KS1 spelling test published online!

[scary mum]

Why they have to cancel the KS1spelling test this year, why can't they get a new one ready?, it's only April.
They must have a lot of sample tests in reserve.

I think they had about 3 weeks, bearing in mind printing & distribution and the sheer numbers involved. Someone will have egg on their face & a P45, but of course not the people a the top who should be accountable.

[PurpleDuck]

Top marks to loobylou jr (and to PurpleDuck, of course!)

I also have a DC in Y6!

[yoyo123]

If you're not already following Michael Rosen on Facebook then you should be - here he shows a letter from Nicky Morgan and demonstrates that she doesn't follow her own handwriting guidance. She also appears unable to spell 'sincerely' (maybe because she doesn't know what it means).

If you click on the image you should be able to see it properly.

Her punctuation does not meet DfE requirements either.

[loobylou]

Yes I get that the cohort shouldn't necessarily be worse than normal but there are still going to be children who don't meet "the standard" and nevertheless are reaching their potential and trying their hardest - and who should be praised for their achievements.

[PurpleDuck]

Yes I get that the cohort shouldn't necessarily be worse than normal but there are still going to be children who don't meet "the standard" and nevertheless are reaching their potential and trying their hardest - and who should be praised for their achievements.

I see what you mean and yes, you are right. 'The standard' and a child's potential are two different things. The whole concept of a setup where some children will end up marked as 'below-standard' achievers, however hard they try, is fundamentally wrong. It can be very damaging to a child's confidence.

NB. We were told that children who fall 'below standard' may have to re-sit their SATs in year 7. Do you know, Loobylou, whether this is true?

[JamesDean]

NB. We were told that children who fall 'below standard' may have to re-sit their SATs in year 7. Do you know, Loobylou, whether this is true?

Yes it is, PD. And secondary schools receive funding (currently £500 per pupil) to help them make the required (quick) progress ...

JD

[PurpleDuck]

NB. We were told that children who fall 'below standard' may have to re-sit their SATs in year 7. Do you know, Loobylou, whether this is true?

Yes it is, PD. And secondary schools receive funding (currently £500 per pupil) to help them make the required (quick) progress ...

JD

Thank you, JD. So for some children not only their achievement will be marked as 'below standard', but they will also be known in their secondary schools as those who 'failed' their SATs. How can this be right?

[Guest55]

They often also get the 'pleasure' of a summer school in the holidays before they got to Secondary school.

[loobylou]

Hopefully that is then the end of it.
Will secondary schools also have league tables assessing the proportion of SATs "failures" who then succeed or fail in year 7?
If not, hopefully they will have the confidence to say that they don't give a flying **** whether Child A knows what a fronted adverbial or a subjunctive is, and therefore give some of these children a bit of confidence back...
(Or maybe that would be better written as... Not giving a flying **** whether Child A knows what a fronted adverbial is, the school worked hard to help Child A feel proud of his achievements in other areas. )

[JamesDean]

Hopefully that is then the end of it.
Will secondary schools also have league tables assessing the proportion of SATs "failures" who then succeed or fail in year 7?

I have no idea, but hope so too - the end of it, not the league tables!

I am not a secondary governor, but learned about the funding at a 'Closing the Gap' (I always want to say 'minding' ...) training session this week. Our local comp employs a KS2 teacher to work with the children who have not met the threshold when they start yr 7. She's lovely and works with them on confidence and self-esteem too

JD