Page 1 of 6
KS3 SATs
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:03 pm
by zorro
Hi Guest55,
I know you will know this.
Do independent schools do KS3 SATs?
Thanks!
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:41 pm
by Guest55
Most don't which I think is interesting as quite a few do take the KS2 tests. In my view the results would be useful for parents to check their children ARE on track for top grades at GCSE.
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:43 pm
by zorro
Agreed!
Thanks.
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 7:47 pm
by zorro
Had a look on DS's school calendar and they are doing internal Y7 / Y8 exams exams so they must use these as a benchmark for setting and progress.
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 8:21 pm
by Guest55
Yes but they are set by the school and are not a reliable check on progress!
Posted: Sat May 10, 2008 11:09 pm
by Northkentmum
Guest55 wrote:Most don't which I think is interesting as quite a few do take the KS2 tests. In my view the results would be useful for parents to check their children ARE on track for top grades at GCSE.
Does this equate to the progress scores and marks that the school give you each end of term?
I have concerns as DD is among the top marks in her class and was top in her last math test ,her weakest subject at primary , yet at state primary school she was above average but not top.
Could i ask the school for her grades ie 5a-6a or equivalent or would they just poo poo it?
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:05 am
by katel
Maybe she's in a class that's generally ess good at maths? I'm not sure I understand the problem - am I being thick?
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 6:20 am
by perplexed
We once asked my stepdaughter's independent school if they did KS3 SATs, or if they could do some marking / grading etc at national curriculum levels. This was because we got glowing marks, reports, exam results all the time, but not much idea how these results placed her relative to the population at large. Also she had marginally failed the 11+.
Most independent schools do not do KS3 SATs as they do not have to. Now your school may be different, but the answer from the headteacher was ****. Something along the lines of "we don't do SATS as our girls are way above any possible level they could get in SATS."
This was such a rubbish and untrue answer that it worried me. However, once they started giving out GCSE predicted grades / targets, they seem likely to be accurate. Stepdaughter's grades are likely to be surprisingly high (mainly A* and A). I think they have many "tricks" up their sleeve - really small classes, never go beyond the syllabus for one second, practice GCSE type questions ad nauseam for several years, some of the GCSE are modular so some bits are examined early and can be resat if necessary, learn model answers to common question types etc.
Good luck.
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 9:37 am
by Guest55
How are they 'above the average they could get in the KS3 `tests'? level 8 in Maths is achieved by only 7% or so .... surely they are not saying ALL their children are above this!!
The KS3 tests in Maths test understanding rather than knowledge - I suspect this is why they are avoided as you cannot 'cram' for the questions.
Posted: Sun May 11, 2008 8:25 pm
by herewegoagain
Our local independent doesn't do KS3 SATs. The Year 9s are already doing GCSE work so I think the argument is that they are already working beyond the level of the SATs. I really don't know if this is a good or bad thing. It would be interesting to see how the students did if they actually took the KS3 tests.