Saying hello

[stroudydad]

I have told her that outcome will be what it will be and not to worry but as so many in her class are sitting the exam she wants to do well.

Perfect

Age (July/August) shouldn't be a disadvantage due to the age standardisation. In some ways the 11+ is a fairer test than SATs.

And who gives a monkeys about SATS anyway?!

[PoppyPup]

RedPanda,

Thank you so much for your useful tips.

[poppety]

We are Trafford too Poppy - and my daughter is a young one in the year. She is taking it all in her stride at the moment. I can second the Practise and Pass books as we are using those (her tutor writes them). It's all quite nerve-wracking but I think we have made the right decision to go to a tutor weekly as opposed to doing it at home.

[Mumski]

Hi all

Can I join you please. My DS2 is taking the 11+ in September for 2019 entry and we are also in the process of preparing him. Unfortunately the schools around here do not help much as we are in Lancs which is not a full GS area. We are using the GL assessment papers but trying to get more general practice with other types of questions as well.

Struggling a bit with silly mistakes in the Maths papers the last time we did one so going to have another go at GL papers over the Easter hols and see how we get on.

I have been through this before with DS1 though so kind of know what to expect, still it helps to chat about it.

[Guest55]

And who gives a monkeys about SATS anyway?!

Many people do - your child's Primary school and the Secondary school they will go to. It also affects your child as their GCSE targets are based on the KS2 results.

The results are the first external national test the child will meet and their influence will last for some time.

[ToadMum]

And who gives a monkeys about SATS anyway?!

Many people do - your child's Primary school and the Secondary school they will go to. It also affects your child as their GCSE targets are based on the KS2 results.

The results are the first external national test the child will meet and their influence will last for some time.

But the lower score one gets in SATs, the lower the GCSE predictions and the better the secondary school will look when the DC concerned does better than predicted? So it depends on which school one most doesn't want to get the credit for teaching one's DC, I suppose.

[Guest55]

But the lower score one gets in SATs, the lower the GCSE predictions and the better the secondary school will look when the DC concerned does better than predicted? So it depends on which school one most doesn't want to get the credit for teaching one's DC, I suppose.

Yes, if you hate your child's Primary that might be a strategy to get Ofsted turn up and Head forced to resign. It's not great for the child to be labelled 'not secondary ready' though is it? The levels will be on the tracking system whereas the 11+ score won't be.

[RedPanda]

And who gives a monkeys about SATS anyway?!

Many people do - your child's Primary school and the Secondary school they will go to. It also affects your child as their GCSE targets are based on the KS2 results.

The results are the first external national test the child will meet and their influence will last for some time.

If you really want to play the game then sending your offspring into reception with skills in phonics, basic numeracy, shapes, colours, etc. is the way to go. A lot of primaries use an initial reception baseline test to start the whole target setting/tracking conveyer belt of education.

I read somewhere that a standardised reception test (across all primary schools) on entrance is to become mainstream (and mandatory) some time in the future. I fear the sandpits and water play areas will soon be a thing of the past as the criteria for judging primary schools becomes ever narrower.

[Amber]

If you really want to play the game then sending your offspring into reception with skills in phonics, basic numeracy, shapes, colours, etc. is the way to go.

Or you could do the pedagogically and psychologically sound thing and not do any of this. Some games are not worth joining in with.

A lot of primaries use an initial reception baseline test to start the whole target setting/tracking conveyer belt of education.

Yeah but the idea is not supposed to be to 'test' them as such (I know, I know) but to be able to measure them later on to see how much progress they have made. Still fundamentally appalling imho, but not quite the same as a sort of entrance test.

I read somewhere that a standardised reception test (across all primary schools) on entrance is to become mainstream (and mandatory) some time in the future

Would love to see this if you can dig it out, RP. I am currently co-authoring an article on a related subject and this would be relevant.

I fear the sandpits and water play areas will soon be a thing of the past as the criteria for judging primary schools becomes ever narrower.

Very sadly, play is already going out of fashion. And even more sadly, in many cases it is middle class parents who are sending it that way, believing that their 4 and 5 year olds are too advanced/bright for it and will get bored, with the consequent loss of that all-important 'potential' if they spend too long dressing up or digging about in sand.

[stroudydad]

And who gives a monkeys about SATS anyway?!

Many people do - your child's Primary school and the Secondary school they will go to. It also affects your child as their GCSE targets are based on the KS2 results.

The results are the first external national test the child will meet and their influence will last for some time.

Yes of course the primary school does, both of the secondary schools my children attend have stated in the past that they do not take any notice of Y6 sats. And let's be honest targets are not necessarily a good thing.. some will never achieve and be left deflated, other will see them as a finish point rather than start.
My children have always been told that their effort throughout their school lives is what matters and are thoroughly encouraged to not give 2 thoughts to year 6 sats. They don't do any prep at home, if past papers are sent home we send them back untouched.
School hates it but hey.. and I dare say many here might agree with the school but those are our beliefs.