S A T s !!!!!!

[dottee]

Ok whose little darlings are doing their KS2 SATs very soon?

I'm already going head to head with ds about early nights over the next week or so!

[popsycal]

arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh

the beauties of maternity leave

[nutcracker]

My dd1 has been doing hers but she is keystage 1 (i think) as only in year 2.

She has been sulking this week because she only got a level 2a for her maths and her friend got level 3. Mind you her friends mom has told me that said friend has been in tears about her sats nearly every night.

Can't believe how much pressure they are under at such a young age.

Have just told dd to relax and to her best and that will always be fine with me. She was quite chuffed yesterday as a peice of work she'd written was sent to the head and she cam eto see her to tell her that she is setting a wonderful example and is at level 3 for English .

Me, i couldn't care less what level she is at so long as she is happy about it.

[Tessiebear]

Wow level three at English - that is really good! My DS is going to struggle to get Level 2 in English!

[popsycal]

ITS JUST A NUMBER...................................................

[popsycal]

please tell your little ones not to worry........

[nutcracker]

I think dd1's teacher has really ben drumming it into them, which i am not happy about really.
Like i said, i don't care what level dd is at, it's not worth the stress for them to be worried about it at this age.

[WideWebWitch]

Mine 7yo is doing SATS atm but our school have said it's very low key, that teachers can re mark the papers if they don't think they represent the correct level for that child (so what's the point?) and that our children won't even know they're doing them since they mix up practice and real papers. So we've been told to do nothing different and just please can we not take them out of school in May. Quite the right approach too imo.

[WideWebWitch]

Sorry, meant My 7yo obv

[nutcracker]

Dd's class have bene promised a trip to Drayton Manor if they all do well. The letter actually says it is a trip for all children who have done their sats as a reward for trying so hard but DD's teacher has told them they only go if they do well

[popsycal]

omg

[swedishmum]

I can't believe the way some schools unnecessarily make KS1 Sats so hard for children. All mine hardly noticed they were happening, yet still got good results. I'm delighted - because we're abroad, dd's new grammar school thinks there is no point in us flying home to take them as she will be assessed on arrival next term and got great 11 plus results. We're living abroad, btw - not just on a badly timed holiday!

[singersgirl]

Wow, my DS1 (Y2, so only KS1) doesn't even really know they're doing the SATs - he told me he did some reading with his teacher and she said "Well done, top marks, 3 house points", and I know from another mum that this was the SATS reading. It's such a shame to put them under pressure at this age - don't think he has a clue about the levels. Anyway, this year for KS1 the teacher rating is the only one that the school is obliged to give to the parents, so it's all a complete waste of time IMHO.

[Tinker]

That's awful nutty. Daughter's school had same low-key approach as www's son's and quite right. at coaching for them, they're for teh benefit of teh school, not for teh child.

Level 3 is very good though

[nutcracker]

I do not like dd's teacher it must be said. I think she is teaching the wrong age of kids as she expects ours to be much too grown up, and doesn't know the meaning of the word fun.

[Gobbledigook]

OMG, my ds doesn't start school till Sept and I'm dreading all this pressure. It's quite an academic school too - hope he's ok...

[roisin]

Our school are very laidback about SATs and do everything they can not to let the kids get stressed, especially in KS1. (Though sometimes parents can contributed to the stressedness of the children).

I was in school on Tuesday with yr4 and saw the teacher had a bundle of SATs papers. (They do optional SATs every year). I asked her about them, and she said "Shhh, I haven't told them anything about them yet. But yes, they'll have them every morning next week, poor kids!"

I presume ds1 (yr3) will have optional SATs next week too, but he hasn't mentioned it, so I certainly won't!

[piffle]

ds is
I've ignored them really, as ds sailed his 11+, these SATS are more for the teachers and school, if they have done their job right then he will sail them too...
The school did a lot of practices 1-2 months ago but have let it lie now and are not doing a huge build up at all, which I really appreciate.

[bev1e]

My DS1 has his keystage 1 SATs next week but hasn't been made aware of them by teachers or us. The previous head "resigned" after being caught fiddling the SATs results a couple of years ago. Although we didn't attend the school then, it does appear that the majority (teachers and parents alike) think he didn't actually do much wrong!

[mrsmoons]

my usually pushy school has been pretty low key about the SATS for my 7-yr-old. Allegedly they won't know they're doing them. However, cos some parents are terribly pushy, some of the kids know all about them and have been telling the others 'we're being tested now' which is a nightmare. Especially for my ds who has just been diagnosed as dyslexic (like, last week) and is really lacking in confidence anyway. He is extremely intelligent but struggles with writing and spelling so is distraught at the thought that he is going to 'fail'. Although it is helpful, I'm sure to see what your kids are capable of before they go up to juniors, I can't see how 'testing' 7-yr-olds is of any benefit. (But to those of you with kids who do well in the SATS, that's no disprespect to you - it's lovely to see how well your child is doing !)
I just think that 7-yrs is too young for any kind of pressure - you've the whole rest of your life being tested, examined, interviewed and judged LOL!
Best of luck to all

[Potty1]

We have KS2 & KS3 Sats in our house at the moment plus AS level revision. The two older ones are pretty laid back - ds1 probably too laid back

I'm a bit unhappy with dd's school (KS2). They seem to have really put them under pressure this year - dd was in tears twice last week and I was all ready to keep her off next week. At least she's away from it now as they have voting in school today and an inset day tomorrow. We're going to chill a bit and forget about it.

[badgerhead]

My dd 1's school has her KS2 SAT's next week, I believe everyone does them next week, She has been having practice tests since last term, And although I wasn't sure to start it has actually given her more confidence in being able to cope with them next week. She is forecast to get either level5 or good level4's across the board.
The thing is I know when she moves on to Senior school in September that they don't use the sats results & do their own assessments in the first half of the term! At least the week before half term she gets to go to Swanage for the week with all the year 6's as a way of giving them fun & something to work on after half term!

[Shirlz2003]

Hello - I'm new(ish) here - posted a while back but then stopped. Shirley, from Herefordshire with three children and lots of animals

My 10 year old has his KS2 SATS next week and I've been doing a few of the test papers that we bought from Tesco - he's not interested really and I don't know how well he will do. He's not thick, but hates writing and takes a long time to do it. Poor old thing has his birthday right in the middle of his SATS - so we are going to do something special on the following weekend.

Anyone else in my area??

Shirlz xxx

[tigermoth]

nutty, that's awful that the school are using the promise of a trip out as a a bargaining tool.

Our school have put some pressure on the children, though. My 11 year old will take SATS next week, having had two hours worth of afterschool booster classes since January. The teachers ask all year 6 children to attend these classes and the children were given weekly booster homework too. They have had a very laid back week at school this week, though and booster classes have ended.

I swore I would not get drawn into worrying about SATS results as i know it's for the school's benefit. However, my son's teacher said it's important that all those children going to grammar school get level 5s if possible as this mean they will hit the ground running when they start new school in September. I can see where she's coming from on this.

How's this for a mad situation. My son took mock SATS last week - he scored 96 out of 100 for maths, giving him a level 5a. Maths was, till six months ago, his weakest subject and I was worried he would not pass the 11+ maths paper. He really is not a maths whizz though has been spending a lot of time on Ebay recently which might have helped! My son came second in the class - the girl who got the top mark (98 out of 100 questions) failed her 11+. How mad is that!

[Ailsa]

DD1 has her KS2 SATs next week, she's looking forward to it and has been crossing the days off on the calendar!


For Maths and Science she is expected to get level 4's, and for Literacy, Level 5. She came home from school one day last week after doing practise papers saying that she had got level 5's in everything. I don't care what level she gets, as long as she does her best on the day.

Good luck to all the SAT's kids next week.