Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

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natellie
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:59 pm

Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by natellie »

Please help. My daughter is a young year 4 and her school has told me they are going to put her in for the year six SATs. A deputy head from another school has told me that she would never put any of her year 4 kids in for the SATs even if they were working at my daughters level (level 4). Is it unusual for this age child to do these exams? i can't find any information anywhere. My daughter is very intelligent and very grounded and she seems very laid back about it, but i have no idea what this will mean for her if she gets level 4. She is then working at the level she should be at when she leaves primary school. i have been to see the head so many times that she must be sick of my face. I don't want to keep bothering her all the time.

Any advice would be very very welcome

thanks Nat
pixiequeen
Posts: 378
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 12:06 am

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by pixiequeen »

Hi Natellie

I wonder why your DD's school want to put her in for yr 6 SATs? Level 4 at the end of year 4 is good, but not any reason to take SATs early. My DD did the QCA(?) Optional SATs in year 4 and got level 4's - she is doing her year 6 SATs next month and hoping for high level 5's.

Since it sounds like your DD will be level 5 (the highest level most primaries will let children work at) by the end of year 6, I can't see any point in her taking them now and getting level 4's.

UNLESS - it is something to do with a new way of testing that means children take a single level test for each level when the teacher judges they are ready, rather than according to a pre-destined schedule. If that is the case, and your DD is happy to be tested, I wouldn't worry about it, as she will sit her Level 5 papers in due course.

Hope that helps

Pixiequeen
natellie
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:59 pm

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by natellie »

Hi Pixiequeen

Thanks for your reply. Thats almost word for word what this deputy head said.

The head just said year six SATs no mention of single levels. I think i would be more worried if i thought DD couldn't cope.

Find it hard to talk to parents at school as i feel like i'm showing off. getting a little obsessed by it all.

Thanks
Nat
Kent99

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by Kent99 »

I think that a couple of years ago certain schools were chosen to pilot a new scheme whereby children could be entered for SATs papers as and when they were ready. The intention was to try and avoid the boring SATs preparation culture often found in year 6 and to avoid brighter children being overlooked in the effort to pull stragglers up to level 4. Maybe this is related to that?

Put bluntly, I would not expect it to affect your daughter one way or another if she achieves a level 4 this year. It may, however, mean that her targets are raised for years 5 and 6 which is probably a positive thing. Many schools do optional SATs every year anyway as part of their pupil monitoring procedures.

Do bear in mind that level 4 is the minimum level expected for children without learning difficulties at the end of year 6; many children will actually be at level 5 or beyond. (Year 6 SATs tests are only graded to level 5 but some children will actually be at level 6 or higher.)
natellie
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:59 pm

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by natellie »

that reminded me that the head did say something about children who reach a certain level will take the tests thank you id forgotten that.
does this mean dd is gifted or is it more complicated than that?
ill try not to be so obsessed from now on
thank you
nat
dottie1974
Posts: 192
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2009 2:36 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by dottie1974 »

Has your DD done any Optional SATS in year 3?

My dd (who is year 4, June birthday) did them last year, as does everyone in Years 3-5, with year 6 doing their 'proper' SATS.

My dd is predicted 4c at the end of year 4 - I do not think I would call her gifted though. Above average and very keen - (albeit a bit of a ditsy fairy at times!) would be nearer to describing her!
natellie
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:59 pm

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by natellie »

That sounds like my DD. She has brains but absolutely no common sense. she is also June birthday. I would be reluctant to call her gifted. to me someone who is gifted is a genius, but she is so quick at learning (you rarely have to explain things twice) and she says the most amazing things. She said her first word at 8 months old (To be fair she hasn't shut up since!) She gets very bored at school.

She did do optional sats last year but we didn't get any results her report just said she was above average for most subjects.
tiredmum
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:51 am

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by tiredmum »

natellie wrote: She said her first word at 8 months old (To be fair she hasn't shut up since!) .
My dd2 had a handful of words by 7 mths but sat on her bum refusing to walk until she was 16 mths :lol: All that talking wore her out i think :lol:
natellie
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2011 12:59 pm

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by natellie »

tiredmum wrote: My dd2 had a handful of words by 7 mths but sat on her bum refusing to walk until she was 16 mths :lol: All that talking wore her out i think :lol:
She sounds very clever. why waste all that energy on walking when people are willing to carry you? I use that to justify the fact that i didn't walk til i was 18 months old!!
tiredmum
Posts: 1161
Joined: Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:51 am

Re: Should i let my 8 year old year 4 girl do year 6 SATS

Post by tiredmum »

natellie wrote:
tiredmum wrote: My dd2 had a handful of words by 7 mths but sat on her bum refusing to walk until she was 16 mths :lol: All that talking wore her out i think :lol:
She sounds very clever. why waste all that energy on walking when people are willing to carry you? I use that to justify the fact that i didn't walk til i was 18 months old!!
I think she just decided sitting there talking was the more sedate option, rather than charging around the furniture. When she did walk she never toddled either. Just got up and walked clear across the room, as steady as you like! It was great - no stair gates needed etc.

Anyhow all that talking, must be very bright i thought :lol: up until about year 2 the teachers would say how her comprehension and understanding were way ahead of most of the class. Then they all gradually caught up. She does use some good vocab in her writing though.
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