To hate SATS?

[Comewhinewithme]

DS is very bright and doing really well at school he is g&t in science and english .

However he was crying yesterday because he is scared that he is going to do rubbish . I have told him to just relax and he will be fine but he was so stressed about it all.

School are getting on my nerves because I think they are bribing the kids . We got a letter last week asking if ds would like to attend morning school which would mean a 7.45 start but they would get a free breakfast and at the end of it a gift voucher . They are also offering an extra voucher to the 3 children who attend the most .
Then they want them to go in during the easter holidays .

He is 11 plenty of time to be worrying about exams in the future .

[Tamarto]

YANBU - I am so glad i don't have to worry about it, poor you and your DS.

[Fimbo]

I know the feeling CWWM. My dd is distraught over the mental maths. She can do it in class but went to pieces over the mock sats. Her maths teacher has actually graded her higher than her test result.

And then the news last night announced they may be doing away with them for next year's Year 6's. Life is so unfair.

[examtaxi]

That is awful - dd will not be doing ANY extra work for SATS. She will be enjoying the easter break and playing.

[cory]

Make sure that you explain VERY clearly to your ds that the SATS result will not mean anything for his future, noone will ever ask to see them before they give him a job or anything else, they will not count towards his GCSE, they are entirely for the benefit of the school.

Dd's friend was distraught when she was ill during SATS week because she did not understand the system, dd who understands it perfectly well knew there was nothing to worry about.

[Comewhinewithme]

It is very frustrating Fimbo . DS's teacher has said he is working at a higher level than the average but now he is getting so stressed over some silly exams that don't really matter in the long run .

School don't help dangling goodies under their noses .

[Fimbo]

We went to a SATS meeting where we were shown past papers and I didn't understand half the questions!

I agree the school should not be dangling carrots that is just wrong.

[Comewhinewithme]

I explained last night that they do not matter but he is a worrier .

I have only let him go to the early morning sessions twice I just don't agree with them.

In the easter holidays he already has lots of sports stuff planned so I don't think he will be attending in the holidays .

[Fimbo]

My dd has started to bite her nails and chew the cuffs of her school sweatshirt.

My dd has a friend who's parents rebel over things like this, I have a feeling they will pull her out SATS week on the pretence she is ill.

I have told dd just to try her best and it doesn't matter but she has a competitive streak (thanks dh) and gets extremely emotionally if she doesn't do well in things, she is also a summer born and most of her friends are nearly a year older than her and in the top sets for everything and she wants to stay up with them.

[nikkid21]

YANBU - Ds is 6 and will do his year 2 sats after easter. If I could I would pull him out of them completley. They don't seem to have any benefit for him - just a way of the infants school giving themselves a pat on the back.

I feel like the whole term since Xmas has been taught around these bloody worksheet tests with little time to explore around the curriculum. I used to go in a cook with his class one afternoon a week but now they don't have time for that anymore.

Some of the mums are doing extra work with there kids at home so that they get the higher level results. I feel like yelling

THEY ARE 6 AND 7 YEARS OLD. CHUCK THEM OUT TO PLAY IN THE GARDEN! LET THEM HAVE FUN BEFORE THEY GET ON THE SECONDARY SCHOOL TREADMILL.

[Jstbcsiamammsntr]

this site seems helpful

[serenity]

DS1's class have been doing booster lessons after school twice a week, well DS1's class have, DS1 hasn't as I refused to send him. He has a long enough day as it is and I really think it's almost cheating on the school's part. I hate SATs, I hate the pressure it puts on the DCs. He says he's nervous about them (which makes me even more cross) I tell him I don't care what he gets as long as he does his best, but I don't think he really believes it - bloody SATs brainwashing.

He didn't want to go to the lessons btw, in case someone thinks that's why he's nervous

[bigTillyMint]

OMG!

The SAT's are utterly useless to the child. They are just the government's way of "measuring" schools. And your poor DS's school seems to be taking it way too seriously.

Tell him that as long as he tries his hardest you will be proud of him. And that the results are NOT USED BY SECONDARY SCHOOLS, just the government and hapless parents who are looking for primary schools and do not realising how much shenanigans goes on to get high level 4 percentages for the league tables.

[racmac]

I hate them - ds was home educated at the time of year 2 sats so we avoided them completely - i have told him not to worry and they are to test the teachers not the children.

I did on the news earlier that the teachers are on about boycotting SATS this year anyway

[sayithowitis]

Most teachers also hate SATs! The sad fact is that this is the way the govenment has chosen to measure the effectiveness of our schools.

Parents use the league tables to help decide which schools they want to send their children to and league tables are based on SATs results. Ofsted criticise schools whose SATs are not high enough. Our school was judged 'satisfactory' ( ie: only just acceptable) because whilst nearly 98% of our kids get level 4, not enough get level 5! ( apparently we should have about 65% level 5).

Teachers pay rises and promotions often depend on them being able to prove how effective they are at their job and once again, that is done by showing the SATs results.

I agree that kids should not be put under this level of pressure, but neither should the teachers and the schools. Maybe if all parents of year 6 children refused to send them in to school during SATs week, it would send a message to the government.

As long as parents demand the currrent style of league tables, this is what will continue to happen.

[singersgirl]

DS1 and lots of his friends are struggling with motivation now - many of them have done private school entrance exams this term so have 'got' their next school. The primary school is aware of this, and certainly doesn't overstress the children - no extra classes, though they have got some SATs revision worksheets for the holidays.

But SATs are tremendously important to the school's reputation, so they have to tread a fine line between making the children anxious and making sure they achieve.

[singersgirl]

Well, I'm a governor of the school and don't think it would be very supportive to withdraw my 'Level 5 child' from their figures.

I don't agree with the way the tests are currently being used, but while they're important to the school, I feel I should support them.

[drosophila]

How did parents judge schools before SATS?

[christywhisty]

My dc's loved doing their sats, if the dc's are getting stessed it's either the teachers or the parents fault for putting too much pressure on them. My dd is year 6 and absolutely loving her time including the booster sats, all the dcs go in voluntary early a few days the week.

In RL I have never come across anyone who has a problem with them other than at a parent where the school does put silly pressure on the children.
If they can't handle a few days of exams in yr 6 how on earth are they going to handle secondary school.

[Kayteee]

Keep him off for the sats, they are absolutely pointless and will be abolished soon anyway imo. Do something fun with him instead and forget about them.

[purepurple]

SATs are the devil's spawn

My DD was in bits before her Key Stage 1 tests, not sleeping, having nightmares, just not coping. The trouble was, as one of the bright ones, she was being pushed to achieve higher grades to bump up the average.

DS was given extra tuition leading up to his at KS2, years before.

I spoke to the teacher, turns out they had been doing hardly anything except old test papers for weeks

So I explained to DD that the SATs were to test the teacher not the pupils, to see how well the teacher could do their job or not!

I could see the teacher visibly bristle when I told the teacher this

teaching to the test is not the best way to educate young children

[Boozysuzy]

As a Year 2 teacher and mum of a DS doing their Year 6 SATS soon, I am struggling on all fronts at the moment.

If a school is lead well, SATS will be used appropriately - as a support to on going teacher assessment - not as an implement of torture to stress teachers out, wind parents up or most importantly worry children.

If it is done well especially in Year 2, most children will hardly be aware its happening.

We should rise up and protest together as parents and teachers - we have nothing to lose but the long writing task!

[SparklyGothKat]

My son is very bright too, predicted 5s in the SATs, but he is so worried about it.. he cries loads, very stressed. He does the flyhigher math class on a friday morning at 7:30am. When I said to the teacher that he doesn't have to do the SATs, that its for the school's benifit not the child, she shouted at me that he does.. I am not letting my child get so stressed that he is sick..