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Education

SATS 2016- Incentives

23 replies

cheekymonk · 05/05/2016 07:37

Morning all. My 11 year old DS has his SATS next week. He is very bright and says he likes the challenge but I'm not convinced. He's had a bad cold for weeks now and seems run down. He is tired out from all the mock tests he has been doing. Am trying to think through incentives to keep him going, let him know I am there for him and am 100% behind him next week. He has ASD and takes propranolol for anxiety. His main passion is his Xbox and so Fifa points are his favourite! Is anyone else doing anything different or have any ideas?

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TeenAndTween · 05/05/2016 09:49

I won't be doing 'incentives' but I will be doing extra treats (which may end up meaning the same as you). Mainly that will mean favourite snack after school, extra nice food in the evening, (even) more TV.

In your case I'd have a real chill-out weekend too.

TheTartOfAsgard · 05/05/2016 09:54

My dd did hers last year, I said I'd give her £6 for every level 6 she got, £5 for every level 5 and so on. Ds has his next week and will do the same.

averythinline · 05/05/2016 09:59

we're not incentivising over sats...not sure what you would be incentivising for? efforts or results - all he needs to do is be there and fill in the papers in most cases for him the results are pretty irrelevant as high schools here all test again in first term for setting etc
wouldn't that increase his anxiety..? it would for my ds not saying it would for yours he started getting anxious about them a few weeks back and we took the foot off the practice gas - he's only doing the stuff at school nothing extra at all ..
its been made clear by us that he should try his best and try an remember to read the questions properly but not to worry ....

not saying i'm completely against incentivising but maybe for gcse/a level although still not sure what the incentivising for but have a few years to work that out
we are planning extra tv and downtime over the week but his other activities swimming/cricket will continue as i think the physical break will be good for him

his school are taking them out for a fun afternoon on the friday...

user789653241 · 05/05/2016 10:04

TheTart, how can you do the same when there's no levels anymore?

TeenAndTween · 05/05/2016 10:27

Wow TheTart . How will this work if one child turns out to be naturally brighter than the other? It would seem unfair the brighter one could get more 'reward' even if they work less hard. (Aside from the fact that levels aren't around any more).

For DD1's GCSEs last year we rewarded effort because we feel that if the DCs do the best they can then that's all we can ask for. We did treats throughout revision and exams to keep motivation going, and then went for a family meal on results day. Her results were great for her, because of the effort she put in. But many other DCs will have got better results on less work.

cheekymonk · 05/05/2016 12:43

I don't mean results, was thinking just for doing the test each day really. Am just trying to acknowledge it is stressful for him really. I've not talked about results at all but showed an interest generally.

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cheekymonk · 05/05/2016 12:45

Thanks teen and tween that's exactly what I was getting at

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OldBeanbagz · 05/05/2016 12:49

No incentives here but if Xbox is your DS's thing, maybe give him extra gaming time during the week to help wind down after a day at school? Or cook him his favourite meals?

SAHDthatsall · 05/05/2016 14:22

You mean there are people out there that actually give a flying fuck about SATS results. Wow. What a waste of time. I remember DS coming home with a wad of past papers and revision stuff last year and he said that they were meant to do all the work over the holidays. Immediate filing under 'b' for bin! [Note recycling bin of course...]

HettyD · 05/05/2016 21:20

I have promised breakfast of his choice each morning (fried egg sandwich is Monday's order...) and have bought him the hunger games trilogy as an 'end of sats' present. There may be a trip to pizza express too if I think his effort has been good. Sunday will be a BBQ then calmness and quiet, a bit of revision but not too much. And lots of hugs and reassurance...!!

CrotchetQuaverMinim · 06/05/2016 08:59

I think too much special attention, rewards, incentives etc end up making the SATs into a much much bigger deal than they need to be, and even children who weren't worried or stressed by them start to think - hang on, if this is so important that I'm getting special breakfasts, extra playtime at school, rewards, doughnuts on Friday, money for doing well, everyone else in the school tiptoeing around the Yr 6s, early bedtimes, extra curriculars stopped in case they make them tired, etc - then maybe it's more important that I thought and I should start worrying and treating it like a massive deal. (Not that everyone does all of those, but certainly some pupils I know have quite a selection from the list).

In contrast, schools that don't do a lot of special stuff, assume they're just like normal days, of course you go to all your other activities, life and lessons carry on, maybe have a bit of a treat on Friday or a little extra playtime each day - children take them in their stride, think of them as challenges and chances to show what they've learned, and forget about them a lot faster. (And don't start to expect that the world stops every time they have exams in the future, either, nor that they will be rewarded at every step of the way for the fact of having to do them).

So incentives don't always have the intended effect, and people don't realise until later how the child saw it (but obviously everyone knows their own children best, and there are some where this might be the only way to get them to do them, etc., so I do understand that there are other circumstances).

(I meet a lot of Yr 6s at extra curricular things, from a variety of schools, so get an idea of how different the approaches can be)

HettyD · 08/05/2016 19:44

Really good point, sone will worry if they see parents WORRYING - but I think showing focus and attention can only be good.
The bottom line is that SATS are a big deal, the education system we live in has made them that way. How well yr6 students do in these tests will predict their future and impact how they are treated at secondary - plus if they don't show they are "secondary ready" with 100+ they will have to resit in November.
I need my son to know it is important to try his best, and that it is worth putting in a bit of extra time/effort/practice. I think I am setting him up for a hopefully successful transition in this way, and let's be honest, the first of many summers of revision and tests because that is how we judge ability in our education system...

ShipwreckedAndComatose · 09/05/2016 07:08

How well yr6 students do in these tests will predict their future and impact how they are treated at secondary - plus if they don't show they are "secondary ready" with 100+ they will have to resit in November.

No, it doesn't predict. It contributes to setting targets. Predict means something more fixed, I think. And this year's year six will not retake. nor will future years if, with any luck, we get more u turns

Personally I have advised my dd to do her best but have worked on keeping her calm. We spent the weekend doing no revision whatsoever.

minifingerz · 09/05/2016 08:38

Ds has SATS today.

We've done nothing to prepare and haven't mentioned it over the weekend.

I will greet him this afternoon with an ice cream after school. :-)

minifingerz · 09/05/2016 08:40

"The bottom line is that SATS are a big deal, the education system we live in has made them that way. How well yr6 students do in these tests will predict their future and impact how they are treated at secondary"

Rubbish rubbish rubbish

All dc's at my other dc's secondary (where ds is going in September) will sit CAT tests. They will be set according to these.

SAHDthatsall · 09/05/2016 11:43

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CPtart · 09/05/2016 12:45

DS2 is sitting his year 6 SATS this week. We've tried to strike a balance between a little extra work but not too much pressure. They're on the education treadmill now, so like it or not, formal testing and assessments will be a big part of their education in the forthcoming years.In our area, DC are set in year 7 on their year 6 SATS scores so it is important that he does himself justice this week. Interestingly, my older DS (same school) were set on year 6 SATS results, and despite CATS testing several weeks in, not one child was moved up or down.

Buttwing · 09/05/2016 12:50

Dd starts hers today. I am not in the slightest bit concerned about the results. I've told her to try her best but not to worry and she's not. The Sats are important, for the school not for us. I asked the school my daughter is going to in September whether they stream according to the results and they don't they assess them during the first term themselves.

Buttwing · 09/05/2016 12:52

Have people been revising at home? We've done nothing extra. They seem to be doing an awful lot at school.

ShipwreckedAndComatose · 09/05/2016 17:52

Exactly Buttwing. We have only done whatever came out of the school. Nothing else. I didn't want to over inflate the 'importance' of SATs or get her to worry any more than she needed to. I am proud of how she has handled it so far

SAHDthatsall · 10/05/2016 07:50

Bet you're glad you worked so hard for those Sats tests now they've gone and published the answers online! LMFAO

cheekymonk · 10/05/2016 13:25

Wow only just seen all these comments! Opted for breakfast of choice, fresh fruit smoothies. I'm just giving a bit more TLC this week. My priority is DS' mental health. Thanks for all the input!

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Dungandbother · 10/05/2016 22:59

Like Primaries, Secondaries are all different and so if some do take on board the SATS results as they have been instructed to do, then absolutely, those results are important.

I feel sorry that this YR 6 are the Guinea pigs in this. Someone has to go first when things change.

And I'm coming to the conclusion that this new curriculum with all its high reach is a good thing, I have academically able children and this is a far better education for them that what went before. (Again, everyone is different so I do understand one size does not fit all).

As a professional, the quality of the literacy skills our education system has spat out over the last 15 years is utterly shambolic. And the speculative CVs I see are all from graduates. I am shocked at how poor our literacy has become as a nation.

SATS are important. Working hard should be incentivised. But back to my first sentence, all schools are different and so some may not be approaching this in the best manner.

Not so ridiculous HettyD.

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