Too many Year 6 SATS exams?

[justicewomen]

My son came home and said he has to sit 10(!) exams/tests in english, maths, and science. I believe they are over 5 days morning and afternoon. It feels like too many too quickly. I understand that this is a national requirement rather than the school organisation, but crikey!

Im not worried about him as such (as he has previously done 11+ and private school exams this year) but feel it is overkill. Surely they could reduce the number down.

What do others think?

[chickensaladagain]

Presume he is doing level 6 then

Dd enjoys exams so is looking forward to sats week strange child but you are right there are a lot

However the longest is an hour, the shortest 10 minutes so manageable for most dcs I would think

[mrz]

There isn't a science test this year
Last year the Level 6 were administered at a different time which IMHO is better.

[chickensaladagain]

mrz

Do you not think its better to get them all out of the way in one go?

It's all school seem to have spoken about for weeks and I'm glad it's not being dragged out

[mrz]

I think sitting a level 6 paper in the afternoon may be too much for some children and I would prefer to take an extra morning or two instead

[lljkk]

Best.Stealth.Boast.Ever.

[lljkk]

The tests are quite short, btw, L6 is all of 30 minutes each afternoon. Does anyone know how long they have to complete L3-5 tests?

The children will have set heaps & heaps of such tests before, including morning & afternoon same day assessments. The kids know these tests matter a bit more than the others, but otherwise it's old & familiar experience.

[StuffezLaYoni]

Link I thought the same! Sorry OP just messing.
I'm hoping the week will not exhaust them, especially the level six kids. I've tried my absolute best though not to inundate them with SATs papers so am hoping they peak at the right time!

[StuffezLaYoni]

Lijjk sorry, not link!

[lljkk]

Sorry OP, how IS your child managing to sit 11 separate exams?

This link only lists 9 of them.

[mrz]

"The children will have set heaps & heaps of such tests before, including morning & afternoon same day assessments."

Not in all schools we certainly don't do heaps of such tests

[lljkk]

The maths SATs test in KS2 has three parts: Test A, Test B, and Mental Mathematics. Tests A and B last for 45 minutes each, and the Mental Mathematics test is 20 minutes long. It will take 1 hour and 50 minutes to complete the entire test..

Grammar test is 45 minutes, too.

2 hrs 15 minutes for all the English, including grammar

so... 45 + 45 + 20 (math) = 110 minutes of math

135 minutes of English

45 minutes of grammar (or is that included in the English?)

4x30 minute L6 papers = 2 more hours.

I think I'm making that out as 335 minutes of regular tests (5.5 hours) + 2 hours extra for anyone able to sit all L6 tests. Spread over 4 days that's 33% of all the time usually in class those days. Call it 50% of the classroom time with faffing around matters before and after. Bit heavy, but over & done with.

[chickensaladagain]

Dd is having a practise sats week this week and is coming out with some of the worse scores she ever has because she is so pig sick of it

She just wants it over and done with

[Pozzled]

There is no writing test this year, only reading, grammar and spelling. So only 90 min + around 10/15 minutes spelling for English.

[mrz]

Our Y6 are on an exchange visit

[justicewomen]

Llykk - Sorry! Did not mean to be, but now see why it looks bad...(if I knew how to, I'd put in a smiley face but Im almost a newbie).

As to number of tests, just what my son told me (in between whinges!)..they are doing a lot of revision. I still dont see why they cannot devise one maths,one English?

Mrz if there is no science exam why has he been given science revision and told there is an exam? He said some schools send theirs in, but they did not have to, because they did it last year? Have they got it totally wrong?

[lljkk]

I guess if it's supposed to be a thorough assessment then it takes a while to test everything thoroughly.

Really don't know what to say about the science! Is there an optional Science KS2 SAT?

[mrz]

There hasn't been a national science test since 2010. In 2011 and 12 science sampling tests were administered to selected schools only but this year there will be no science test for anyone.

"There will be no Key Stage 2 science sampling in 2013; a new, biennial (every other year), pupil-level sampling system will be introduced in 2014."

[lljkk]

I wonder if OP's school is doing optional science tests for their own unnecessary internal monitoring?

(Clutching at straws, but I think it's feasible)

[kilmuir]

chickensaladagain my DD feels the same! School are keen for her to sit level6 English papers, but its booster sessions endlessly

[StuffezLaYoni]

If I remember correctly, there is to be no calculator paper for maths scheduled next year. Whether or no this means there will only be a single paper...

[Hassled]

Yes, the science must be something the school has decided to do.

They're over fairly quickly - yes, the L6ers will have more to deal with in the afternoons but I think most schools go out of their way to make the remainder of the week, i.e. the non-exam periods, as stress-free as possible.

[Feenie]

Level 6 reading is 60 mins, not 30. Ours do a residential the week after, so one week is better, I think.

[mrz]

They could still do it in one week but over five days rather than four.

[Feenie]

Yes, you're right - not sure what the obsession with four days is about.

[Feenie]

Silly phone - meant to be