Kids made to repeat yr 1 because of phonics test results

[ticket2ride]

Does anyone know if schools are allowed to keep children back (from moving up to year 2) against their parents' wishes?

I have heard that children attending a Southwark school, let's call it Wallydale, have been held back in year 1 because they scored less than 34 in the phonics tests.

Are they allowed to enforce this?

Is this to massage the SATs statistics in year 2?

[njc97]

Not sure about holding children back, but are you sure there hasn't been a breakdown of communication? "Wally's" has 1.5 form entry, so the youngest children in year 2 are in the same class as eldest in year 1. Then when the move into year 3, the youngest and middle kids are together and eldest are with youngest in year 4. Then it swaps back etc etc.

[ticket2ride]

Thanks for the info, I didn't know there was such a thing as 1.5 form entry. That sounds a mess. The person who told me seemed sure that this was related to the phonics results and not age. And that they had a letter stating that this was the reason. Will see if I can find out more.

[Renata Hamvas]

Hi Ticket to Ride, I have just been on the phone to the Head of Hollydale Primary. The person who has spoken to you has not understood the system of the school. It is a 1.5 entry ie it takes 45 children per year. This is due to the size of the school/site.

2x reception classes with 22 children in each

1x year 1 class

1x year 1/2 class (oldest year 1s with youngest year 2s)

1x year 2 class

1x year 3 class

1x year 3/4 class (oldest year 3s with youngest year 4s)

1x year 4 class

1x year 5 class

1x year 5/6 class (oldest year 5s with youngest year 6s)

1x year 6 class

children do do their SATs at the correct time, the 45 year 6s in both the year 6 class and year 5/6 class are all working towards their KS2 SATs as are the year 2s in the 1/2 and the year 2 class. The year 2 children in the year 1/2 class are doing year 2 work and will go into the year 3 class next year. This is not the only Southwark school that follows this system and until a couple of years ago St Anthony's was 1.5 form entry and had this system too. It's space not phonic results that drive the system. If you want to see the school in action, they have an pen morning for prospective parents at 11am this Friday. It's on Hollydale Road in Nunhead.

Renata

[ticket2ride]

Thanks for explaining that Renata.

I know where the school is. Mrs T2R looked round it and I don't recall her saying anything about 1.5 form entry. I'm glad we chose to send me child somewhere else, it sounds like a mess.

[Fuschia]

That's a bit unfair. I can see benefits of that system for individual student provision by allowing classes to be more flexible for the summer born.

If you haven't been to see the school, it's a bit rich to be accusing it of fiddling its sats!

Sats stats are based on date of birth/nc year, anyway.

[Kes]

T2R - so on the basis something you were told by someone who got their facts wrong you are condeming a entire school on a public forum at a time when lots of anxious parents are trying to choose schools?

My child is in yr 1 at Hollydale, it was quite clear at the open day we attended that it was 1.5 form entry.

It was actually a great thing in reception, the 2 small reception classes had a Teacher and TA each which meant the staff could really get to know all the kids as individuals and feed back to us parents about how best to support them. Going ahead I'm quite happy for my summer born child to have a bit of flexibilty as to how she progresses.

[oimissus]

so, based on heresay you have come on the EDF to bitch about a school that you have no first-hand experience of??? What's that all about??

Their system actually sounds quite sensible, I had not heard of this before.

[Curmudgeon]

ticket2ride Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thanks for explaining that Renata.

>

> I know where the school is. Mrs T2R looked round

> it and I don't recall her saying anything about

> 1.5 form entry. I'm glad we chose to send me child

> somewhere else, it sounds like a mess.

It actually has a lot of benefits based on the different development paths of small children, perhaps you should learn something about early years education before commenting negatively on a school. Leaving your wife to look around schools rather than taking an active interest doesn't really make you any kind of expert now does it?

And I have no links with the school at all

[vicki08]

Goodrich school used to do this when my eldest went there it did not seem a problem at all and the children all did fine

[njc97]

Not sure there's any reason to jump on T2R like this - can't we leave that to the other bits of the forum?

(we visited Hollydale and found the 1.5 entry confusing but a good idea once we'd got our head round it, for our old in the year son. Overall we were really impressed with the school, ahead of other, very well thought of, local sschols. Our concern was that he would end up best friends with someone in the other half of the class and get split up at the end of the year. Instead he went to a 2 class entry school and is best friends with 3 children in the other class anyway)

[MrsAk]

If a child "fails" the year 1 phonics test, they have to take it again the next year. Extra phonics teaching would be put into place for these children but would not involve the now year 2 child being sent back to year 1!

[holliecraw79]

My kids really enjoy singing along to nursery rhymes and I have found that this has been a great way of improving speech through phonics. One of the best songs I have found can be sung along with on YouTube:

ABC Learning Song: