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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that, althoguh I am a teacher

31 replies

Samjam10 · 09/05/2011 20:59

and my son's teacher is my friend and colleague, the Y6 "end of year" tests (in MAY!) are a pain in the arse. My son is very lazy chilled out about school in general, but was in tears last night, and tonight told my mum on the phone that he "hopes he will do alright in his writing tasks tomorrow". He's TEN. I helped his teacher cover all the displays in the class room with drapes yesterday and they had to sit at individual desks reminiscent of GCSE/A level. The tests had to be unsealed by my colleague with two witnesses in case of cheating.

My son's class has been SATS based since Christmas as far as I can tell.

All about stupid league tables, not children, as our secondary rely on Teacher Assessment plus their own CAT tests in September anyway.

OP posts:
Original poster
Samjam10 · 09/05/2011 21:00

I can also spell "although" Grin.

OP posts:
abbierhodes · 09/05/2011 21:03

I'm a teacher also, and I think SATs are a crock of shit. The results are incredibly unreliable.

handsomeharry · 09/05/2011 21:04

Glad I am in Scotland. No SATS!

Original poster
Samjam10 · 09/05/2011 21:06

I was pressurised to move an important appointment with my son's consultant, as it was scheduled for yesterday, as he would have missed tests and therefore affected school's scores.

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mossi · 09/05/2011 21:06

Just out of interest (and I admit to being totally ignorant re all this) - how else can parents rate primary schools in terms of attainment if not by SATs results? Is there any other evidence they can go by?

280169 · 09/05/2011 21:06

SATS are a complete waste of time, iI refuse to let my children get stressed,dd is very studious and loves to revise ds has learning problems .He is far more confident and socable than dd and has good life skills,SATS will be a disaster for him but that does not make him a failure.
I will not be bothering with revision AT ALL, he will be playing out going on family walks and enjoying his childhood.

ninah · 09/05/2011 21:08

the ofsted report, mossi
an equivalent crock of shite imo

BatmanLovesRobin · 09/05/2011 21:13

But samjam10, he could have sat the test a bit later / the next day. That sounds a bit weird.

SATs suck. That is my considered and valuable opinion (also as a teacher)

frangipan · 09/05/2011 21:13

I too was pressured by the school to move DS1's appointment on wednesday morning with his consultant (Diabetes) as he had mental maths that day..............I've told him to do his best to show himself what he can do and not to worry about doing well for anyone else.

RobF · 09/05/2011 21:13

How are SATs different to the old 11+?

Original poster
Samjam10 · 09/05/2011 21:14

Or they could rate them by teacher assessment. Like our Secondary do to establish attainment. It's not that I disagree with moderation of individual TA (as in Y2 "SATS"), but that these (Y6) tests are stressful, unrepresentative of children's attainment, and unreliable.

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Ormirian · 09/05/2011 21:16

Thank goodness our school goes out of it's way to play them down. Last year they marked them in school.

A friend's DS at another school is incredibly stressed and miserable. Has been sent home with test papers to complete since christmas. I think the head needs to be strung up to be frank Angry

florencedougal · 09/05/2011 21:16

why do they have to rate them at all

in the middle ages, we just went to the nearest school, end of

mossi · 09/05/2011 21:17

that's just it - you go round a few schools, they all look nice and the teachers all seem nice, but how do you tell? there's really not much to go on. It's only when you get there you find out.

My dc is in reception. Ofsted came round recently. Many parents said they wouldn't respond to the ofsted questionnaire because they didn't want to give the school a bad name.

Original poster
Samjam10 · 09/05/2011 21:17

Oh - I couldn't move the appointment to the afternoon and couldn't have got him back to school before end of morning due to distance. My mum was willing to take him to appointment (she would've had to anyway as we were both at work and that is usual arrangement) and the school said no. There was potential for us to cheat if he did not sit test in morning.

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coastgirl · 09/05/2011 21:19

I teach secondary. I glance at y7's SATs results then ignore them. CATs are much more useful - but to be honest I mostly have them sussed by half-term anyway. And I think making 11-year-olds prepare and sit for formal tests is inumane, to be honest. By all means test them but the months of run-up is uncalled-for.

HateSatsWeek · 09/05/2011 21:19

ooh come and join my thread on this subject over

here

particularly interested in teachers viewpoints Smile

practicallyimperfect · 09/05/2011 21:22

But that they are useless for judging schools, like ofsted. They tell you how well some school prepare kids for tests.

Some schools get excellent ofsted, but are horrible pressured places for kids to be. I am a teacher btw

princessparty · 09/05/2011 21:22

You think sats are too much for a 10 yr old?They don't count for anything! Thank your lucky stars that you don't live in an 11+ area where if you fail the test you end up somewhere crappy.That's a lot to put on a 10 yo

wook · 09/05/2011 21:25

SATs being taken out of year 9 was the best thing EVER.
Finally we could teach Shakespeare as a play, as a whole text, for performance and enjoyment, rather than filleting it and drilling the kids to the point where they hated it.
At last we could read great stories and novels and non fiction without asking bizarre and pointless comprehension questions about them.
We still assess levels throughout the year, ask the students to work hard, do all we can to help them to make progress and, in some cases, start GCSE work for those who can take it on.

Never again will I hear 'I hate Shakespeare, WHY are we doing this?' and have to answer with 'for your SATs'

Original poster
Samjam10 · 09/05/2011 21:26

I grew up in eleven plus area, and went to the Grammar school. Not all kids did the tests and the high school the vast majority went to was good. SATs are for everyone in state education, don't affect the school you go to, and mean nothing - yet we put the kids through this for, what you agree, is nothing.

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Original poster
Samjam10 · 09/05/2011 21:27

And they narrow their education to, for example, "genre writing". (I have taught Y6. Shudder.)

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Original poster
Samjam10 · 09/05/2011 21:31

By the way, my son's appointment was TOMORROW, as in Tuesday, not yesterday - yesterday was Sunday! Sorry! SATS stress has got to me!

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WrongWayToFall · 09/05/2011 21:43

DD had SATs last year but fortunately her school isn't a SATs hothouse - she only had one practice paper and found the whole experience quite underwhelming. It's definitely reflected in the results - we live in a mixed area and many of my friends are horrified that I sent her there as it has one of the poorest rankings in the league tables and a grade 3 Ofsted. But it's an inclusive school, with a relaxed attitude to homework and exams but a more holistic approach to education.

Most of my friends' DC go to an Outstanding school a few streets away - which has impressive results but a much narrower intake. They would often complain about their reams of homework and their social lives ground to a halt last year as they had so much pressure with practice papers, which was very different to DD's experience as she continued with after-school activities all the way through.

The DCs are at secondary now and DD has outperformed all of the girls who'd gone to the Outstanding school, despite them getting up to two full NC levels above hers in the SATs.

choccyp1g · 09/05/2011 22:18

If CATS are so much more useful, why don't they do CATS in Y6? And compare the results against the SATS to prove whether they have actually TAUGHT them anything. (My understanding being that CATS judge the child's ability, whereas SATS judge what they have learnt.)
Going to bed now, so won't log in till at least tomorrow.