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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to struggle to understand why SAT's are such a bloody big deal?

134 replies

BloodySATStakingovertheworld · 03/05/2011 22:43

Have namechanged.

My dd is part of a sports team. They have amazingly qualified to represent their school in a National Final of a competition.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, the competition has clashed with the children starting their SAT's and the school and most of the other parents aren't interested in the slightest in the competition - they're only interested in the SAT's and how the children should be focussed on them.

The headteacher even picked the children out in assembly and whilst they were waiting to be told 'congratulations' for qualifying or 'good luck' for the final, the bloody headteacher said to make sure they take their SAT books to the comp so that they can schedule in plenty of revision and whatever happens at the comp they're to make sure they have an early night ready for the SAT's next morning Shock No good luck, kiss my arse or anything! Angry

Some of the parents are refusing to bring their children to the competition until just before they're due compete (so no preparation time) because they want them to do more SAT's revision first. I think this is sooo unfair to the rest of the team. The preparation time is essential to the comp and it's really letting their team-mates down.

I'm so cross at the school (and the other parents!).

Yes, I know SAT's are important to the school, but they're not the be-all and end-all! These children are representing their school at a National Fucking Competition and haven't even been told GOOD LUCK!!

I'm stunned, I really am.

Dd has worked really hard in school btw and has done extra revision classes as well as lots of extra revision throughout the Easter Hols. But she's worked really hard with her team-mates too! ...and surely that's just as important?

AIBU? Because I'm mightily fucking pissed off on dd's behalf Sad

OP posts:
wotnochocs · 06/05/2011 18:24

Why would a school's competition schedule the final to clash with SATS week?

wotnochocs · 06/05/2011 18:25

schools' competition

Dancergirl · 06/05/2011 18:27

YAsooooNBU

I don't give a flying fig about SATS. As far as I'm concerned, once my dd (currently in Year 5) has her place at her (favoured I hope!) secondary school, she's on wind down till the end of the year. She's sitting for grammar and independent schools and will be doing enough exams as it is.

I for one will be encouraging her to take it easy and not worry about SATS or anything else. Just to enjoy her last few months at primary school and have fun.

wotnochocs · 06/05/2011 18:28

Are SATS used for setting at secondary school? They certainly aren't at my DS's school.For one thing by September , they are already 4 moths out of date!

wotnochocs · 06/05/2011 18:28

Dancergirl- same here

Feenie · 06/05/2011 19:08

Depends on the individual school.

bruffin · 06/05/2011 19:13

A levels are 4 months out of date by the time they get university as well then

onceamai · 06/05/2011 19:16

Dancergirl if your dd's doing grammar and indies she'll need to be well ahead of the Level 4 game by the time the SATS come round so it won't matter tuppence by then in any event. Any school that is still cramming at this late stage hasn't done it job properly in the preceding 6 or 7 years afaiac.

DS has never had to do SATs and dd did them but we took no notice and it all seemed very unpressured both at home and at school.

seeker · 06/05/2011 19:29

I do sometimes wonder how all these children who are told that SATS don;t matter and they are just to test the teacher and all that sort of thing get on 6 months later when suddenly they have exams which do matter and which are very much to test them!

A bit of a shock to the system, that. i expect!

janetsplanet · 06/05/2011 19:33

my DD (7) was sent home today after doing her SATS. she has special needs and is currently being assessed for ASD.
the note said 'X has been misbehaving during the science SATS today so had to miss playtime. Could you please have a chat with her about how important these tests are'

i dont want to have the chat. i asked DD what happened. she told me she was bored. they know she misbehaves and im doing all i can with regards to her behaviour. we are under CAMHS. and i dont want the chat as i think SATS are a load of bollocks

onceamai · 06/05/2011 19:37

Seeker - possibly because they were hitting Level 4's in Year 4.

seeker · 06/05/2011 19:40

Still got level 5s to aim at, though. And the useful practice of sitting exams. Which will come on them thick and fast when they reach secondary school!

Feenie · 06/05/2011 19:42

'X has been misbehaving during the science SATS today so had to miss playtime.

That's very strange, since there are no Science SATs at either key stage - and never have been in KS1.Hmm

Feenie · 06/05/2011 19:42

Sorry, the Hmm was for the school, not you janetsplanet.

diabolo · 06/05/2011 19:43

Only schools ever stress out about their SAT's results, not children.

That said, if they are to have a fair chance at good GCSE / A Level's it is useful to know if they are achieving Level 5's at KS2.

onceamai · 06/05/2011 19:45

I'd say Level 6 actually Seeker. DS is about to sit his O'Levels, yes O'Levels, because his school feels GCSE standards are now too diluted to bother with them. He got 3 A*s last year (French, Maths and RS) and sits another 9 this year, including Mandarin, Greek and Latin. SATs matter as much as a third rate degree from a former Poly in my opinion - DS is aiming for Classics at Oxford.

seeker · 06/05/2011 20:02

I don;t understand your posts, onceemal - you're addressing me but your posts don;t seem to be replying to mine. Oh, and there's no level 6 in KS2 SATS.

seeker · 06/05/2011 20:03

And where on earth are they getting O level papers marked?

Feenie · 06/05/2011 20:05

But you don't need SATs to tell you that, Diablo - the teacher assessment would give you that information.Bub

hockeyforjockeys · 06/05/2011 20:12

And what qualification authority is awarding them? Because if they aren't awarded by an body regulated by Ofqual they mean diddly squat quite frankly.

spanieleyes · 06/05/2011 20:15

I don't give a flying fig about SATS. As far as I'm concerned, once my dd (currently in Year 5) has her place at her (favoured I hope!) secondary school, she's on wind down till the end of the year.
Not in my class, she's not! I expect my children to work to their best throughout the year and through every year, not just when it suits! The last week is possibly for winding down, the rest of the year is for reaching our maximum potential!

onceamai · 06/05/2011 20:17

Don't think the IB's regulated by Ofqual either. All the indy's we sat for noted something similar to "if the candidate is not already achieving L5 or L6 (Yr) it is unikely they will will be able to fully complete the entrance exams". I will look up the info from the school which usually makes the top 6 and often higher in the league tables.

Original poster
BloodySATStakingovertheworld · 06/05/2011 20:20

wotnochocs
"Why would a school's competition schedule the final to clash with SATS week?"

I have already answered this:

"The competition is not just for children of dd's age.

There are different age categories - primary age (which includes all years, not just year 6) middle school age and high school/college age.

I would imagine, though am not sure, that a relatively small percentage nationally would be in Y6."

seeker
"I do sometimes wonder how all these children who are told that SATS don;t matter and they are just to test the teacher and all that sort of thing get on 6 months later when suddenly they have exams which do matter and which are very much to test them!"

I'm not sure if you're referring to me here or not, but I'll reply anyway.

I don't tell my dd that the SAT's don't matter. I have told her that she is to work hard and try her best, a stock response in our house. What I won't tell her is that they're more important than everything else in her life at the moment (which is what school is telling her) because, I don't for a minute, think that they are.

Like everything else that she does - if she tries her best, that will always be good enough for me.

One more thing that I'd like to say is that my dd is average. Not above average, not below average. She is average.

I'd be hugely surprised if she gets level 5's in any of the subjects, because she's not a level 5 pupil.

Level 5's may be an indicator of blah blah blah, but not every student will acheive them.

I'll even go so far as to say that if dd did manage to acheive level 5's, it would be a completely false result. All the last-minute cramming in the world isn't going to change that!

Maybe she'd better sign on the dole now eh? Hmm

OP posts:
juuule · 06/05/2011 20:26

Edexcel did O'levels although it seems they were replaced in 2009 with igcse.

Cambridge have O'level exams.

I do remember that there used to be an extension paper to L6 for some able children at our primary school I'm not sure if the L6 was recorded but some children did do the extension paper.

spanieleyes · 06/05/2011 20:33

There is a level 6 paper this year. However it is considered an "optional" paper, ie it is not externally marked and so the highest a child can achieve in the SATs tests is a level 5, teacher assessments can however be higher and the level 6 paper used as partial evidence of this assessment.