AIBU to withdraw DD from SATS?

[ProtegeMoi]

Ok I'm not really going to do it but I'm so tempted to threaten the school with it. The pressure they are putting on them is unbelievable!

DD has a dentist appointment the week before SATS, urgent appointment as she is in agony with a tooth that needs filling and her teacher is fuming that she will be off and wants the appointment changed for 2 weeks later. So leave her in pain for 2 more weeks as she will miss a day of SATS revision, not even the actual test!

DD has also come home in tears as she's 'not allowed' to her sisters birthday party, which is the Saturday before SATS begin. Her teacher has said they are to do nothing at all that weekend as they need to revise and so now DD is upset as that includes a 2 years old party apparantly!

It's beyond a joke, my DD has been left terrified to do anything other than SATS work and the pressure is really getting to her. They have been threatened with police for time off even!

I'm going to go in in Monday and speak to them.

Just ignore it.

My DS never had any pressure at school regarding SATS, no extra revision or anything like that - surely it's saying something about the school if they have to do all this extra work just to get through the SATS.

Ignore, ignore, ignore and let your DD enjoy the party.

Not read all the replies, but do not even get me fucking STARTED on SATS. I have a child in year 2 doing his SATS (that's aged 6) that's all well and good as they don't even realise they're being so called tested at that age so I don't have an issue. When it comes to me having a child in year 6 (that's age 10) as well doing SATS in the same year, it's a different story. The pressure they're putting on is unbelievable.
He's come home with literally over a dozen full on size exam papers to do over the two week Easter break.
A couple, fair enough. Approx 15 though is taking the piss. They need downtime too, and we had places to go and visit and have day trips for fun.
They get told, daily, that they need to do well in their SATS as it determines what group they're in when they hit high school If they don't do well at primary, then they don't go in good groups at high school.
FFS. SATS needs abolishing, there's just no place for them and it's all to make the schools look good and f** all to do with the benefit of the children who shouldn't even BE sitting exams at primary.
Grrrr. Rant over.

My Dd3 is in an outstanding school, one teacher puts ridiculous pressure on the children. she has been talking about SATS since the week they went into yr 6. She has made Dd3's last year of primary a misery

I can relate to that. My ds has loved school all the way through, but this last year of primary some days he says he doesn't wasn't to go. Completely spoiling the last primary year.

My Dd is in an outstanding school, one teacher puts ridiculous pressure on the children. she has been talking about SATS since the week they went into yr 6. She has made Dd's last year of primary a misery.

I could have written this myself too! Dd LOVED school until this year. The pressure put on her for SATS has been outrageous and I have complained about it several times. I've also limited the amount of homework she's been given to do....massive "revision pack" given for the Easter holidays. Dd has been a miserable, nervous wreck about them and I am disgusted by it.

I teach myself and know that it does not have to be like this. We have good results (ok, we are not an outstanding school but we are close), we have none of this ridiculous pressure and only occasional, voluntary homework.

It is a disgraceful way to treat 11 year olds, a complete load of crap.

That's awful, can't believe they would ever suggest not taking your child to the dentist, especially as it isn't even the test !!!

Not only is too much pressure being burdened on your child, they want them in pain too! I am shocked I really am.

Fwiw I do think to much emphasis is based on sats.

My child is lucky as they done a special week in the Easter hols where children that required more tuition went in for 3 hrs for a week and got a free lunch too
It was a fun week that made learning fun.
And next week they are allowed to take in a chocolate bar and will be having free croissants and fruit provided by staff to get them ready for the day of tests.

Schools nees to provide incentives and make it fun.
Being draconian will just make the children score low as they will feel under too much strain.

I have name changed for this. I am a teacher (guess you have guessed from the name) and the pressure of sats is ridiculous. I totally agree that the children should not he under that much pressure and not do I condone any teacher for putting that much pressure on a child. I hate tests and believe wholly in creative curriculum. It appears the government however does not! Ofsted is now almost solely based on results ( they do look at other things of course, but if results are bad you are on to a loosing battle). Also a lot of schools are now basing teachers pay increments on children's grades. What is most bonkers is that I have spent the whole of my career teaching in a creative way anf I fully believe in the saying happy kids learn more and guess what, year ok year I have exceeded the national average for progress my a long way. It angers me that teachers think the only way to get good results is pressure (actually in my experience it is counter productive) but I do think a lot of teachers have lost their way, with the amount of pressure and the sheer exhaustion!

You definitely need to go and say something though. It is not on and there rare definitely better ways to motivate children to do well.

(I'm on maternity leave before you all think I'm skiving)!

Sorry for the typos I'm on my phone!