Key Stage 3 SATS

JO · Post by JO » Tue Oct 14, 2008 7:34 pm

I for one am really pleased these are going. Shame the KS 1 & 2 haven't gone as well.

Bit worried for teachers though on any replacement being even more work although report cards in theory do seem like an OK option. More details needed!

One question, have they ended this year - excited yr 9 DD thinks she may have got away with it.

Bexley Mum 2 · Post by **Bexley Mum 2** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:23 pm

It's not clear whether or not it's with immediate effect so I'm trying to calm down my euphoric Y9 son just in case it's something they're planning to phase out over the next few years. Think I read somewhere that schools can still do them if they want....!

Worrying thing is, my Y9 son only pulls his finger out for what he considers important exams. When I berated him for his end of Y8 test results not being as good as I knew they should have been (he did no revision whatsoever), he said that, of course, he would do some work for his KS3 tests, as they were more important

Sally-Anne · Post by **Sally-Anne** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 8:52 pm

Euphoria is justified!

This is from the DCSF Press Release on the subject:

"He (Ed Balls) announced that he was ending schoolsâ€™ requirement to run national tests for 14 year olds, with immediate effect."

Year 9 son is charging around the house punching the air, shouting "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Ed Balls did make provision for schools to use them as optional internal tests if they wish to do so.

chad · Post by **chad** » Tue Oct 14, 2008 9:31 pm

At last........but I am sure it was this years marking fiasco .....and the huge savings in cost to the government that has caused the 'about turn' ..... not a decision that was taken by weighing up the detrimental effect on childrens education and the pressure of 'league tables' against any perceived target of 'higher standards' and a way of measuring them.

Told my son...he said 'It doesn't really matter...the school sets us end of year exams anyway...and they are harder.'

H · Post by H » Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:11 am

Same! Y9 son's face didn't change at all when he heard the news. "They're gona test us anyway," was the reaction. See what gets said at school today. I, for one, am pleased. Rather they work towards GCSEs.

2childmum · Post by **2childmum** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:20 am

One of the schools we have just looked around is piloting a Government scheme where, instead of one test at the end of key stage two they sit single level tests when they are ready to take them. I wonder if this will be rolled out to all schools now - in which case they will end up sitting even more tests, as it will be a test for each level.

Marylou · Post by **Marylou** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:50 am

I kind of have mixed feelings about the demise of the KS3 tests. Contrary to Mr Balls' claims that "parents are only interested in GCSEs", I for one always check out the KS3 results for secondary schools as so many pupils tend to slip back from good results at KS2. The KS3 results can throw up some useful information about a school, or at least raise important questions. For example, a high proportion of level 8s for Maths and 7s for English and Science at a mixed-ability school suggests to me that children are properly streamed for these subjects, at least, and that the more able are helped to reach their potential. However, if a school (possibly even the same one) also has an unusually high proportion of 14-year-olds who are still below level 4 for reading, then I would want to know how the school is ensuring that these children are able to access the rest of the curriculum, and inquire about the quality of SEN provision in general, to find out why they have still not been able to "catch up" to the level expected of them three years earlier.

On the other hand, if schools are freed up from the rigours of test schedules then perhaps they will be able to tailor their provision more to the needs of individuals, and this will have a knock-on effect in the form of improved GCSE results...which will presumably still be taken in Y11 in most cases. But we'll have to wait a while to find out, though...

yoyo123 · Post by **yoyo123** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 12:08 pm

call me an old cynic but I am taking it with a pinch of salt , there will be another " initiative" and "strategy" before long

Mum007 · Post by **Mum007** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 3:22 pm

Oh yoyo123 how right you are!

Post by **hermanmunster** » Wed Oct 15, 2008 4:09 pm

yoyo123 wrote:call me an old cynic but I am taking it with a pinch of salt , there will be another " initiative" and "strategy" before long

reminds me of when I was working in an office and we got fed up of new strategies in the NHS, only solution was to change to the tite of the BEE GEES "Tragedy" to "Strategy" and go for a bit of Karaoke singing......

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