised. Good luck!

balletshoes

Deleted_User wrote: »

Please can anyone who works in a Primary school, help me understand what these grades or interpret them for me.

My son is 6, nearly 7 and in Year 2. He is having a referral made and on it is says his levels are:-

Reading 2C
Writing 1A
Maths 1A
Science 1A

What does this mean?

Thank you.

our primary school followed the rough target of attaining 2 sub levels per school year too, like Lunar Eclipse.

So, in your case bailey, if he stays on track, your son could expect to go up to the following levels by SATs time in May next year -

Reading 2A
Writing 2B
Maths 2B
Science 2B.

These levels are on target as the average (just above average for reading) attainment levels by the end of year 2.

[Deleted User]

Thank you Softasputty. I have recently had parents consultation and his teacher had lots of great things to say about him. He is an excellent artist amongst many other positives. We do need to concentrate more on his presentation of writing, he writes lots of content, but forgets about spacing out words and it just looks like a jumble of letters of a page. He rushes his formation of letters, so sometimes an "a" looks like a "u". But his teacher says she keeps nudging him and I do at home too.

He will get there I am sure, he is a bright and confident boy, who would try to get away with the bare minimum if I didn't push that little extra, as his Lego is always "winking" at him to play.

I know the government have changed the targets, it happened between my son leaving reception and my daughter starting the following year. My son's class only needed to order number 1-10 and be able to identify one more and one less up to 10. My daughter's class had to do that up to 20. That means to me that if the reception targets have gone up that must have a knock on effect up the school, we are expecting more and more of the kids. Some of these kids are only just 5. There are 3 Autumn born, 11 Spring born and 16 Summer born, mostly late summer too. DD's reception teacher said her class was the most difficult she's ever had, it was a very young and needy year with lots of summer born boys.

I feel for the teachers I really do.

[Deleted User]

All the thanks buttons have disappeared, but thank you all, lunar, ballet shoes and softasputty, much appreciated.

I'm pleased considering the year he has had, its not been easy at times for the poor fella!

zagfles

This always confuses me - it's a ridiculous system, the higher the number the higher the grade, but the lower the letter the higher the grade! It's so counter-intuative, if A is better than B, then 1 should be better than 2!

Softasputty

zagfles wrote: »

This always confuses me - it's a ridiculous system, the higher the number the higher the grade, but the lower the letter the higher the grade! It's so counter-intuative, if A is better than B, then 1 should be better than 2!

It confuses me at times and I'm a teacher! The early years foundation stage profile which covers nursery and reception children is constantly changing and even more complex and does not link numerically to key stage 1 and 2. Nevertheless, Mr Gove and others are determined to make up formulas to try and make it fit without really knowing what they are talking about. I wish they'd be brave enough to follow other European countries who start formal schooling at 6. We are encouraged to share academic levels with 6 and 7 years and give them targets for this, that and the other. Too much time is focused on testing and not teaching I'm afraid. :eek: