Do they HAVE to sit the sats in May??!

Key Stages 1-2 and SATs advice

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daisy
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:12 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Do they HAVE to sit the sats in May??!

Post by daisy »

I was talking to a teacher from a secondary school in a different county last week about the SATS. I was asking whether the chidren have to sit the tests, whether they have an affect on which set a child goes into when they move up to secondary school. He said he didn't think they did have to sit them and that they could use marks already gained to decide which set a child goes into... I'm wondering whether it's really worth a week of being tested if it's not really of any benefit to the child and whether it might be better to take my child out of school for the week and do something more beneficial for them.

What does anyone else think?

:D
daisy
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Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:12 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Post by daisy »

:D Sorry I should have said that I was referring to Year 6 SATS !!
Bexley Mum 2
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Location: Bexley

Post by Bexley Mum 2 »

I think it is good for children to have something to show for the months and months of SATs revision they have endured at school. I don't particularly object to the SATS themselves - it's the waste of Y6 that I object to! If your child is able and expected to perform well in the SATS, I'd be more inclined to have the odd sneaky day off in the run up and let them do the exams. It's also good to give something back to the school and maybe help to boost their position in the wretched league tables. I told our primary that I was going to keep one of my sons off for the KS1 tests as he was getting too stressed about them. They acknowledged it was my right to do this, but then fell over themselves to put him at is ease (nothing to do with the fact that he was expected to get, and got, all level 3s of course!)

It might be worth checking how much emphasis your child's secondary school places on SATs. At my sons' GS they are taught all lessons in their forms in Y7. They are put into sets for Maths, English and Science in Y8 and this is based on their performance during Y7, not their KS2 SATs. Boys occasionally move up or down a set so the school seems to be looking at current rather than KS2 performance.

I must admit, I've been thinking about taking a few days with my youngest next year when he is in Y6 as I think he is going to be bored out of his mind!!
Bewildered
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Joined: Mon Feb 20, 2006 2:29 pm
Location: Berkshire

Post by Bewildered »

I only know of one case where they have allowed a child not to sit the test, as Parents said the stress of actually sitting the test would do more harm than good for their DC.
I also know that teachers have been sent to child's house if sick, to sit beside them while doing test at home for something like a broken leg. :( or will get a scribe in if DC has broken arm.

If DC is predicted L5, they will not be happy at all. :D
daisy
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:12 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Post by daisy »

Hi Bexley Mum 2!

I'm not sure how much revision J's school is doing but they've made a big deal about the run up to the SATs and not having time off and that they'll be doing yoga to keep the children calm during the SATs week! To be honest, I feel completely let down by the school as far as support for my son goes and encouraging him to do his best, instead we get fobbed off by the HT who can't even get his surname right half the time!! So, I'm not sure I want to give anything back!! Oops!! :oops: Haha!

I think I'd rather my fiance and myself had the week off work (easy enough for me as I teach music from home) and we took J to see educational but fun places and that we had a great time as a family before he starts Year 7 when he's going to need to nuckle down and the real hard work starts! :lol: But then, he is going away in June with my parents for two weeks and on the school trip for a few days at the end of june ... might as well just take him out of school completely!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Tracy
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Location: Bexley

Post by Tracy »

But if the child is set to get L5s as a result of private tuition and not because of good teaching then I would be reluctant to let the child sit them.
daisy
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:12 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Post by daisy »

I haven't even checked what J is expected to get in his SATs :oops: :oops:

Somewhere in my head is high 5s for Maths and mid 4s/low 5s for English things, QCA maybe?!

Oh dear :oops: :oops: I've always just taken more notice of what's said and how he's getting on rather than the numbers they told us!! Probably because I think they just want to have fun and find learning fun and not be graded on everything they do and constantly have their faults pointed out!!

Maybe we'll just vanish for the week!! :lol: :lol:
Looking for help
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 11:12 am
Location: Berkshire

Post by Looking for help »

I would be very reluctant to take my child out of school for the sats week or any other week for that matter.
Sats may or may not be the best use of time etc for our schools and our children, but the one thing the children have to get used to in this world is taking exams.
The best place to start that is at primary school.
And even better than that is for them to try to put a little bit of extra work in so that they can then see that they've done a little bit of work and tried their best and ...guess what ?
They get rewarded with good sats results.
Then they begin to understand before it's too late that there is a correlation between working and getting good exam results.
A very large number of today's teenagers never really get that and so do not fulfill their potential.

Rgds,
LFH
daisy
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Aug 30, 2008 8:12 pm
Location: Warwickshire

Post by daisy »

I do agree that children need to realise that you only get out of something what you put in!

I also think that a whole week of tests and exams that is preceeded by endless practice papers and talk of SATs is a bit much, especially when it's of no real benefit to the child and even some teachers think they're a waste of time!

I asked my son if he'd been doing any practice for the SATs and he said "yeah, loads!" I asked if he knew what his predicted marks were and he said in the practice papers he was getting level 5s and level 5As, even for his reading, which surprised me.

I still think there's surely something better he could be doing with his time!!!! :lol: :D :lol:
Rob Clark
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Joined: Tue Nov 25, 2008 1:59 pm

Post by Rob Clark »

Given today’s report in the papers that up to 50% of SATs (since they were introduced) may have been wrongly graded, I have my doubts about their usefulness beyond LFH’s very valid point that they’re good practice.

Other than that they’re primarily for the benefit of the school, not DCs.

Our experience has taught us that if DD isn’t feeling well on the day of an exam, we’d be better off keeping her off school, and if that happens I certainly won’t lose any sleep about the affect on the school’s league table position, given how unsupportive they’ve been towards us.
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