This is where primary teachers in Scotland get together to share ideas and to discuss the latest issues in primary education.
My daughter has just moved school (P5) and her new class are working at Level C in Maths, whereas in her previous school she was working towards Level D.
Is it acceptable for her to repeat everything she has done already, or will the teacher differentiate for her?
Working at and working towards are very different depending on how the wording is taken. If they were working towards level D it means they had passed C and now starting to broaden on this. Working at level c meant they were doing the work that they could do but were perhaps consolidating before moving on.
You tend to have the bulk of the class working at one level but you will have kids who work above or beyond the level. We don't even really talk in those levels anymore due to curriculum for excellence but the letters DC still exist but mean something totally different. Best thing is to speak to the teacher - if she has only just moved school the teacher might not even have the paperwork through from her last school to tell her what level your child was already on.
In the days of 5-14, and National Testing/Assessment, we often received pupils from other schools and LAs who were 'working at', or 'had passed' specific levels.
Sometimes they were accurate but often they bore little relation to what the pupil could actually do and trying to fit them into a Maths, or English Language, group was not a straight forward task.
If your daughter has passed the equivalent of Level C in Maths by the middle of Primary 5, that sounds as if she is a fairly able pupil but it would be surprising if there were no other pupils in the class of a similar ability.
As has been suggested, the best thing to do would be to arrange to meet with the class teacher to talk through your concerns. If you have some of her Maths work from the previous school to hand, that might be a good starting point.
Whilst it is possible to differentiate work for an individual pupil, there is a lot to be said for being taught in a group with other children, not least the importance of social interaction, especially if your daughter is new to the school.
Also if she has just moved schools, it is possible that the class teacher is still assessing what she is able to do. At the very least, she will be confident in tackling familiar work rather than struggling in an unfamiliar environment.
However, there is no point in worrying about something that may not be a problem so the sooner you have a constructive chat with the class teacher the better.
MrsRucksackher new class are working at Level C in Maths, whereas in her previous school she was working towards Level D.
CanuckGrrlWhere are these schools who are still using the old 5-14 levels? I thought we were all meant to be deep into CfE by now?
Top of page