I'm not 100% sure on this, is it standard practice for schools not to allow children with SN from sitting SATS? Possible SATS fixing?? WWYD?

[FluffySaysTheDailyMailsShite]

I started chatting with a child who has just left ds's current school and moving to secondary school, let's say he's R. I asked him if he was excited to be moving, he said he's disabled (he comes across as SN), and that the school wanted him to do year 5 twice so he would have had to stay there for an extra year so he was lucky. Then he told me that he was happy to get a place at the secondary school as had not done any SATS, R said they were not even mentioned in his report. I asked him why he had not done them, he said he was told that he was not confident.

I do, admittidly,not like this school, I have written a previous thread about bullying that ds has recieved and how the head accused my son of lying and said any bullying was his fault. I am trying to move ds to another school, however, despite a good entrance exam result and a good interview he was not offered a place, possibly due to the reference. Ds is a very bright boy, years ahead of where he should be so will be top level 5 in the SATS this year. He's not learnt alot at the school as he was years ahead before starting there, they have kept all of his maths and english work, which ds says is so they can put them onto a display.

None of this sits easy with me, the more I discover, the more concerned I am. Is it standard practice not to allow a SN child to sit the SATS? He won't show up on their SATS results will he??

[mrz]

If a child is working considerably below the expected levels (level 2 or below) they would not be entered for KS2 SATs as the tests measure level 3+

[TheCheeseAlarm]

If a child is below the level of the tests then they don't have to sit them; they still count in the final statistics.

[FluffySaysTheDailyMailsShite]

Thankyou.

[TheDMshouldbeRivened]

dd wont be doing Y2 sats I imagine (she's just going into Y1)
But then I hate sats anyhow.

[FluffySaysTheDailyMailsShite]

I think I'm paraniod and nit picking

He doesn't come across as considerably below where he should be though. I've seen him at ds's games workshop club, writing's clear, maths OK, communicates well. I don't know. I'm sure the school know better then me though.

[annh]

Fluffy, in the nicest possible way I am saying that surely you have enough to contend with, finding a new school for your son, without worrying what may be happening to another child in the school?

[RustyBear]

I work at a junior school which has a resource for children with ASD, and we often don't enter them for the SATs if the SENCO feels it wouldn't be appropriate - not necessarily because they don't have the ability, but because it would cause them too much stress.

It's not a way for the school to fiddle the tables anyway, because the children are still counted as not reaching the expected level.

[FluffySaysTheDailyMailsShite]

Yes, I know, I am nitpicking. I need the distraction I think.

Thankyou.

[Reallytired]

There is little point in putting a child in for an exam that they are going to fail spectucularly. It gives no measure of their progress or where they are at. Teacher assessment is kinder and more useful.

[Littlefish]

I agree with annh.

[AMA40]

If a child has SEN it may be that they would not actually cope with taking SATS. I do think schools use this to their advantage though depending on the levels the child would be expected to achieve.

[asdx2]

My ds has SEN and sat his SATs in years 2, 6 and 10.His levels ranged from w (across the board) in year 2 to 7 (in maths)It was never suggested that he didn't sit them even in year 2 when he was below the expected standard and LSA printed them onto blue paper for him as he would have screwed them up if on pink(autism)

[Feenie]

The rules are very clear - children do not complete in Y2 if they are below level 2, and not in Y6 either if they are working below Level 3.

There is no advantage, AMA40. The child would count in the league tables as having not achieved Level 4, and the value added score would also be deflated if the child hadn't made expected progress.

[Kez100]

Who cares anyway? They weren't even marked properly last year and are considered flaky enough that some unions were going to boycott them next year. Professional wouldn't do that if the system was sound. How can any parent believe any league table now? I'd choose a school based on visiting myself and I certainly wouldn't worry about a child who had managed to avoid sitting them - for whatever reason.

[lotspot]

tbh i think it varies per child/school

my neice is on the autistic spectrum, was born VERY prematurely and has always been quite 'delayed'. Her and her twin were both back a year anyway as should have been born late November and where infact early August, so wern't 'ready' for school that sept iyswim - the SEN neice then did no SATs in year 2, did the year 2 Sats in year 6, and then year 6 SATs in year 9 (i think)

She then moved to a more appropriate form of education when her peers began GCSEs

all built around what she was ready for