SATs, Year 6

[UmSusu]

It has gone so quiet on here.....where has everyone gone? I went away in a buzz of activity, I thought I would have sit down with a whole pot of tea to get through the posts, but alas my first cup is still hot and I have caught up already! Oh well, it might encourage me to get on with some actual work .

Anyway, I was wondering how much swotting we should be doing for the upcoming SATs: I guess it depends on how useful they will be when they start year 7. DS is at a decent level and I don't really want to bother him after this last year unless the results will have a significant impact in the future.

Or maybe someone will come along and tell me it is all a walk in the park
UmSusu

[Turtlegirl]

Hi umSusu. Been a bit quiet, hasn't it? I've not even had time to get my cuppa before finishing off the forum threads!

We are doing NO swotting whatsoever. Still reading lots, mind. But our daughter is a comfy level 5, so I can't see any point in stressing her out about tests which only really matter for the school, not her! We are increasingly noticing an inverse correlation between her tiredness and her capabilities. And stress seems to stop her getting to sleep. So no swotting and lots of sleep is our approach! Learning to touchtype and read music and pass her next singing exam is what we're aiming for this term.

[Guest55]

turtlegirl - Secondaries get the marks for these tests so they do matter to the children.

[Turtlegirl]

It doesn't matter unless they stream them straight away. And my daughter's school doesn't. And many other local ones told me that they assess the children using something like CAT tests and ignore the SATs anyway. SATs don't necessarily give a true picture of where children are performing. Especially since schools have been known to manipulate the results *unsurprised face*.

[Guest55]

All targets HAVE to be set using the KS2 test levels as this is how the Secondary school will be judged.

[Turtlegirl]

But if our children exceed or do worse than their targets, that's the school's problem (or kudos). Not the children's. And a comfy Level 5 won't mean that my daughter will do any better or worse in secondary school. And I'd hope that her school will be looking to exceed expectations for her progress - how the school is judged won't make a difference to the child. If she slogs her guts out to achieve a 5a rather than a 5b, that's going to make no difference to what she manages once she's in Year 7.

I can see no purpose in making her work so hard when she should be enjoying her last term of primary school. There'll be enough to do next year. I'd rather she works realistically. I think it's very unhealthy to pressurise children when the levels are a judge of the school, not the kids. There'll be plenty of opportunities to rack up the stress when the exams make a real difference to the individual child.

And is it really the KS2 SATs that the secondary school uses or the assessment they make when the child arrives? Surely that causes trouble for secondary schools where there are manipulative/cheating primary schools around.

[Guest55]

Yes it really is - your daughter's target will be different if she gets 5as.

If she does not have high targets then she won't be pushed so hard to exceed them.

[moved]

How does this work for children who have not taken tha SAT exam, such as those who have been educated at home?

[UmSusu]

I like your plan turtlegirl. We don't have anything as interesting lined up. Like your DD, my DS is a secure level 5 but as he is not ready for the level 6 papers, I am not sure whether it is worth pushing him.

Based on G55's remarks they might be used by secondaries for setting, but I will leave the prep for the school - all of a sudden they are giving plenty of homework and practice papers and are taking a deep interest in how much progress is made . I can see what is meant about 5a being set a different target than a 5b, but surely these are just guidelines- why would the teachers minimise progress at a grammar / selective indie (or any other type of school for that matter) based on the KS2 levels?

[Guest55]

HE pupils would be expected to get to a GCSE grade that ensures they have made 3 levels of progress ie a B. All schools have a progress matrix as part of the RAISEonline report and pupils without KS2 results are not included if they get less than a B as no-one knows whether they have made the progress they should have done.