AIBU to consider withdrawing my SEN child from Year 6 SATs?

Yes, it worked well in this instance, and she felt part of the year group. She didn't actually know what level paper she was getting (only that it wouldn't have quite the same questions as the others). There were other things I was less keen on the school about (the fact that SATs were seen as quite such a big deal, for one! Not to mention the lack of support that had led to the situation in the first place), but in this aspect, it was helpful. And given that she was going on to a more usual state secondary setting, unlike the OP's child perhaps, it was useful for her to still experience a mild bit of test taking anxiety/revision skills etc to know that she could manage it, as she had to continue to take tests in subsequent years.

That's a really lovely thing for a school to do, where a child wants to be included

I am in a similar position, however I want my SEN child to do SATs.

This is because the school have not put adequate provision in place for my DC despite their SEN. They had to be dragged kicking and screaming into doing an EHCP application and even then have hugely misrepresented the level of ability/disability of DC.

So despite the stress to DC, I want them to do the SATs. Because it will affect the schools figures and will also prove our point, that the school was negligent.

Students who are disapplied are still counted in the school’s government statistics.

My son didn’t do them, school completely on board (in fact they were happy about it as it wouldn’t pull down their numbers).

Your instincts are spot on OP. Pull her out of the SATS. Her wellbeing / mental health are so much more important.

(Parent of 2 now-adult DCs with SEN here).

Not dping SATs wont affect anytbing in yoyr DDs future, dont worry about that. They are just part of a statistical analysis, which loads of children are missing from (such as any Private primary pupils going on to state secondary.)

I worked with one pupil who had a special arrangement for SATs - she didn't want to be seen as different, and Year 6 SATs are quite a big rite of passage, including various traditions and celebrations afterwards, at her school. So she knew that she was going to get specially adapted papers because of her dyslexia and that they'd have different texts/questions to the other children. The school created them from the sats-like papers that some companies produce for all the year groups as progress tests and just put a different cover page on tests from one of the younger years. She was doing them in a separate room with a reader and extra time. It didn't really give the school any information that they didn't already know, and she must have been officially withdrawn from the government stats. But it made her feel like she was part of it all and gave her the same experience as the others in her year group, and she felt she could participate in the celebrations afterwards. The difference is that she wanted - on the whole - to do them. It's not that she didn't sometimes find tests stressful etc, but she knew that it was all part of the Year 6 experience and she didn't want to just be left out. If your child is getting really stressed and upset by tests, and would rather not do it and won't get a sense of achievement for having gone through something difficult, etc, then it would be worth pursuing withdrawal.

You can see the rules for 2026 here. I don’t think the 2027 rules have been released yet, but they will be similar if not the same.

The final decision rest with the headteacher.

DC who are working below the standard of the tests and are not expected to reach the standard by May, should not be entered. DC who are working at the standard of the tests but unable to access it, even with access arrangements, should not be entered.

On the note of the reduced timetable, is alternative provision in place?

It sounds like the EHCP needs amending, you should have an annual review this term anyway.

SATs won’t be used to determine the secondary placement. The LA must finalise the phase transfer EHCP with the secondary placement by 15th Feb. Well before SATs. Some mainstream schools use SATs as part of decisions around sets, but don’t worry about that.

Similar situation although currently year 4 so we will evaluate closer to the time. But currently it would be so distressing and detrimental that I'd absolutely withdraw. Likely will be going to secondary with a sen hub. My child struggles with ebsa I am not willing to make a difficult environment more stressful and risk complete shut down to even going to a place of education.

My year 7 child has just done more tests to set them in sets so I'm not even sure they need sats results for that.

Don’t even hesitate - your instincts are spot on. Take her out.

It might be just our school but the head made it sound like government guidance.

Imo sats are for the schools benefit and are of no value to an individual child so dont bother with them.

I have two kids with SEN and if I had time over I would withdraw the eldest from SATs definitely - it just creates problems at secondary school with their obsessive overreliance on data. The school just can't compute why he hasn't made average progress from SATS (which they spent a whole repititious year preparing for at primary as well as extra time and a scribe). So he is continuously told he is failing.

She definitely shouldn't do the test if it would be damaging to her wellbeing. The test is for the benefit of the government, not the child, it's just a blunt instrument to measure how effective the school is at getting a child's capabilities increased between y2 and y6 in order to create school league tables. What possible value is it to anybody to have that statistic include your child's result?

Is she still working at a KS1 level? The general rule is that children working below key stage level should not do them, but schools do have a lot of discretion.
I was told my SEN DD couldn't be removed from them but her situation is different as she is working at ARE. They are looking to get her adjustments such as extra time and doing them in a private room.