Surprised to find my Yr 1 DD doing SATs this morning - how is this normally handled in mixed classes?

[Bramshott]

DD1 is in a mixed Yr 1 / Yr 2 class (the only Yr 1 / Yr 2 class) in a small school.

I was fairly surprised going into school to do reading as usual, only to be told, "no, no reading this morning, they're doing SATs", and lo and behold, all the kids were sitting at tables with SATs papers out.

I must admit that I'd assumed the Yr 1s would be doing something else while the Yr 2s were doing SATs, but it seems they are all doing them. I'm not that upset (although SATs are something I'm generally opposed to), but wondering now - (a) would you have expected a letter from the school in this scenario explaining what was happening, and (b) will they mark the Year 1's ones? If not, then what's the point, but if so, then surely the test is geared to Year 2's and they won't do very well (which is fine as long as they don't tell them I suppose!)

And lastly, because of course I wasn't expecting this and haven't done any research, how long do the KS2 SATs go on? How many papers? What are they being tested in?

[kittybrown]

Hi there, this week is SAT's week. All years in our school and many others will do SAT's this week. The YR6 and YR2 are the end of key stage ones and so more important. All the other years do optional SATs which the school choose to do much to dismay of a little boy this morning who truely did think he had the option to not do them. The yr1's would probably have had a yr1 test paper graded to the YR1 curriculum. They will be tested in reading , writing and maths. You wouldn't have got a letter as they really don't want to make a big deal of them. The grades they get will be compared to the teachers assesment and you may get them in the end of year report if your school does that.

You probaly find that the Yr1's have already taken tests like this in the previous two terms.

[Bramshott]

Ah, excellent - thanks Kitty! I will stop fretting then . . .

[Bramshott]

Ah, excellent - thanks Kitty! I will stop fretting then . . .

[thecloudhopper]

If they got rid of SATS all together then we wouldn't be having this dissussion they have done this in Wales thank god

[ChasingSquirrels]

interesting.
my ds1 - also in a mixed yr1/2 - class has just been telling me about a special maths workbook that he did with his maths group (all yr 2 children).
I was also told by his class teacher at the beginning of term that she had moved him out of the literacy group he was in (also all yr 2's) so that he didn't have to do the pre-sats work that he would only have to do again next year.
I didn't ask him whether any of the other yr1's did the maths.

[cazzybabs]

They proabable will use the results to level the children and check they are making progress. With our year 1s we get them to do an indendent piece of writing each term and a few other bits and bobs just to support our views and just to pick up anyone who is needing extra support but we might be missing

[ChasingSquirrels]

I asked the head this morning (in passing as his class teacher wasn't in). She said they are doing them next week so it wouldn't have been - but might have been a practice paper. We are away next week so he won't be doing it then!

[hellywobs]

That's interesting, my son is also in a Y1/Y2 class, I will have to ask him if he's done anything like a test this week.

[ChasingSquirrels]

asked the class teacher today, had a chat about it, it was pre-sats stuff and she said about getting him to do the, and the proper paper to see where he was but not the comprehension as it is deathly boring.

She also was a bit "I should of mentioned it to you", which I dismissed tbh - she shouldn't. Then she showed me the paper and we discussed a couple of the concepts which she will be working on with them more.

[Clayhead]

Whem my dd was in a year 1/2 class last year, she spent the SATs sessions with the other year 1s in their class.

[ChasingSquirrels]

umm, ds1 has been working with the yr2 groups all year - whether it is then harder to move him to one of the other groups while they do the tests?
Anyway, they are doing the papers next week (which I find odd as I thought KS1 sats were teacher assessment at any point in the half-term?) and he won't be there are we are going to Cornwall tomorrow.