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Original poster

Would you send your dc to these SATS revision sessions?

62 replies

Woody479 · 10/01/2020 16:53

Dd is 10 and in year 6. The school are running these classes once a week for an hour after school starting next week and finishing the week before the tests in May.

Last term they sat the previous years tests and DD was (sorry I can’t remember the actual terms for it) but ‘above’ for reading and ‘at’ the expected level for everything else.

My gut instinct is to not send her to them. My main reason for this is that I don’t want her coached to do well in them which may then give her a better result than her actual ability. The results are used to set them in secondary school but they’re tested again within the first term. I wouldn’t want her to then be disappointed at being moved down a set or constantly made to feel that she’s not reaching the targets expected of her. Also, she’s 10 years old, these aren’t GCSE’s. I know they mean a lot to the teachers and the school but I don’t want the extra pressure put onto her. I’ve asked her if she wants to do them and she said no.

OP posts:
SisterAgathaVanHelsing · 10/01/2020 16:54

I wouldn't.

shellysheridan · 10/01/2020 16:55

I would. Sats or no sats, any extra tuition will only help her in the long run.

Saucery · 10/01/2020 16:55

No, I wouldn’t send her.

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ChicCroissant · 10/01/2020 16:56

My DD's school offered these and I declined, I was in the minority though.

DontMakeMeShushYou · 10/01/2020 16:58

Not unless she wants to.

avocadoze · 10/01/2020 17:00

I think I might have a chat to the class teacher to see what he or she thought, and then decide. I think I would have allowed ds to do these when he was doing SATs as he was a bit borderline in reading and he wanted to be in good sets at secondary. It’s worth listening to the advice the teacher gives, and you can always choose not to take it.

Original poster
Woody479 · 10/01/2020 17:01

The teacher will definitely say to do them.

OP posts:
Whynosnowyet · 10/01/2020 17:02

Teacher told us the sessions are just as much to make having tests feel not an issue as much as for the actual revision. Ds is doing Thursday after school for 45 mins and before school for 15 mins every day.

BlessedBeTheFruitCake · 10/01/2020 17:02

I wouldn't. My ds is in year 6 and I will be declining if they offer something similar. I have a 13year old who went to the same school and SATs revision/past papers were pretty much all they did from January to May in year 6.

IncrediblySadToo · 10/01/2020 17:03

Depends. If its a general tuition/upskilling thing I would - but if it’s aimed solely at doing past papers and passing SATS then no I wouldn’t.

Dementedmagpie · 10/01/2020 17:03

I wouldnt. Sats are mainly for the schools record. Secondary schools will do their own tests to stream them anyway.

mum2girls3 · 10/01/2020 17:04

Could you send it to the first couple and see how she feels about it? Although I’m very against extra Sats practice (That should be covered during normal school time) she might find that if everyone else is going and not her she feels quite left out?

Madasahattersteaparty1749 · 10/01/2020 17:06

My dd went to them.

I gave her the option and she actually really enjoyed it.

I’m sure it was helped by being in the morning before school and having hot chocolate and croissants while they did it.

PlanDeRaccordement · 10/01/2020 17:07

Hum. I would ask the teacher if the classes are geared towards pulling up struggling students or helping the brighter students (like your DD).
Then decide whether to send her. Because extra study in things she already knows well would likely bore her and make her do worse on the exam. But if it is geared towards the brighter students having a chance at a bursary in a private school or a grammar school, I would send her.

Your reasoning is faulty to my mind. Extra tuition cannot result in scoring higher than your “actual ability”. Extra tuition increases your ability based on your potential. You should be encouraging her to love learning and not look at it in terms of being under pressure because you score smarter than you should. That’s just low expectations to say her actual ability is less than demonstrated on a test!

Original poster
Woody479 · 10/01/2020 17:09

I think I’ll see how she feels when they actually start re.being left out.

If she was anxious about the SATS then I might be inclined to send her so that when they came around she was fully prepared and potentially less worried but as I mentioned, they did them in the autumn (under real test conditions)and she says she’s not nervous about it.

OP posts:
EducatingArti · 10/01/2020 17:09

The SATs will be used to set 'target' grades for your child at GCSE. If they are over- coached, they may have unrealistic targets at secondary school.

Original poster
Woody479 · 10/01/2020 17:15

Plan-that’s an interesting point you make and I do understand where you’re coming from but she’s only 10.

I was an over achiever in school, did all the extra classes, got straight A’s at GCSEs. The pressure put on me was ridiculous. I then suffered with my health massively during my A levels and never did reach the potential everyone expected of me. I don’t want that for her. Of course I want her to do well but if she doesn’t want to do the extra then I don’t want to force her or give her the impression that these tests hold any importance. She has been a worrier in the past and I’m so proud of how far she’s come and how these tests aren’t phasing her I don’t want to set her back.

OP posts:
Original poster
Woody479 · 10/01/2020 17:15

Educating-that’s exactly what I don’t want to happen.

OP posts:
Clymene · 10/01/2020 17:15

No I did not and I would not.

Original poster
Woody479 · 10/01/2020 17:18

Clymene-what were your reasons? (If you don’t mind me asking)

OP posts:
Original poster
Woody479 · 10/01/2020 17:21

I’ve just had a look at the calendar, the sessions will run for 15 weeks-that seems an awful lot.

OP posts:
PlanDeRaccordement · 10/01/2020 17:39

I can understand wanting to insulate her from pressure. Absolutely.
The schools always overstate the importance of the tests.

You know best how your daughter would react to the extra classes. You’ve said she is not currently anxious about the SATS which is a good thing. That quiet confidence. If the extra classes make her feel like she’s not good enough without doing masses of extra work, then that is a valid reason not to send her.

It really depends on the school and how they run these sessions tbh.

silver1977 · 10/01/2020 17:43

My DD had an extra hour after school once a week for about 8 weeks prior to SATS and I felt that was about right. It was a fairly relaxed session that she enjoyed with drinks and snacks and it helped her loads. The class was half the size so she had attention from the teacher and TA to help her on certain areas and help her understand something that may otherwise have gone unnoticed and this in turn really boosted her confidence. She felt no pressure at any point. It was like free tuition really, why wouldn't you want that?! She would definately have felt left out if she hadn't been allowed.

With 2 at secondary school it was a drop in the ocean compared to what they do now so also good prep?

OneForMeToo · 10/01/2020 17:47

Sat set gcse standard? What a load of old balls!

No secondary school I know of trusts the results. They all set their own tests and stream the kids from that. Even when I went to secondary school we where retested and told Sats where purely for the primary schools benefit.

unbaffled · 10/01/2020 17:50

It's a 'No' from me.

Schools that put undue pressure on kids for SATS really get my goat.