Year 6 SATs

[Beansandcheesearegood]

How important are Year 6 SATs? My dd is really stressing about them. They start next Monday and end on Thursday. I'm due to be away from Thursday morning until Sunday and seriously having second thoughts about going as I feel like I should be here for her! I'm probably being unreasonable....

Yeah that was really unkind and not at all accurate @Rabhhhd My ds is dyslexic. He's not dumb. As part of his assessment they test IQ and he had the IQ of an 11 year old at 8. In fact most dyslexic's are smart. He doesn't get told the answers when he gets taken out. He has extra time and support tailored to his needs. There are many reasons kids need to be out of the main room and trust me in no case is it because they are dumb or the teachers are giving them answers.

No children should be given the answers, no child should be described as dumb.

Schools can have surprise monitoring visits to ensure they are following processes. School governors can also carry out monitoring visits.

Children will be in separate rooms for a variety of reasons, but one of those reasons will not be giving them the answers.

@BummingHerd I was with you until you said “they don’t really matter”. Dc thinks they do. The teacher thinks they do. I agree that these exams are a normal part of school life in y6, but they do matter.

Schools arrange lots of nice activities afterwards, and feeling a bit anxious is normal, but we should not lie and say they don’t matter. We should not say they are scary either. That just reinforces the notion of possibly running away and not doing them! Life has challenges. It’s far better to say you love dc whatever the result but ensure dc knows you have confidence in their ability. At 11 dc really can accept the truth.

By 11 my DDs had done lots of music and dance exams. Did they matter to them? Yes of course they did! Did they get nervous? Yes, of course. Did we say to dc they don’t matter? No of course not. Why would I undermine the teachers? I never referred to exams as scary either. They are what dc do and getting used to them, and preparing for them, is the best plan. Then they aren’t scary, they are a normal part of life.

It’s a very aspirational school and one of the best performing non selective state schools in the country, so they’re doing something right. But I’ve no doubt it’s making money for someone, they have a very complex data analytics process and system, and is a large MAT.

*part of

Change it then. It's not an unalterable script.

I disagree that it's wrong to say they are scary. In your logic, DC thinks they are. Anyway I didn't say they ARE scary, I said they FEEL scary. And they do. You can't say not to lie to children and then justify minimising their scared feelings at the same time.

Tests always feel scary, and they always should imo. Something feeling scary doesn't mean you shouldn't do it.

They’re made into such a big deal in English schools and I really don’t understand why. In Wales we have national testing every year from year 2-9, it’s just something that they do for a couple of days in May. It’s definitely not something that schools, kids and parents get anxious about.

@BummingHerd But it’s your job as a parent to be the reasoned person here. Not feed into the scary narrative. If parents keep doing this dc never get prepared and calm. It feeds insecurities.

Some schools make far too much of sats. Sensible schools calmly prepare dc. It’s ok and normal to feel apprehensive but although dc might say they are scared they need clear guidance from parents that it’s “first night nerves” and nothing to worry about.

I disagree, but that's ok.
I am a child psychologist of many years experience and have good reasons for saying what I do.

Telling a child there is nothing to worry about when they are worried invalidates their feelings and makes them feel that it is "wrong" to be scared, that being fearful is a bad thing. Which is feeding into our mental health crisis where children feel like if they are worried before an exam that they "have anxiety", in a pathological way. When it's perfectly normal to be anxious before exams and feel scared. Acknowledging that something is scary, AND they will be able to face it AND they will be ok is a much better long term strategy.

While parents are at it, they should also model being anxious AND managing it themselves, at an age appropriate level. Not "I have no idea how to pay the mortgage this month", but "When that dog ran towards me in the park earlier I was a bit worried for a moment, because he was quite big and bouncy wasn't he, but he just wanted us to throw his ball, didn't he? He was friendly really".

childmind.org/article/help-children-manage-fears/

I sort of think you are both agreeing with each other.

SATs are scary for the child. The parent recognises that 'I can see you feel scared / anxious / nervous', but then supports them 'that's normal, this is how to manage it ....'.

What isn't right would be for a parent to just brush off the feelings 'don't be stupid there's nothing to be scared of', or add to the pressure, or to not help their child cope, or to just keep their child home for normal nerves.

(I accept keeping at home may be needed in exceptional circumstances).

I didn’t say nothing to worry about exactly. However feeding the anxiety is foolish. You do listen as a parent but you don’t have to agree with dc being scared - where does that get anyone? I’ve worked with Ed psychs. Some are not realistic. We have many dc who don’t like lots of things - we cannot agree with dc all the time!

Important for the school almost not at all important for the child

some secondary schools set from year 7 based on scores but at my kids secondary seems to have not even acknowledged them at all.

This absolutely. DC3 is doing his, I know his secondary school do their own tests and set from that.

At no point have I recommended feeding anxiety.

Agreeing that something is scary AND you are confident the child is capable of facing it AND they will be ok is precisely how one builds resilience and confidence in facing things that feel difficult.

Feeding anxiety would be saying to a child with normal pre-test nerves "exams are too scary for you, Mummy will tell the teachers you can't do them because you get too worried".

Clearly that is not what I am saying.

I just would not agree it’s scary. I would say “I hear you”. You think it’s scary and I’m listening. Continually agreeing infantilized dc. Agreeing is not parenting,