Setting and Streaming

The AGFS approach to setting and streaming is not strictly one of setting. Scholars are taught in mixed ability groups, but within a narrower range. Each child's progress in all core subjects is considered before a decision on a teaching group is made.

The research on strict setting is clear: while some children perform marginally better in a group strictly set by ability, the majority of children do not. However, it is also clear that children do not make rapid progress when the needs of the children in their class are so diverse that it is challenging to teach all students well. In response to this research, at AGFS scholars in the top half of the year in one or more of the core subjects are organised across three groups and scholars in the bottom half of the year in one or more core subjects are organised across three groups. This allows broadly mixed ability teaching, but within a narrower range.

Some scholars work best when they are amongst the highest performers in the class, whereas others enjoy the challenge of needing to work hard to compete with those around them. We spread scholars across classes so that groups have a good balance, offering the right amount of support and challenge according to the individual needs of each scholar. A change of group does not mean a child is doing badly per se, but rather their teachers feel that a change of surroundings will help them to make more rapid progress.

A significant focus for Year 7 scholars is their reading ages and fundamental skills maths test. Lacking vital literacy skills holds a person back at every stage of their life. As a child, they won't be able to succeed at school, as a young adult they will be locked out of the job market, and as a parent they won't be able to support their own child's learning. This intergenerational cycle makes social mobility and a fairer society more difficult.

We use maths in every aspect of our lives at work and in practical everyday activities at home and beyond. We use maths when we go shopping or plan a holiday, decide on a mortgage or decorate a room. Good numeracy is essential to us as parents helping our children learn, as patients understanding health information, as citizens making sense of statistics and economic news. Decisions in life are so often based on numerical information; to make the best choices, we need to be numerate.

At the beginning of each academic year, your child completes a reading assessment and a maths fundamental skills assessment. We use this data at school to group scholars, inform the curriculum and to target our intervention programme.

• Encourage your child to read a book that is appropriately challenging for 20-minutes every day.
• Complete the additional consolidation tasks on Satchel One (Show My Homework). These include:
  • Reading reconsidered short stories for guided reading strategy targeting comprehension and linked vocabulary instruction.
  • Lexia comprehension, vocabulary and grammar practice
  • Fresh start phonics practice.

• Log into Sparx with your child and email their Maths teacher if you have any questions. Their login is their full name with no spaces and they have chosen their own password.
• Ask your child times tables in the evening and at the weekend, up to 12 x 12.
• Ask your child to help you with basic conversions. For example, converting pounds to pence, minutes to hours, and converting between mm, cm, m and km.
• Check you have an analogue clock in your home, and ask your child to read the time from this clock

• Encourage your child to read a book that is appropriately challenging for 20-minutes every day.
• Encourage your child to engage with non-fiction writing through reading newspapers or accessing online newspapers such as the guardian or BBC news.
• Encourage your child to create a vocabulary list of any ambitious words they come across when reading.
• Complete the additional literacy stretch tasks on Satchel One (Show My Homework)
• Completing the additional stretch tasks in the core knowledge books.

• Ask your child times tables in the evening and at the weekend, up to 12 x 12, challenge them to be quicker each time.
• Challenge your child to attempt questions from the Junior Maths Challenge at:

https://www.ukmt.org.uk/competitions/solo/junior-mathematical-challenge/archive

• Sign your child up for free to join Parallel Problems by Simon Singh to extend their Mathematical thinking: https://parallel.org.uk/signup
• Encourage your child to engage critically with data presented to them on the news and in the media

In your child’s other subjects, they should complete as many of the stretch and extension activities in their core knowledge book in addition to routine independent learning. These tasks are more exploratory, encourage your child to think more critically about the subject matter and to develop the independent study skills required to be successful at university.

We value the additional work your child will do to push themselves and explore their academic interests. Each time your child completes one of these tasks above, your child’s teacher will issue an ‘independent learning champion’ golden ticket, which is worth 5 positive points.