KS1 SATs this week...

[WhattodoSue]

In our school at least. I'm curious to know if my DD notices, or comments on anything different to normal happening. There has been no explicit build up to them really. Just normal school work (although I did get the comment that English was boring because it is just grammar - although that was probably before SPaG was cancelled).

I must confess, I'm also curious to know what teachers think of them level wise. And I can't quite get my head round how the formal administration could work if they are much to hard for some children. Do those children get to do something else when they have had enough? I cannot imagine how the whole thing could work.

[jennielou75]

I am mixed about how hard they are although the assessment standards themselves are very difficult to evidence and prove. The tests are just part of this. All children start the tests and if they are really struggling then they can stop and the time is noted. Mine were then sent down to the ict suite as keeping them in the classroom seemed unfair.

[CB2009]

My som's class have Arithmetic Thursday & Reasoning Friday. Teacher said she will have them tackle in smaller groups so the speedier children do not put of the children who want to take more time. Reading next Tuesday & Thursday next week for our class

[bumbleclat]

My KS1 class will sit the tests then head back to class to do art activities for the rest of the week.
I see it as my responsibility to buffer them from the pressure coming from the government.
I will keep it very low key, I'd be surprised if they notice the difference as we have done sample papers throughout the year to track gaps in their understanding.

[sportinguista]

DS teachers say they are keeping it low key. The children know they are doing some 'quizzes' but beyond that no more. DS knows that he just does his best with everything and that will be fine. He is more focussed on what he has got lined up for half term than worrying about all this. His teachers and I know how he is doing, that is more important than a test result at his point in life.

[Mov1ngOn]

Yup "special booklets" here. It's a different timetable in that they have some fun activities in the hall and outside all week while not doing them.

My daughter came out all excited yesterday that it had been a fantastic day. I was so relieved with how they'd handled it. (And a reason I didn't join the day off boycott as I thought it would draw attention to it.

Still cross the effect it's had on the curriculum building up to it, but relieved with how they've handled it so far.

My friends school down the road has a very anxious child as she didn't score well enough apparently in a practice maths one and it's all anxious it's starting this week.

[oktimetodoit]

Dd's teacher seems to of kept theirs really low key too. There has been group work mentioned with a bit of writing and lots of art today. She did mention a test a couple of weeks ago and she was worried but I think that is because she has over heard the YR 6 Dc talking about them tbh. I just gave her reassurance and she seems to of chilled again. Is there a set time for the KS1 like with the KS2 tests?

[rollonthesummer]

i must confess, I'm also curious to know what teachers think of them level wise.

Believe me, they really don't need tests to tell them that!

[WhattodoSue]

My DD told me that they had done a test, she was so totally unfussed by it. There was a fiction bit, a non-fiction bit and a poem. They did fun stuff in the afternoon. I asked what she was doing today and she said they had tests all week. But she just wasn't bothered by it. It is nice to see that so many schools are managing to keep these tests low key.

*rollonthesummer" - not what the teachers think of the children level wise, what the teachers think of the tests level wise. I know the teachers don't need a week of formal tests like this to tell them anything.

Mov1ngOn that is such a good reason not to boycott. With Y2, they really don't have to have any idea that these tests are anything other than just something they are doing. They shouldn't be stressed. Y6 shouldn't be stressed but they are obviously going to understand what these things mean, and so I'm sure a lot of children would be. But my daughter didn't have any idea they were preparing for anything this year. It was just school work.

[Clareoo223]

One of mine sat them last week, he knew exactly what they were and really enjoyed them.
He's looking forward to his results, he thinks that it will be interesting to see how he faired to the average.

He found them all easy, they had so much times he ran through them three times at least. (He's pretty bright though) some of his friends struggled and about 30% of the class didn't finish ( they had an hour per test plus extra if needed)
The average readers struggled with the second reading paper. ( not many finished that one)

[Clareoo223]

I must confess, I'm also curious to know what teachers think of them level wise.

--
I think ^ is more of a how hard were they level wise question, well that's how I read it, do they teachers think they were level three papers?

[noblegiraffe]

DS said he sat a couple yesterday, which is weird as I thought it was one a day. He has been supremely unfussed by the whole thing, but I think some of his class have been stressed. We've not had any special homework or preparation for them, so no pressure at home.

I want to know exactly what his results are but I'm not sure if we even get told them. He sat the SpaG test before it was scrapped, I don't even know if it's going to marked or whether it was a complete waste of time.

[Mov1ngOn]

I think it's 2 a day. I saw a schedule somewhere but can't find it now!

[WingDefence]

DS's school did them last week (I think schools can do them any time in May?) and had them done and dusted by Wednesday as they did a couple a day. They've played it pretty low key and had a trip out somewhere local on Friday to give them a bit of relief from it all.

In contrast, the other school nearest to me is spreading them out across the week, including the cancelled exam (DS had done it as a practice a couple of weeks ago), and every year is having assessments this week so it's more of a whole school 'exam week' because the school's reasoning is that they need to get used to exams now. I've heard of my friends' children being stressed about it and I prefer DS's school's approach.

[jennielou75]

We have tried to make them as non scary as possible but I still had two cry today doing the maths paper. I am not worried about the tests. As I said it's the whole assessment system which means if one child does not have three pieces of evidence with them spelling words with suffixes like beautiful and happiness correctly they will only get working towards year 2 expectations.

[mrz]

We've been told three pieces aren't enough

[Obeliskherder]

Clare "He's looking forward to his results, he thinks that it will be interesting to see how he faired to the average."

My current Y2 thought the tests were fine but I'm not planning on sharing the outcome with him if we have the choice. My Y4 still doesn't know she did SATS in Y2, I'd much rather we could keep it that way.

The extra stress on Y2 DS, compared with Y2 two years ago, is not about what happens this week. It's the two years they've had of higher expectations and the inevitable pressure that's come with that, despite their very lovely teachers' efforts to mitigate that.

[jennielou75]

I have 9 pieces of work in each portfolio and books as well. I have worked an average of ten-twelve hours on assessment every weekend since March. I can't do any more and my children can't have worked any harder. What will be will be!

[mrz]

We haven't created portfolios,as the advice was not to, just normal work in books.

[noblegiraffe]

Will these portfolios/work in books actually be checked by anyone from the DfE for moderation of teacher assessment? Or is it just in case Ofsted call?

[mrz]

About half of all primary schools will be externally moderated.

[Clareoo223]

Clare "He's looking forward to his results, he thinks that it will be interesting to see how he faired to the average."

Yes but you will have to give the results to the parents that ask.
Mine want to know how they have done in tests. I think that it's only fair to give them the information. If your child doesn't care that's fine but it is their effort and if they wish to know the results they should be told.

I don't really think it's damaging at all to be told how you faired, if you haven't met expectations then it's good to know why and what areas to work on. ( I don't shield mine from the reality of life)

[WhattodoSue]

I think the problem with telling children the results is partly in the wording. I think the wording of meeting expectations or failing to not meeting expectations is the problem. It sets a bar, very deliberately, but does not allow for performance on a bell shaped (normal) distribution. I have read comments that children shouldn't be protected from failure, but surely the point is that being below the line is not failure. It should be about each individual child and whether the teacher thinks that child is achieving their best. That is what a child should be told. At the same time, I know that most parents want to know where their child stands in the class.

[Clareoo223]

I think that you can change the wording if you have a delicate child, it's easy enough to say " you did well, there are some areas to work on which will make it easier for you to do maths/ English, I'm proud of you for trying your hardest."

My son is interested as he is obsessed with benchmarking himself, he's very competitive and driven and pretty clued up with regards other children's ability.

I wouldn't have wanted to sit my GCSEs and not be given the results.

Personally in not interested in where my child sits within the class, I am interested in how they fair nationally to their peers though.

If a child is not meeting expectations then doing their best is not necessarily good enough as they will move to the next year ( with a much harder curriculum) and struggle. I see it as an opportunity to intervene and plug those gaps. Which ultimately helps your child. ( it can't be nice to struggle at school)

[TeenAndTween]

Clare I do think you are coming at this from the perspective of the parent of an able child.

My youngest tries hard but struggles academically and other stuff too. She was not aware of this until about y3/4, when some children kindly kept pointing out that they were better than her at [reading/maths/drawing/PE/etc] . It really knocked her confidence to have her difficulties regularly highlighted by more able but less kind children.

I suspect we will have this again later this term when she gets her KS2 SATs results. I can already imagine 'I got 115, what did you get?' or 'I'm in the top 10% where are you?'

There is a massive difference in resilience to this at GCSE level (age 15/16) to KS2 (age 10/11) or KS1 (6/7). You cannot compare not getting GCSE results to not getting KS1 results.

So I do hope that if you tell your son his results / levels you emphasise he is not to go around boasting / 'innocently enquiring' to other children.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

I think if your child is obsessed with benchmarking himself etc, it's probably more important that you choose your wording carefully, not less. The wording about trying your best and identifying areas for improvement is beneficial for all children, not just the 'delicate' ones.

It does seem a bit pointless teachers making the tests low-key if parents are going to pass on the results to their children anyway.