Do you advocate setting pupils according to ability within different classes, for example - pupils learning the same content at different places with differences in the amount of depth?
Or do you advocate mixed ability settings - where a year group is randomly put in with other members of the year, not taking into account their supposed intelligence?
Here within Scottish secondary schools, subjects like maths and English tend to be set by ability, working towards different levels of national qualification. However, my subject - religious education is largely mixed ability, as a result of low-staffing. I’m not sure whether I’d like pupils streamed by their ability, it would certainly make my teaching easier, but what would it do for a lower-sets self esteem.
What about you? Your school? Mixed ability or class sets? Neither?
