SATS - cheating

[Agata6]

Hello,

I am a parent of year 6 child.

I found out today that next week during SATS exams at our school group of 5 children will be doing tests separately with extra time and help.

Children are not on any medical lists and do not have any special needs. Just their parents contributed a lot to school in a financial way.

I do not know where to complaint and what to answer to my child's questions about these obvious different ways how people are treated from a such young age...

[Tinkers]

I don't know who you would complain to. Possibly directly to the head and governors to start with. Schools can and do get inspected during the week to ensure that everything is above board. I guess the 'inspector' would be the one to get hold of, but I don't know how you would.
My DD is also in year 6. The school had a meeting for parents earlier this week. The issue of extra time and/or readers did come up. Apparently the school have to provide evidence that the extra help is required and that the child has similar help during normal lessons. None (out of just under 70) of the children in my DDs year will get extra time. The teachers said that extra time is only usually given in more extreme cases.

Readers will only be provided for the maths test.

They were pressed on the issue (I suspect by a parent who has already had some discussion about this in private beforehand) and they said they would have to prove that the child required a reader, if the powers that be inspected them during the week.

[Agata6]

2 governors children will be in the GROUP of 5. What makes me really gutted is that it is not even a secret. There is no shame or understanding of wrongdoing. As i googled tonight, it appears it is a wide problem, which is tolerated.

[hermanmunster]

This is obviously upsetting for you but remember the SATS are only for the school and not for the child!

The schools the kids go to will no doubt re test in the early part of year 7 and make their own judgements about them.

[Agata6]

Thank you hermanmunster. You are right. I do understand. Unjustness is common in our lives, just a bit painful to introduce it to a child.

[ToadMum]

http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/tea ... visit-info

May be some help?

[999 mum]

Hello,

I am a parent of year 6 child.

I found out today that next week during SATS exams at our school group of 5 children will be doing tests separately with extra time and help.

Children are not on any medical lists and do not have any special needs. Just their parents contributed a lot to school in a financial way.

I do not know where to complaint and what to answer to my child's questions about these obvious different ways how people are treated from a such young age...

I am sorry but how do you know that these children do not have some special need?

Why would the child necessarily make it known to the others, the parents might not want it to be common knowledge and teachers shouldn't/wouldn't disclose this info to other parents.

If you firmly believe there is cheating going on then report it to the relevant bodies and do it in writing with proof of posting and/or handing it in at school and do it as soon as possible.

[Tinkers]

2 governors children will be in the GROUP of 5. What makes me really gutted is that it is not even a secret. There is no shame or understanding of wrongdoing. As i googled tonight, it appears it is a wide problem, which is tolerated.

That's quite terrible. Please take comfort in Herman's words though, they are more for the school than the children and secondary schools will retest in many cases.

Of course it is possible that they do need extra time or help, but if this is the case the school will need to prove this need exists.

[Guest55]

10% of school are visited without warning in every LA to check on this sort of thing.

Parents can report breaches of the rules to the STA.

http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/ex ... 198511/sta" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

These reports are taken very seriously and would be followed up.

[Rob Clark]

I am sorry but how do you know that these children do not have some special need?

999mum has a point, there are lots of hidden disabilities which could entitle a child to extra time.

Of course it is possible that they do need extra time or help, but if this is the case the school will need to prove this need exists

For all you know, they might have. What they don't have to do, though, is prove it to other children or other children's parents as it is none of their business.

I am not saying that there is no wrongdoing here, but you can't assume there is just because the children in question do not have a visible disability