Do SATs results determine sets for English and Maths in Year 7?

Thanks for replying @DameJulie
Hopefully it will work out ok for her.
I have an older dd at the school and they were very kind when my dh died, so it's a comfort to know that about the school before dd2 goes.

At my son’s school they use a combination of SATs data and CAT tests to set in maths and English in y7. As a PP has said, SATs are definitely used to generate predicted GCSE scores though.

We do it on CATS which we make the incoming y7s do on transition days in July. There is a reasonable amount of movement in maths in the first term.
SATS are used for GCSE predictions.

Also, for the open day, the children go in their main form groups, but they are later streamed for Maths set ready for September start. So the children are in their regular form for all the classes except for maths, where they are streamed by ability. That's how it works at our school, but it is not the same for all schools obviously.

Soontobe, your information isn't correct. I work in a secondary school and not only have we got access to SATS results, we have access to the exact unscaled scores for each test, for each child.

As the SATS results don't come out until after most of the secondary school transition visits have taken place, they won't actually have the results! Primary schools don't send them to secondary. Secondary schools don't have access to them online.
What the secondary schools do get from primary schools are the teacher assessments, which may or may not be the same as the sats results.

Depends on the schools but round here I don't know any that do.

They pretty much all do their own tests later in autumn term, and base them on that and often have MA until then. The one I know who does only uses it initially until their own tests are done and then has a massive reshuffle.

Dd never did SATs and neither did many of her friends. The ones that then went into state secondaries were all just places according to internal tests at those schools - things like CATs and MIDYIS tests.

@OpalBerry - sorry to hear about your DD's dad. Try not to worry about SATs and sets. Even if they do use them (DD's school do), they do lots of low key testing in Yr7 and shuffle where appropriate.

My DD got 100 in her Maths SAT (I thought this was minimum pass?). Started off in set 3 and was in set 1 by the end of Yr7.

They use it for maths at our secondary school, but re-test and assess throughout the year and can move the children at any half term, although in real term there are few children who will change.

They do keep track of children who have had very low SATS results, and those who have had very high. Their progress is assessed with their SATS as a baseline. Some children who are doing generally well at school but didn't perform well at SATS for whatever reason (they might have been ill on the day, for example) will show lots of progress during the first year so really they don't lose out.

Not at our local secondary. It's done on CATS which are a more accurate assessment of ability.

Her school definitely do use SATs to determine sets

Dd was all set to do SATs but then her dad died just before they started and she was too shocked and upset for it to have been appropriate for her to take them. Just hope it doesn't disadvantage her at secondary

My DD's school was annoying - she was HE in Y5 & 6 so didn't take SATs. "Not to worry! We use our own tests!" said the school. Bollocks, they did. She took the Y7 CAT tests yet she was given the lowest target grade possible in every subject because "she didn't take SATs so we have nothing else to go on", FFS. Cue lots of teachers who were confused about her low targets as she is quite bright. Not to mention a then blase DD, who smashed her low target by doing very little work so didn't bother to try. It took 3 years to get it sorted.

My oh is a maths teacher. At his school they don’t go on sats, all kids are retested and reshuffled once they have settled in.

I would imagine that children who scored above 110 in all subjects and achieved greater depth in writing, will have a good chance of being in the top 2 groups, this obviously depends on the school and how academic they are.
Mine got below 110 in all subjects and is in the top set for maths at a high achieving school (English not set). Luckily the school didn't set based on SATs.

Not at our school or at least not for long. They spend the first 2 weeks testing the pupils then they all get moved around for maths, English and science.

Can I ask why are you asking this question? Expected levels are not going to put your niece in the top sets...
MrsPworkingmummy anything over 110 is considered a high score, some people call it "greater depth" but you can only achieve greater depth in the writing assessment.

I would imagine that children who scored above 110 in all subjects and achieved greater depth in writing, will have a good chance of being in the top 2 groups, this obviously depends on the school and how academic they are.

They do at my dds school and are still determining sets for y10 even though they did CATs in y7. Not very happy with it as friends parents knew this and hothoused their kids for the SATS so they're now set above my daughter for English in spite of my dd getting consistently higher marks for the past 2 years. The school write on their teaching group letter that English sets are determined by SATS results and other subjects relate to attainment throughout the year and on end of years. Thankfully for Maths and Science they go by actual attainment so she's progressed to the right sets for those. Apparently children can't progress in English and your ability is decided age 10. Really glad she's having a childhood and her English will be up to what we achieve together and the support she has at home.

Some schools don't set at all in Year 7. Some set after October half term. Some schools have 5 sets, some schools have 10 sets.

Neither of my chidlren did SATS.

I thought anything over 110 was considered greater depth - not 115?

We use them initially for grouping but subjects that set they will adjust after the assessments at half term.

Ours uses them to set initially then by
October half term they do CAT's and things are jiggled around a little.

Will be interesting to see how the sat scores correlate to sets. DD scored above a minimum of 110 in all tests so hoping that will mean she is in the top sets - we shall see.

My DS’s school use SATS results to set in yr7 initially (they also go on feedback from primary schools and try to visit as many as they can in the borough).

They do CAT testing about 2 weeks in to yr7 and there is minimal movement ie they have got the kids into the correct set for their ability in the first place.

Subsequent years are set based on attainment and effort the previous year. IE one of DS’s friends moved from top set to 3rd (out of 6) for yr8 because he was the class clown and put zero effort in and didn’t test well in yr7.

What others have said, it varies from school to school. For example the school my son went to setted for maths only until year 9, the sets were based on SATs results as well as reports from primary schools.
As others have said the marks needed for top set etc. will depend on cohort/catchment. In a high achieving school I imagine the children in top set will have achieved 120 or very close and will have been teacher assessed at working above the expected level, but in another school 110 could put you in top set.
The marks your niece got are around the average attained, which means she is comfortably working at the expected level, but she would not be considered a higher attainer.