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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To go over the teachers head?

154 replies

Bananaapplegrape · 04/02/2015 20:51

Right bit of a backstory (sorry!) DD is 11, year 6 of primary school, never been in trouble, always had brilliant school report, in top sets blah blah.. She's targeted for a 5A in maths and a 5B for literacy in the sats...

Today she came out of school hysterical (to the point where she was brought out by a TA who had found her crying in the toilets), they had a 'long write' today.. It had been marked and DD got a 5c.. Her teacher ripped the work out of her book and she is to redo it tomorrow (during break!!!!)

I went to talk to the teacher, fully expecting her to explain that DD has completely misunderstood but no.. Teacher stated that DD has potential to do better, so she has too.. I asked had DD been messing around? Nope.. Chatting? Nope.. Behaviour was absolutley fine.. But she KNOWS she could have done it better.

I completely and utterly disagree with this and told teacher so DD loves school and always works hard.. She is not reacting well to the stupid amounts of pressure that these fucking sats are placing on her (despite me telling her repeatedly that it's the school being tested not her) and today has just completed fucked up her confidence...

I've tried talking to the teacher and she is Adament its a legitimate learning approach bollocks so would IBU to go to the head?

I should add - If DD was messing around them I would have absolutley no objection to the loss of break (though still wouldn't be overly impressed by the book ripping) but to do that to a child who is already achieving over average? It just feels really wrong that she's being punished for not over achieving...

OP posts:

Janethegirl · 04/02/2015 21:53

I think the problem is there are some very good teachers and those who shouldn't be let loose near children! Unfortunately the latter seems to be in the majority.

Quitethewoodsman · 04/02/2015 21:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 04/02/2015 21:55

I'm an English teacher.

Your dd's reaction wasn't ott. If someone was so unpleasant about my work I suspect I'd go to the loo for a cry!

I've sometimes spoken with pupils who've under performed and offered the chance to redo it, but I've never ripped work up (totally unacceptable) or suggested they use a first attempt as a draft (cheating)

Not only does this heap stress on your daughter, it also passes the stress to her secondary teachers. Pupils leaving y6 with overinflated levels makes our lives so hard (& means we then heap more pressure on kids like your dd. So unfair!)

I'd definitely go to the head.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 21:57

You need to report that school for malpractice, quitethewoodsman - a scribe is allowed in certain circumstances, but a reader in the reading test is not!

CalicoBlue · 04/02/2015 22:01

If a teacher had done this to my DD in year 6, I would have been furious. I don't know if I would have gone to the head. I would have told the teacher that I was withdrawing my DD from the SATS and I would not have her pressurised like that.

There is absolutely no need for the pressure they put them under for the SATS. I told my DD when she did them that she did not have to do them and not to feel pressurised.

Yes, they do use them in KS3, but no need to, they soon establish what grades they are in year 7 without them.

karatekimmi · 04/02/2015 22:02

On the topic of year 11 targets at every school I've worked in as a secondary school teacher, the targets we get marked against are set from the pupils KS2 scores. It doesn't matter what we grade them as at the start of year 7 the government targets are based on KS2 Sats.

CalleighDoodle · 04/02/2015 22:03

hulababy im not aure what type of schola you have worked in, but children are target set based on three levels of progress from sats and they need to know them at secondary. And ofsted will check if they know them and if they know what that means.

'life after levels' my arse.

rollonthesummer · 04/02/2015 22:03

Tally unacceptable-your poor daughter :(

What I'm confused by is why it's a problem that she's predicted a 5b by May and is a 5c now?! That means she's bang on track to teach her target??

PopularNamesInclude · 04/02/2015 22:05

I agree that ripping the work out of her book and publicly humiliating her (am assuming this was done with the rest of the class present) is awful. However, keeping a child in at break to rewrite work that is not what it ought to be - I would absolutely support that as a parent. If the teacher feels that the work she handed in was not good enough, then she should take on board the (kindly and encouragingly offered) advice and do her work again. The teacher should demand the best possible work of your dd and of every child.
However this has to be done sensitively and with your child's best interests - and not SATs results- at heart.
I think all parents should withdraw their children from Sats. Then the whole stupid system would collapse.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 22:06

I would have told the teacher that I was withdrawing my DD from the SATS and I would not have her pressurised

Again, you can't do that. You would have to withdraw your child from the school.

Quitethewoodsman · 04/02/2015 22:06

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

rollonthesummer · 04/02/2015 22:10

If op withdrew her daughter from the school and put her in a new school for the second half of y6, would the new school get the benefit of her level 5c/5b rather than the old school?!

I'll be interested to hear what the head says-will you report back, OP?

Feenie · 04/02/2015 22:12

Yes, of course!

rollonthesummer · 04/02/2015 22:16

I'd idly threaten that, I think, OP!

That might make them think about treating their children with a little more compassion.

Original poster

Bananaapplegrape · 04/02/2015 22:17

Yup! I'm ringing the head in the morning so will update..

And just to catch up on some missed posts..

I don't have an issue with her missing break if she wasn't working to required standard.. But she is working to required standard (In fact higher) but just not her 'predicted target'

She is predicted a 5B.. And has had 1 previous marking (AFAIK) of a 5B he rest have been 5C.. Possibly the last 'long write' was the 5B but achieving it once doesn't mean it's a given is it?

I'm not considering withdrawing DD from the school.. Would love her to be withdrawn from the SATS but tbh she would still get caught up in the madness that is sats..

OP posts:

CalicoBlue · 04/02/2015 22:20

I would have told the teacher that I was withdrawing my DD from the SATS and I would not have her pressurised

When my DD was in year 6, three years ago, I could have done this without having to remove her from the school. I checked at the time.

GokTwo · 04/02/2015 22:23

That's appalling. I've been teaching for nearly 20 years and think that is absolutely unacceptable. I don't care how much pressure the teacher is under. They went Sats crazy like this when Dd was in year 6 and it totally ruined the entire year. It turned dd into a nervous wreck and certainly did nothing to help her in terms of her learning. Please do speak to the HT, someone needs to bring this teacher to her senses or if she is being put under ridiculous pressure that needs to stop.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 22:25

You can't now - tests may be administered later at school, at your house, at a hospital - but legally they have to be administered.

Fwiw, I would also be going to see the Head - however, in my case she'd be saying 'God, not you again!' atm.

tiggytape · 04/02/2015 22:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Janethegirl · 04/02/2015 22:29

From the website satsguide.co.uk In KS1, children who are absent on the day when a test takes place are given another opportunity to take the test. For KS2/3, children who miss a test are recorded as absent and are not given a test level in that subject. They will still receive a teacher assessment.

So parents still have a choice to ensure the children do not attend on specific dates.

sockmatcher · 04/02/2015 22:36

I'd withdraw her from the SATs.

sockmatcher · 04/02/2015 22:38

Sorry took me a while to catch up. I thought you could withdraw? Another right eroded

PopularNamesInclude · 04/02/2015 22:38

SATS do not matter to the child. If you enter secondary with no SATS it will not affect your final GCSE mark in any way. It only impacts the school's progress tracking and targets. The student would not suffer. If a student scored a 2b in the Sats, then showed up in secondary a few short months later working at 5c, they would be treated as a 5c pretty quickly.

Janethegirl · 04/02/2015 22:40

Although my dc are too old now for this to be an issue, I believe you can still avoid sitting the SATS tests if you so wish.

tiggytape · 04/02/2015 22:43

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

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