so my son failed his SATs and thinks he's stupid.

[spudlike1]

He failed his SATS and has been in floods of tears , how the hell does one limit damage to his self esteem on this . I'm so gutted for him and those like him what a away to start his secondary education . He's on a spectrum for dyslexia can't spell or remember t tables etc etc . But this does not make it easier to cope with

[spudlike1]

Anyone got advice on how to tackle his now very damaged confidence

[SpecialStains]

Sorry if a daft thing to say, but I thought SATS are meant to be a test of the school and not the child. There's no pass or fail grades (though I know some schools use them for streaming sets).

Can you not just reassure him that they don't mean anything? If you can find out why he struggled (I.e. Unfamiliarity with test style, exam nerves etc) maybe work on that in future, but don't link it back to these tests.

Hope your ds can have a nice summer.

[cuntinghomicidalcardigan]

Your poor ds. I would spend the summer doing things he enjoys and give him lots of chances to succeed. If he likes sports, are there any summer activities he can go along to? Or can you take him trampolining or swimming or just exploring new places with you? Take lots of photos and talk about what you've done after, maybe make some scrapbooks together. Work on his independence, make it his job to pick up the milk from the local shop or walk the dog or put the bins out, something achievable but not too time consuming that you can praise him for. What does he enjoy doing? Can you build that into a regular routine in the holiday? I would also focus on the 'new start' he gets in September, on the new facilities at the secondary school for music/science/sport whatever he's into. Get him excited and looking forward. SATS are over, yr7 is a whole new ballgame!

[HallowedMimic]

I didn't think you could fail SATS, they are not marked in that way are they?

No one will ever ask what his scores/levels were at secondary anyway. I'd imagine most children never give them another thought once the summer starts.

Why does he think they are such a big deal, with a pass/fail boundary? Who gave him the idea?

[spudlike1]

All children who did not reach 'expected standard' will have to re sit in December at secondary school .
I've tried wrapping it up and presenting him a glossy version but he's not convinced , so angry that his self belief has been knocked by a test that is not about him , but about how his school is doing .
anyone got and strategies to limit damage
He doesn't know any other children who failed to score at least 100

[fuctifino]

Only 48% of the children reached the expected level, he is not alone!
High school will do their own levelling and he'll probably never hear his Sat's marks referred to ever again.

[fuctifino]

Why does he to resit?
Is that school specific, or does everybody below 10p have to resit?

[mrz]

Children who took their SATs this year don't have to resit

[clarinsgirl]

He won't need to resit. That starts next year (I.e for those finishing yr 5 who will sit the exams next year).

I think that a key message to give children (whether they pass the stupid tests or not) is that SATs are a very narrow measure. They test very specific skills and abilities and are in no way a measure of a child. Your DS did not happen to jump this particular hurdle but that doesn't mean he's stupid or that he won't go on to be whatever he dreams of. We don't all fit in boxes and that's ok, no matter what the government try to say.

[WantAnOrange]

You can decide if it's appropriate for your DS but this rap is pretty spot on. "I will not let an exam result decide my fate".

[mouldycheesefan]

Regardless of whether he needs to resit he will struggle at secondary school if he hasn't grasped the basics. Are you getting help for the dyslexia, have you tried a dyslexia centre, would a tutor be helpful?
To get to the he end of primary and not be able to do times tables is a real concern I would focus in what help and support you can give him to get up to speed.

[cexuwaleozbu]

I understood that typically secondary schools retest all pupils not just the ones with lower SATs at the end of the first term anyway? Are you sure this is a "resit"?

Does your DS have a statement which gives him all the support and extra time he needs?

[cexuwaleozbu]

Have you shown him this?

[Cosmo111]

I'm going against the grain here as someone who has dyslexia and struggled throughout school it wasn't till I got to college I got help with my dyslexia and went on to university. I do think it's important that they do they tests so the can provide the necessary help to those students who need it and also determine which classes they go into in secondary school demanding on what school set up it is.

[Butteredparsnips]

I would have a chat with him about the news stories about how many children didn't reach the expected standard, so he doesn't feel it's only him.

I hope, that in the longer term it might help him. Meaning that his issues will be identified and he will be able to have the help and support he needs.
(I know that's not a given in all schools).

Regardless of the result, he has probably worked hard and should be proud of what he has achieved. I hope he can enjoy his summer.

[TheresaMaybutSheMayNot]

I can't express the rage that your post gives me OP. Not directed at you, of course, but the BLOODY STUPID SATS. Absolutely ridiculous, pointless tests, sucking the joy out of education (and Year 6 in particular). Please tell your son from me (a teacher) that he is NOT STUPID, the cartoon by the previous poster posted is perfect. SATS test a specific, narrowly defined area. My friend's daughter is a talented artist, her SATS were fine but would anyone who looked at them know that, NO! Another friend's son is brilliant at drama (stole the show at the end of year play), his SATS pegged him as below average. SATS only tell you a tiddly bit about a person. Like looking at a picture of just someone's ear and declaring the person to be beautiful or ugly.

So specifically to your son, tell him over half the children in the country were the same as him in not reaching the 100 mark. Simplify it to 'if there were 10 children in this room right now, 5 of them would have got less than 100' - not because he can't grasp the first statistic but it's easier for children to think in real terms. Find the things he is good at and do those! Whether it be drama, art, singing, trampolining, cycling, whatever! What other posters have said about secondary being a fresh start. Also, there are so many more teachers, subjects and opportunities at secondary, he'll find his place to shine.

I wouldn't go down the tutor route now but are his dyslexic needs being met? If he is on the spectrum of dyslexia was he receiving much intervention/support? I would make an appointment to see the SENCO at his new school in the first week. Make sure they know about his dyslexia and that his teachers do. Ask if they will be providing things he might need eg coloured sheets, ask what they will expect you to do at home, how much support you will be expected to give with homework etc.

Good luck to you and your son and have a great summer!

[WhoTheFuckIsSimon]

Did he get extra time for the test?

Dd is dyslexic and they only agreed to extra time in year 9 but she should have had it earlier.

[Wellmeetontheledge]

Tell him that the government ministers who set the tests couldn't pass them either :)
It's such a narrow set of specific skills that the children have to be hot housed. I'm a teacher with a very good degree and when I tried the spag I got loads wrong!

[twittwooery]

I don't think SATs are a waste of time, it gives criteria children should by learning and tests schools to see whether they are teaching them acceptably. So not only are they making sure children should have been taught certain criteria but also can highlight which schools need the most help improving.

I don't believe the results necessarily should be shown to the children, perhaps after consultation with the parents so they can decide whether the child should know and I don't think they should be retaken as they hold no actual benefit to the child

[twittwooery]

Haha a real flashback to the school days about not reading the front of the booklets. The children are given the word! But still some could be hard to spell if I guessed correctly

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

Spud like, I feel for you. My dd did the SATs this year and it's clear from many replies on this thread that there are a lot of people who do not realise how the exams changed this year.
My dd passed but was at real risk of 'failing' because of her spelling. And the kids definitely saw it in terms of pass/fail, in spite of the careful language used by the school and most parents.

I was already telling her how unfair it was for her to be testing of stuff so new to her year group. How they only tested certain parts of maths/English and not all the other wonderful things she can do. How, as a secondary teacher, I knew they didn't matter at all. I asked her to do her best but to remember that this was a part of a bigger political picture that had nothing to do with her. And that it was deeply unfair.
cartoons like the one previously posted help. And I would spend the summer doing things he enjoys and is good at so that he remembers his joy of those.

Good luck, it's a shitty thing they went through.

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

And others are correct. Those that don't achieve the expected level will be required to retake in the January of year 7, at their secondary school.

Luckily, our year 6 will not need to do this as it is not due to be introduced until the following year. But I hope this will be a policy that gets quietly forgotten as it's hard to see how a resit in a new school with teachers who do not know the KS2 curriculum, will do anything other than harm self esteem further.

[mypropertea]

I failed in year 6 and the earlier test in year 1(?).

I am dyslexic.

My iq is 143.

My reading and righting age is now 14 (after years of work).

I am a scientist. I have a degree. I was the youngest person at my level in the company I work in for years.

I am a lot of things, but I am not stupid.

[mrz]

Regardless of whether he needs to resit he will struggle at secondary school if he hasn't grasped the basics

Not achieving the expected standard in this year's tests us in no way an indication that a child hasn't grasped the basics or that they will struggle in secondary school.