Fun SATS 'survival' kit

[SparrowSally]

SATS are happening mid May. I'd like to give ds a kit of fun things just before to wish him luck. I've got a couple of bath bombs, new PJ's so he can relax at home in the evenings. What else would you put in? Thanks!

Honestly, I would downplay them and not attach any importance to them at all for him.

Agreed @TitaniasAss

I tended to keep things very low-key and neutral at home around sats.

School makes a fuss of the children - special breakfast each morning, fun activities in the afternoons.

I didn't want to add to the build up/pressure.

I agree with above, even with good intention it may actually add to the pressure.

maybe instead get something nice or plan a fun weekend for after they are done instead

I wouldn't do this. It makes a big deal of them and they really shouldn't be....

I agree. Maybe do things he like which aren’t obvious about SATS, favourite dinner, plan a trip bowling at the weekend or whatever he likes.

Honestly he's going to have so many exam periods that actually matter, save it for then!

Agree with above.

SATS are testing a school not a child. He just needs to see these as something he has to do.

I'd arrange something fun for afterwards to rewards him for doing what he has to do to the best of his ability.

Please downplay them. As a teacher I had to calm many an anxious child whose parents thought sats were important. I’ve always thought they’re more for the benefit of the school and the education system than children.

I agree with the others. Things like favourite meals, but not 'survival' kits.

Calling it a survival kit suggests it’s something awful to survive.
If he feels that bad it’s because you and the school are making him feel that way.

Sorry op but I don't think you should call it a survival kit.
My dd completed her SATS last year and the school hype them up enough. Some children became really stressed about it.

Personally, I would save any rewards or treats for once they are completed.

Sats are Bull Shit, don’t feed into the pressure.

I would suggest a small well done for a tiring week/special dinner once they are over.

I'm shrugging them off as no big deal, it helps that her sister is sitting GSCEs at the same time and seeing the pressure she is under.

I get what the other posters are saying, but I like your idea op, I don't think you're try to attache any extra pressure, rather you're trying to alleviate it.

Relaxing evenings for that week seems like a great idea. What about making dinner together, something a bit more involved, like a pizza. I find that kids talk more freely when they're doing something, so standing together topping pizzas could be just the thing.

Hopefully the weather will be nice, so maybe some fun in the garden after school, buy some water bombs and have a water fight? Great way to release energy!

Other way, I hope he's OK, there IS a lot of pressure around this stuff. Their first time experience of more formal assessments (year 6 missed year 2 sats didn't they?) can be scary and schools can be quite high pressure environments for the week.

DD would have cringed if I would have come up with something like that.

Honestly, the less fuss the better. The school did huge damage in my opinion by creating so much stress, I should have bought shares for Zovirax as cold sores were constant from February half-term onwards.

The schools did squash and biscuits and they had free time in the afternoon.

We just let her do what she wanted after school, had pizza on Friday and did a day out at the weekend.

Oh, she also did a ceremonial burning of worksheets on our BBQ (two pages).

Mine is a teenager now, but I remember the nonsense around SATS.

They are a big huge waste of time. Treat them with as little attention as you can. Let your son do exactly the same as before.

The biggest lie my daughter was told is that her secondary school choices look at her results. No, they don't.

Her GM worked for OFSTED as admin years ago and saw a lot of porkies being said and the pressure on teachers was immense.

Teachers already track the progress of their class. They know what they are capable of. These tests are bollocks.

I piped a good luck message and/ or picture onto chocolate-coated oreos and gave my child two a day for the duration of the SATs.

While I get what other parents are saying about not putting kids under more pressure, some children will naturally feel the pressure and my child adored the cookies to the point they have asked for them again now that their GCSE exams are approaching.

It's like leaving a little message of love and care in their lunchboxes. Just something small to make them smile.

The biggest lie my daughter was told is that her secondary school choices look at her results. No, they don't.

Yes, many do. Not as a deciding factor of who gets in (at least overtly), but certainly when it comes to target setting and deciding sets.
Especially if you have schools who set kids from the get-go and don't do an induction of a half-term of mixed ability sets to gauge the accuracy of SATs, which many just don't have the time for.

Totally appreciate the comments. DS doesn't seem bothered by then, hence why it was more of a fun idea. However, I'll take the above comments on board. Thanks all

I agree. Our secondary used the SATs to set predictions for GCSE, utterly ridiculous but hey, the stupid thing needs to be good for something.

i still remember DD’s English teacher in Y10 who said that DD’s mocks showed a better grade than the predicted ones and that it was typical for most children to change over the years, she wasn’t keen on the usage of SATs but couldn’t do anything about it.

I'm downplaying it totally (one sat them last year, the other is sitting them this year and is naturally a little ball of anxiety anyway). School will have them in for early breakfast on test days and then after the tests they all go into town on the bus on the Friday for McDonalds and bowling which they all love (mainly the chance to beat the Head).

So far DD2 isn't seeming particularly worried - the school sent home those CGP test books and give a little bag of Haribo each week to kids who've done some of them at home - but compared to some of the schools around here who make the entirety of Y6 about the damned tests - it's very very low-key. Secondary listen more to teacher assessment in terms of transition information and planning (secondary is a small one, primary is a very small one so neither side of the equation are dealing with hundreds of kids). DD1 was more pissed off about the existence of the Maths paper last year - and loved the Reading one that had everyone completely upset with it!

Whilst I agree they’re primary to measure the schools effectiveness, I see lots of quality intervention being rolled out at secondary school if they drop off their trajectory. It’s rigging the system and grossly unfair for the most able but SAT results do count.

We didn’t make a thing of them at all. Not entirely sure the kids were even aware. Best way, we think.

Save them for afterwards. Is he going to breakfast club, many schools encourage this for SATs week, usually as a means of getting all children in on time. Schools usually lay on treats for the afternoon. You could ask the teacher if they would be happy for you to bring a tin of biscuits in or something similar if you have money to spare to pay for SATs treats

As everybody else has said, don't bother! Save it for GCSE/A Level motivation.