What happens when a child doesn't do SATs in KS2?

[MsGameandWatch]

Say they're ill or a family emergency crops up. What happens? Will they re-sit at some point or they just don't do them at all?

Thanks 😊

[PatriciaHolm]

If they are ill and return within 5 days of the scheduled test date, schools can apply for a timetable variation to allow them to take the test then.

This can't be applied for if the absence was unauthorised (say for a holiday).

[MsGameandWatch]

Thanks. So what happens in the long though? What are the SAT's scores used for and will not sitting them impact negatively on my child's move to secondary school? Thanks again

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

They will just move on with teacher assessment and the secondary will make their own baseline judgements, as they would with a pupil coming in from home ed or a prep. The secondaries don't trust SATs results anyway and many re-assess all the children.

[Blossomdeary]

Gosh - you mean the sky does not fall in and the world keeps turning! - who would have thought!

[user789653241]

I am not 100% sure, but there are secondary teachers who says they set target for GCSE from KS2 SATs results.
I wouldn't think lightly of it, unless there's proper reason why you don't want your dc to take it.

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

Indeed, the sky does not fall in.

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

Yes, Progress 8- or whatever the hell it is called- is measured from KS2 SATs to GCSE. But that again is for the school not the pupil.

[user789653241]

Low, so are you 100% sure it doesn't matter?
Because it's really confusing for parents like me, to hear 2 completely opposite answers.
So any secondary don't trust sats? or just the ones you know?

[PatriciaHolm]

Secondaries take different views on SATS, there is of course no one single approach. Some will use them to set in Yr7, others won't, most will test fairly soon in Yr 7 anyway, some will use SATS to inform potential high attainer lists.

[Lowdoorinthewal1]

They matter a great deal- to the school. That is why the school will tell you it will mean certain doom for your child if they don't do as well as they possibly can.

If they really matter for the child, what do you think becomes of all the children who don't do them because they weren't in an English maintained school in Y6?

[summerholsdreamin]

My DS didn't do SATs as he was in a prep school. Rejoined state at yr 7 and was no problem as all children were reassessed for 1st half term before being put into sets.

[fizzicles]

It is most definitely not an issue for the child at all (primary school teacher here). The school will give teacher assessment for the child, which will be passed to high school. High school may well re-test children in Y7 anyway.

[mrz]

Its the DfE not teachers who use SAT results to set GCSE targets

[user789653241]

I just think if they do the test, you should take it, unless there's real reason for not taking it.
People look at sats results when deciding which school to apply for. I think it's a bit hypocritical to say you don't want your dc to take it, unless there's valid reason for it, and also you don't ever look at school's results when applying for one.

[HelenaGWells]

DD was placed in her set groups in secondary based on SATS. Since they started they have retested and a couple of her expected grades have been adjusted (in her case the subjects the SATS don't test e.g. Music, art, drama, PE)

There must be a precedent for kids not sitting SATS as some may have been home educated at primary. I don't imagine the school would be happy if you just buggered off on holiday for SATS week though, there may be implications on a school level if a pupil doesn't sit them due to unauthorised absence.

[SavoyCabbage]

My dd didn't do the SATs. She's in year eight now and it's never been mentioned at any parents evenings or in any target or GCSE info we get.

[SaltyMyDear]

The reason it's important to you is for your child's target grades.

If they don't sit SATs they'll have to get a C at GCSEs to meet their targets.

Which means if they're on target for a C school will be happy.

But if they'd done well in their SATs they'd be predicted an A. Then if they were on target for a C school would be unhappy and do everything they could to raise their grade.

So it depends if you want your child's target grade to be a C.

[MsGameandWatch]

I didn't not really understand why it would be hypocritical not to allow my child to sit them, what's hypocritical about it? Serious question?

DD has high functioning autism. She's already anxious about them in Year 5. I wanted to know what the consequences would be if she just doesn't take them?

[Thoth]

salty what tosh!
Do you honestly think schools just give a blanket 'C' target for anyone without KS2 results?
If a child with no ks2 results gets a B at GCSE, they are deemed to have made expected progress. If the get A or A* then they've exceeded national expectations of progress.
But as there will no longer be any letter grades soon, it's a moot point.
Secondary schools assess pupils constantly. They will assess their abilities and skills when they start, and set targets accordingly- they have more leeway with pupils that have no KS2, because they won't be in progress8 measure.
A school would never expect a child that comes up from primary at the level of a W level (working towards level one) as was to get a C at GCSE!
MsGame- is school putting pressure on her? She does not need to be anxious about them, really. (My DD has AS, though, so i get that she may not be able to stop that).
DD has no KS2- she was in independent school. The grammar she's in now is highly unlikely to set anyone's target at a C!

[Oliversmumsarmy]

DD didn't do SATS her school decided not to take part.

Ds is home schooled but did go to senior school and did do SATS in primary.

The issue is when you have 200 year 7 pupils starting and only a few levels of SATS to distinguish which sets the child should be in it is better for the school to do their own assessments.

In the grand scheme of things they don't mean a thing to the pupil. Predicted target grades mean nothing it is what you get at GCSE that have some meaning

[Emilyfarnsbarns]

Agree - Salty that is rubbish!!!

Just to confirm what others have said, Sats have no benefit to the pupil whatsoever, they are purely for the government.

[user789653241]

MsGame, I didn't say you are hypocritical. As I said in my post, I do agree not taking it if someone has real reason. You have a valid reason why.( ...drip feed though...)
But I have read in the past there are people who doesn't want their dc to take it, without reasonable reason, thinking it's only benefits school, not a child.(though I am not really sure it's true or not.)

[user789653241]

I think 2nd sentence from your last post could have been better OP, and got more useful response.

[SkeletonSkins]

To be fair, it think it isn't right to say they have no benefit for children. The tests ensure that children meet a minimum standard required for entering y7 - the knowledge required for the tests is what they need to know (if we ignore the ridiculous SPaG).

I find it frustrating when parents talk of primaries/primary teachers is such a demeaning manner with regards to SATs. We don't choose to do them, and the same parents who criticise them used OFSTED to help them pick our school in the first place. OFSTED are obsessed with sats results and it forms a big part of your grade.

[blackcatlover]

There are no consequences for not taking them. Neither of my children did Sats. The elder was at a private school that didn't do them at all and my younger was in year 6 in the year of the boycott.

I was told by secondary school that they have no bearing on setting as they did not get the results until after the year 7s had started in September. The school did their own tests fairly soon after starting and I believe they used those as the progress measures for stats purposes.