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Original poster

SATS results - how do secondary schools view them/need them?

32 replies

grants1000 · 05/03/2013 10:56

DS is in Y6 and about to sit the SATS, for long and complicated reasons to do with funding, support and dyslexia, which I can't go into now, I am thinking about him not sitting them.

The questions I have is how important are they for the transition to secondary school? I hear they test them with CAT test anyway when they start at secondary level and they are part of the transition package primary school send. We've already had two meetings with secondary school about him.

My DS is stressed at pissed off at the moment and I think the pressure of the SATS from school is really getting to him I've tried to lighten it all for him and not place importance on them as the only thing that matters.

In my mind it would be like forcing a pilot to fly a plane blindfolded if he took them. Is the stress worth it? Is the fallout worth it? Are they long forgotten the minute they start secondary school?

I don't want a debate about the issue of sitting or not sitting his SATS, I would like help and advice from those with children at this level and how the secondary school system works.

OP posts:
aristocat · 05/03/2013 14:51

I also agree that SATs results are definitely for the benefit of the Primary and its league tables and not our yr6 children.

My DS is yr 6 and SATs were discussed as early as Sept, obviously getting some pupils stressed/worried as soon as the school year started. Surely this is too soon?

I have told my DS to try his best and definitely not worry about them because his Secondary School will retest him shortly after starting there.

Rowlers · 05/03/2013 13:53

I teach at secondary, and while we use CATS with SATS to monitor etc, it is primarily the KS2 SATS results which are used nationwide to provide aspirational targets at KS3 and GCSE.
It irritates the hell out of me; using results of tests in a couple of subjects taken when children are 10 / 11 and using them to set targets in totally unrelated subjects when they are 14 is absurd IMO but that's what schools do.

OneMoreMum · 05/03/2013 13:47

Our secondary school uses them to set all the kids' target levels throughout the years, I would say they are massively important. They set minimum and aspirational grades using them, and measure whether the kids are 'on track' or not in relation to these grades.

My kids went to a private primary and didn't take SATs, it has been a big headache each year to get some sort of estimated grades generated based on their CATs scores alone.

At parents evening last week one teacher told me my yr 8 DS was working above his expected level, when I told her these were just cobbled together estimates not real SATS-based levels she said 'Oh well we could probably push you a bit harder to improve your level then' - otherwise she was happy not to push him as he was 'on target'.

Don't know if that helps with your decision but it probably appears to those whose kids took SATs that they are not that important, it's only when you don't have them you see the holes in the system that exist without.

PS I believe in the year that some schools boycotted SATs the primaries still provided the secondaries with teacher-assessed levels to use.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 05/03/2013 11:46

I think they are overrated and just for the schools benefit to be honest and not the pupils.

My DS is in year 6 so will be sitting them soon. We had to go to a meeting about the new SATS levels/testing etc, were give the chance to buy books to help them through.

I made the point to the teacher that in my mind the SATS were to help his next school set him to where he should be and if I tutored and coached him through them then he would be set higher than he should be etc etc.......I think the teacher actually agreed with me.

They will be set again once they start secondary school anyway to their true abilty so I am not worrying/stressing DS about the SATS at all.

fubbsy · 05/03/2013 11:10

IMO they are unimportant. As far as I know, my dd's school never did anything with the information.

They took the CATs within the first month of starting school. When they set them for some subjects later on in year 7, they mainly used the levels they were working at in class, as well as the CATs scores.

Maybe you could contact the SENCO at school he will be attending and have a chat with him/her?

crazymum53 · 05/03/2013 11:08

Information about pupils is sent to the secondary results before the SATs results are out in early July, so actually secondary schools use the primary teachers assessments for SATs levels.
Yes most schools also use CAT tests on Y7 but the timing of this seems to vary. dd's school did CAT tests just before the Autumn half term, for other schools it's in September.
HTH

aliasPrickleandJones · 05/03/2013 11:08

A couple of years ago, my dc's then primary school boycotted the sat's test for political reasons. AFAIK there was no problems for those yr 6 children who did not sit them.

On the other hand my dc's new primary school is rather sats obsessed (lots of muttering from my dc's about who is sitting level 6 sats [Hmm]).

My view is that sats are mainly for the benefit of the school and their league table position. It's unhelpful to stress out the children with them.

My dc is about to transfer to secondary. They are going to be assessed with a cat test by the secondary school before the beginning of the school year.