the consequences of not going to Saturday School.

[Binkyridesagain]

not necessarily an AIBU but as I posted about Saturday School in this topic, I thought i would post the consequence of mine and DS stand against school pressure in here.

Obviously the ENTIRE year went to the 2 SATurday School events, except my son of course, and a great fuss was made over the huge success of the event in the newsletter. All fine, blow your trumpet. I have a happy DS who doesn't feel pressured.

Until this morning. he'd forgotten to do his homework, so panic mode kicked in, as he can't possibly let down his teacher. He does acknowledge that doing homeowrk 10 mins before he's due to leave is not acceptable but HE HAS TO GET IT DONE BECAUSE HE WILL HAVE TO STAY IN TO DO IT!! (capitals are to demonstrate the importance he has placed on this piece of homework)

All is fine until he reaches calculating probability, he knows what it is but doesn't know how to calculate it, it was shown in SATurday School.
This question I can help him with, so he calms down a little.

NExt question involves a table, a spinner and estimating the probabilty of the spinner landing on particular section when only spun once. 3 marks, so it must be a complicated answer, Cue melt down. This was also taught in SATurday school.

In fact most of his maths homework, relates to what the children have been taught at SATurday school. So I now have a distressed 11year old because he doesn't know how to do stuff because he hasn't been taught because he didn't go to fuckin SATurday school. He has now decided he is a failure.

It seems that SATurday school wasn't just about priming them for passing the SATs but was also to teach them extra bits.

Fuckin SATs, fuckin SATurday School and fuckin School. This is my 3rd DC to go through SATs and he is the first to be put under stress for something that doesn't fuckin matter.

I am now calm, writing it down does help, doesn't it?

[TigOldBitties]

allnew Some people don't agree with homework in primary, or even later.

I think a 4 year old having the quantity of homework you've described is absurd, and not something I'd be happy with.

I usually ignored homework in reception, (although eldest DCs never really got any until year 3) and then after that I would leave it up to the DC. I don't agree with it.

[meddie]

No child should be forced to attend school on a Saturday just to cover the curriculum, that is a failing of the school. you were right not to force him to go, I would be complaining about that too.
Offering cram sessions outside school time or hiring tutors is a choice that can be made if you so wish, but should not be an obligation.

I can't believe the importance being placed on SAT's at primary level, honestly who cares? No University give a rats arse what the applicant obtained in their primary level Sat's. Why place so much weight on it in the long run.

Sats are all about the school looking good and getting a good Ofsted report, they have no impact on your childs future achievements. They should be a useful indicator of how your child is progressing, but thats all. trying to achieve the higher levels by cramming and Saturday schools is just ridiculous and unnecessary added stress

[freddiefrog]

My eldest is doing SATs next week, she is under unbelievable pressure to do well in Level 6 papers which I just don't think she's capable of.

Our school have told the kids that the results of SATs will determine their GCSE results. I have spoken to the high school she's going to in September, they don't use SATs to determine anything as they think the results are meaningless and don't show their true understanding of the curriculum or subject because they are being taught to test so they retest in the first term

I had my 11 year old crying at midnight last night worrying about telling her teacher that she simply doesn't understand a maths question. She is being sent home massive booklets of old SATs papers every night and is expected to complete them, if she doesn't she will be kept in at lunch time.

This has been going on every day since they returned from the February half term

In these circumstances, I would have stepped in and refused to send her to Saturday classes too. I refused to let my DD complete one of the SATs papers earlier this week, she was stressed, in floods of tears, it was a lovely afternoon and she needed a break from the relentless pressure, so I took the paper away and kicked her out over the park to blow off steam with her friends for an hour

I don't think she should be pressurised like this, if school have done their job properly over the last 7 years, she'll be fine with revision. We support her and help her and do whatever we have to to help her to do well and achieve to her abilities but school are crossing a line and I am not prepared to have my child crying her eyes out at midnight again over SATs.

[echt]

Astonished at the posters who assert you should have sent your child to school at the weekend.

Hold the school to account for not teaching as they should.

[LauraShigihara]

I didn't see your original thread but I agree with you - no way would I send DS to school on a Saturday. What happened to SATs being a test of the school, not the child?

DS has expensive drama lessons on Saturdays anyway, which trump anything else.

I would be livid if we were asked to make up for the school's shortcomings by giving up family time at the weekend.

[Startail]

No they have been useless at teaching the maximum number of children to pass a particular narrow test which is almost certainly not fit for purpose.

Sending DCs to secondary with scraped L5, such that they end Y7 still on L5 isn't good for anyone. DD1's class landed their HT in trouble because 2/3 of them just missed their L5. these DCs are now set 1 in Y10 and doing well.

Far better the primary pupils have a wider ranging curriculum and the teachers ensure the weaker children are supported.

Encouraging able DCs to do their best is one thing, cramming for the test is quite another.

Cramming has its place. We have all had to do it to scrape public exams and some DCs may need to for the 11+/13+, but those thinks have real ongoing value SATs, especially inflated SATs do not.

[Mumsyblouse]

How do you know for sure that probability was only taught in Saturday school? I can't quite believe in the ten minutes of fussing over homework you managed to find out exactly what went on over the two days of Saturday school (as you were not there) and are 100% sure it was never covered at any other time. If it was covered, it may have been revision, and that's why they set it again for homework for reinforcement purposes (which is not the same as never having done it at all in the previous year).

You may well end up with egg on your face unless you can show for sure that they covered key curriculum topics in Sat school, and how do you know this for definite anyway, unless you've been through all of his school books/checked the Sat curriculum which is turning out much more effort than going to the blinking Saturday school in the first place

[Mumsyblouse]

And, not that I would necessarily be keen on Sat school my uncles all went to school on Saturday mornings at a normal grammer school 50 years ago, this was because they had games/sports matches on Wed and so needed to make up the time. It is not unheard of for school to use Sat mornings.

[pickledginger]

'Our school have told the kids that the results of SATs will determine their GCSE results.'

If they pulled that shit I'd be in to see before my DC had finished telling me.

[pickledginger]

Even before I'd typed them.

[Startail]

2 or 3, not two-thirds, I'm sorry that is easy to miss read.

It is a small school, just over the reporting limit, one DC is worth ~ 8%

It's a rural area, years vary wildly in ability. DD2 year had four dead cert. L5 DCs of professional parents and DD1's didn't.

(In fact DD1 got them a totally fluke L5 for English on the cut off mark, but that is a whole different thread about, dyslexia, scribes and bending the assistance rules to breaking point).

[freddiefrog]

If they pulled that shit I'd be in to see before my DC had finished telling me.

Oh, we have, all year 6 parents have been in at some point. We even had a meeting at school where the head of the high school categorically stated that SATs were of no interest to them.

As it stands at the moment, I'm prepared to pull DD out of school next week completely

[seeker]

Hang on. I would be livid too- but are you sure probability wasn't taught in class? Because my ds certainly was.....

[pickledginger]

That is so completely out of line. Fussing about the tests is one thing. Feeding the children crap about the importance of them is Not Acceptable.

If you're sure it won't impact streaming for your DC in their senior school I would keep them out of school for the SATS. I would also raise hell to everyone who would listen.

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

Why on earth is it unreasonable to not send your dc to an optional class on a saturday?

I can tell you now, I would not have sent my dcs. They have activities, and its the weekend. If the school are unable to teach the curriculum during normal school, thats a big problem. But it does not mean that children should have to go to school on a saturday.

[seeker]

"'Our school have told the kids that the results of SATs will determine their GCSE results.'

I bet they haven't, you know! That sounds like something that has gone through a "child filter" before it got home.

I'm amazed at all this SATS pressure. I've only ever heard of it on mumsnet- and I'm involved with a lot of primary schools in one way and another.

[ShowMeTheYoni]

I live in Scotland so we don't have this at all. Saturday school? Um no, I don't think so. Show me an adult who will happily work six days a week! He is 11 and surely any prep work belongs in school time? Excuse my ignorance of your system but it sounds very pressurised for a child!

[5Foot5]

If teachers are giving up 2 saturdays to teach something that they haven't managed to teach during the school week then maybe they need to look at why they haven't taught it in regular school time.

Well said!!

When DD was in year 6 they had a maths teacher who was very, very good. So good in fact that he was able to cover everything he needed to in class time, didn't even need to set homework, and everyone in the year passed at level 5.

I really don't understand why the school are pushing for level 6 at that age. It is not in the children's benefit IMO it is just to make them look good on the league tables.

[flatpackhamster]

TantrumsAndBalloons

Why on earth is it unreasonable to not send your dc to an optional class on a saturday?

I'm sure it's up to the parents to decide what is best for their children. I would welcome the chance for extra schooling for mine, but I think it depends upon what value you place upon education and what value you place upon home life. I'm not sure that 'reasonableness' or otherwise comes in to it. The OP made the choice that her 'home time' was more important to her family and child. There are consequences to that choice.

I can tell you now, I would not have sent my dcs. They have activities, and its the weekend. If the school are unable to teach the curriculum during normal school, thats a big problem. But it does not mean that children should have to go to school on a saturday.

The private sector does it. Look at the results they get.

[OpheliasWeepingWillow]

Hmmm.

My (private) school had lessons 6 days a week. Results were amazing even though it was not selective.
I think you are doing your children a disservice to be honest.

[OpheliasWeepingWillow]

Also am soooo confused about why telling your kids education is important, prep is important, and you should work hard at school and out of it is suddenly anathema around here.

Yes they are 11 but the rest of your life can be dictated by the decisions as actions you make up to A level.

[TantrumsAndBalloons]

The point is, there shouldnt be consequences to that choice other than the loss of a revision class or whatever it was. The consequence of missing an optional saturday morning class should not be that key parts of the curriculum were not taught.

It does definitley depend on parental choice. As I say, I would not send my dcs to school on Saturdays. If you feel your dc needs extra schooling, there are ways to provide this. Mine do not.

The private sector may do as it pleases. My dd is managing exceptionally well in her GCSEs without the need for Saturday schooling. And the results of my own children are the only results I need to look at.

[OpheliasWeepingWillow]

I jut don't understand why one would opt out of the opportunity for better educational advantages.

[ll31]

Think yabu to assume that new stuff was taught on Saturdays or do you know this for sure? And how do you know?

[Sirzy]

I jut don't understand why one would opt out of the opportunity for better educational advantages.

Because education is about more than just what is done in the classroom.

because everyone needs time to relax and do nothing

because 11 year olds shouldn't be put under pressure to do well in exams