Key stage 1 Sats!
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Kegs Mom 3
- Posts: 132
- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:55 pm
- Location: Birmingham
Key stage 1 Sats!
Could anyone tell me exactly what happens for the Key Stage 1 Sats?
With my older children, the school held a meeting, advised parents what practise papers to buy, etc.
With youngest son, no mention of Sats has been made at all, I understand that the KStage 1 Sats levels are now based more on Teacher Assessment.
However, a friend of mine with a daughter at a very high achieving primary school, in a much more affluent area, tells me that they have been practising Key Stage 1 Sats for months!!
Another friend, with a son at a high achieving faith school, slightly more affluent area, tells me her son has already completed some of his sats! She already knows his reading level and knows that he will be doing his maths paper today. So that the children are not under too much pressure to perform, they are apparently calling these Sats tests 'quizzes'!
Can anyone advise me what is really happening in primary schools for Key Stage 1?
My friends are making me feel as if my son's school is letting him and all his classmates down!
Thank you to anyone who can help!
Yours very curiously,
Kegs Mom 3
With my older children, the school held a meeting, advised parents what practise papers to buy, etc.
With youngest son, no mention of Sats has been made at all, I understand that the KStage 1 Sats levels are now based more on Teacher Assessment.
However, a friend of mine with a daughter at a very high achieving primary school, in a much more affluent area, tells me that they have been practising Key Stage 1 Sats for months!!
Another friend, with a son at a high achieving faith school, slightly more affluent area, tells me her son has already completed some of his sats! She already knows his reading level and knows that he will be doing his maths paper today. So that the children are not under too much pressure to perform, they are apparently calling these Sats tests 'quizzes'!
Can anyone advise me what is really happening in primary schools for Key Stage 1?
My friends are making me feel as if my son's school is letting him and all his classmates down!
Thank you to anyone who can help!
Yours very curiously,
Kegs Mom 3
KS1 SATS should be very low key - the are only 6 and 7, after all. My son is doing them "sometime in the next week or so". They have had a go at a couple of practice papers so that they are familiar with the format, but there has been no revision, no special homework, no stress. And I am glad!
Ignore your friends. What does it matter whether they get a 2 or a 3 at this age anyway?!
Ignore your friends. What does it matter whether they get a 2 or a 3 at this age anyway?!
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Kegs Mom 3
- Posts: 132
- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:55 pm
- Location: Birmingham
Kegs Mom 3,
This may be controversial but here goes anyway:
I do not see any relevence of the KS1 Sats. As Katel says does it really matter at this stage whether the kids get a 2 or a 3? Let the kids be kids instead of trying to steal their young years from them.
I know that when my daughter took hers she was compared to the rest of the class and also we couldn't help but compare her to her cousin. But it didn't matter one jot and with hindsight, the result did not give a clear indication of future attainment.
These KS1 results are put into a table which is produced by the Fischer Family Trust and is supposed to predict future grades. What a load of rot!
My daughter had just average KS1 results and was predicted to get middle 4s in year 6. She got 3 very high 5s! My niece, and also other kids in my daughter's class, who did better at KS1 didn't fare so well in yr6 and scraped a 5 and got 2 4s. My niece is older and is supposed to be at a better school. Maturity, or lack of it in KS1, seems to be the overriding factor here.
With my youngest daughter (Aug born) she got poor KS1 results and her predictions were bad for KS2 and this just didn't ring true but she was VERY young. As a Mum you just know if things aren't right. So after 6 months tuition outside school this has been corrected and she is on target to get high 4s or 5s.
There are so many reasons why these tests must not be taken too seriously. Yes, use them as a measure, but don't use them alone. If the results are good, then check them out, is it representative of the child? Don't asume that because 3s are achieved now that 5s will follow in KS2.
If the results are not so good, is it representative or is it lack of maturity? How does school work generally compare?
Schools will always talk about 'added value'. For eg, in my elder daughter's case they would say that as she was only expected to achieve 3 x4 but went on to achieve 3 x5, it has 'added' to her scores. Of course this doesn't take into considerariton any private tutoring or lessons etc that the child might have undertaken out of school to achieve those results. Also teachers move about. You might get a bad one one year but a very good one the next
Support the school by all means, but don't pressurise the little ones and take the results as a guildline only, not something written in stone. Hope this helps.
This may be controversial but here goes anyway:
I do not see any relevence of the KS1 Sats. As Katel says does it really matter at this stage whether the kids get a 2 or a 3? Let the kids be kids instead of trying to steal their young years from them.
I know that when my daughter took hers she was compared to the rest of the class and also we couldn't help but compare her to her cousin. But it didn't matter one jot and with hindsight, the result did not give a clear indication of future attainment.
These KS1 results are put into a table which is produced by the Fischer Family Trust and is supposed to predict future grades. What a load of rot!
My daughter had just average KS1 results and was predicted to get middle 4s in year 6. She got 3 very high 5s! My niece, and also other kids in my daughter's class, who did better at KS1 didn't fare so well in yr6 and scraped a 5 and got 2 4s. My niece is older and is supposed to be at a better school. Maturity, or lack of it in KS1, seems to be the overriding factor here.
With my youngest daughter (Aug born) she got poor KS1 results and her predictions were bad for KS2 and this just didn't ring true but she was VERY young. As a Mum you just know if things aren't right. So after 6 months tuition outside school this has been corrected and she is on target to get high 4s or 5s.
There are so many reasons why these tests must not be taken too seriously. Yes, use them as a measure, but don't use them alone. If the results are good, then check them out, is it representative of the child? Don't asume that because 3s are achieved now that 5s will follow in KS2.
If the results are not so good, is it representative or is it lack of maturity? How does school work generally compare?
Schools will always talk about 'added value'. For eg, in my elder daughter's case they would say that as she was only expected to achieve 3 x4 but went on to achieve 3 x5, it has 'added' to her scores. Of course this doesn't take into considerariton any private tutoring or lessons etc that the child might have undertaken out of school to achieve those results. Also teachers move about. You might get a bad one one year but a very good one the next
Support the school by all means, but don't pressurise the little ones and take the results as a guildline only, not something written in stone. Hope this helps.
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Charlotte67
- Posts: 893
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- Location: Cloud 9
Not wishing to disagree with the previous posts or to worry you further Kegs mom 3, but I'm sure I've seen mention of KS1 results being used as evidence of academic ability in appeals...
I worked a classroom assistant for some years including the period 2 years ago when teacher assessment became the more important part. As far as I could see the assessments and the way that the school taught leading up to them did not change. Your school will have been working hard towards them and will want your son to get the best results possible.
In our school - and I am sure the vast majority of others - the children were never put under pressure, in fact (with only very rare exceptions) they thoroughly enjoyed the experience, were made to feel special and had great fun during the period of assessment.
I have also had 2 children go through the 2 different methods and saw no difference between them apart from the piece of paper we got at the end.
I worked a classroom assistant for some years including the period 2 years ago when teacher assessment became the more important part. As far as I could see the assessments and the way that the school taught leading up to them did not change. Your school will have been working hard towards them and will want your son to get the best results possible.
In our school - and I am sure the vast majority of others - the children were never put under pressure, in fact (with only very rare exceptions) they thoroughly enjoyed the experience, were made to feel special and had great fun during the period of assessment.
I have also had 2 children go through the 2 different methods and saw no difference between them apart from the piece of paper we got at the end.
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Sally-Anne
- Posts: 9235
- Joined: Wed Jan 11, 2006 8:10 pm
- Location: Buckinghamshire
You are right Charlotte, but they're not really that relevant for a senior school appeal 3 or 4 years down the line though. A lot of parents can't even remember what their child scored at KS1 or find the piece of paper with the marks on anyway.Charlotte67 wrote:but I'm sure I've seen mention of KS1 results being used as evidence of academic ability in appeals...
Good predicted KS2 SATs, school reports/support and recent evidence of good school work are far more important at an Appeal.
Don't panic Kegs Mom 3, and let your DS enjoy the sunshine.
Sally-Anne
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Kegs Mom 3
- Posts: 132
- Joined: Tue Mar 11, 2008 6:55 pm
- Location: Birmingham
Thank you all for the reassurance!
Just seemed strange for three primary schools to have such a different 'take' on the Key stage 1 Sats.
It would seem that the more affluent the area, the greater the emphasis!
At Key Stage 2, the emphasis is the same for all three schools, to be expected because of the league tables, of course!
Thank you all again, DS will most definitely be enjoying the sunshine!
Just seemed strange for three primary schools to have such a different 'take' on the Key stage 1 Sats.
It would seem that the more affluent the area, the greater the emphasis!
At Key Stage 2, the emphasis is the same for all three schools, to be expected because of the league tables, of course!
Thank you all again, DS will most definitely be enjoying the sunshine!
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/Sch ... G_10013041At Key Stage 1 the level will be based on the teacher's assessment, taking into account your child’s performance in several tasks and tests.
So still some "tasks and tests" but level based on the teacher's assessment.
I remember this from last year I made an appointment to see DS2's teacher just to check that his levels were based on tests and had not been adjusted. She confirmed he had sat the tests, I was so pleased that he had co-operated and concentrated.
Call it a fudge or a compromise but the kids are so young I think the mixture of tests, tasks and teacher assessment is a good compromise.
steve
