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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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:
Noodledoodledoo · 04/02/2015 22:43

Janethegirl not sure how up to date that website is but KS3 Sats were last officially examined in 2008 - schools now may do thier own testing but there is no official exams at the end of Yr9.

As a teacher I am appalled at this - and another saying the teacher should not be passing on her stress.

Also agree KS2 targets are used to show 3-4 levels of progress by the end of KS4. It is possible to apply a calculated target for those without KS2 grades but on the whole secondary schools are assessed on how much progress students have made from KS2. Agree with whoever said overinflation at Primary does a huge disservice to the students in the long term.

CalicoBlue · 04/02/2015 22:44

I am surprised that it is a legal requirement for my kids to have SATS tests.

I always thought we had a choice, and I know that when mine did SATS we did have to option. That was 7 and 3 years ago.

TheFairyCaravan · 04/02/2015 22:44

I think that is shocking behaviour from the teacher. It doesn't matter what her target grade is no child achieves it with every single piece of work they do. That's impossible.

I don't think the reaction is OTT, it's just the sort of reaction DS1 would have had. He had an awful teacher who taught him Maths in Yr2, he'd come home with stories where she had screwed up his work and shouted at him. I volunteered to go in and listen to the children read. I could not believe what I was witnessing.

That teacher damaged DS1. He never believed he could do Maths, he got so, so worked up over it. He would shake and panic at nearly every lesson and exams were a nightmare. It was only when he hit Yr9 and he had an excelent teacher, who stayed with him until he sat his GCSE, that he started to believe he might be able to do it. He got an A in the end but I will never forgive that Yr2 teacher for what she did.

Make sure you go to HT OP and don't let it drop. If the teacher does anything like this again, complain again. The last thing your DD needs is her confidence zapping, especially as she is about to change schools in September.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 22:48

www.gov.uk/key-stage-2-tests-how-to-apply-for-a-timetable-variation

Read this link, Jane.

Schools sink or swim by these results - a drop of 4% (quite easily achieved by one child not sitting the tests, since they count as zero) could mean an early inspection, a pay rise missed for the Year 6 teacher (not excusing the teacher here at all btw), a step on the road to forced academisation. That's without being overdramatic.

ravenAK · 04/02/2015 22:51

You can't withdraw a child from SATs unless you withdraw them from the school.

& yes, secondary schools are judged on the progress we make from SATs. Regardless of how inaccurate we know them to be.

So we don't generally thank our primary colleagues too much for hothousing unrealistically high grades, but they're under immense pressure to do so, sadly.

Ripping your dd's work out is unacceptable nonetheless. Similar has happened to my y6 ds, but to be fair, his 5c (again target 5b/a) was a result of him being a lazy arse, as he cheerfully conceded.

Teacher should know the difference between a not that impressive piece completed on an off day, & a slack effort.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 22:51

Calicoblue, parents have never ever in the history of SATs been allowed to withdraw their child. Ever. You must have had a very unusual head - and one who did not fulfil his legal and statutory duty, or those of the governors.

tiggytape · 04/02/2015 22:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Janethegirl · 04/02/2015 22:55

I suppose the alternative is to tell your child to ignore the SAT test and write nothing. That would be worse for the school than a discrete exemption. My Ds would faint at the prospect of any test so was generally logged as 'ill'.

nokidshere · 04/02/2015 22:55

It is not a legal requirement to sit SATS - when my son was in yr6 the school pulled out of them altogether and no-one sat them!

IN my childrens secondary school they are streamed according to CATS results - they do not take the SATS into consideration.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 22:56

It would also be an example of terrible parenting.

Janethegirl · 04/02/2015 22:58

However SATS tests are for the benefit of the school and NOT the individual pupil.

tiggytape · 04/02/2015 22:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 23:01

That was in 2010 when the NAHT took part in industrial action which gave them legal backing to boycott the tests. It's the only time it has ever happened.

It IS a legal requirement, and heads can be prosecuted for not administering them correctly.

sykadelic · 04/02/2015 23:01

Looking forward to your update OP!

Feenie · 04/02/2015 23:03

Also, nokidsher, the secondary can retest all they like, but the targets they are set rely on KS2 tests - in 2020, I believe KS2 teacher assessment was used.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 23:03

2010

thewomaninwhite · 04/02/2015 23:05

Hope all goes well tomorrow op. This is fundamentally terrible. I would be calling the head first thing. I would be tempted to keep DD off until I had spoken to the head. I am appalled, this could really have a long term influence on your DD.

Verbena37 · 04/02/2015 23:06

If a teacher ripped out my child's work and admitted she could do better, i wouldn't just take it to the Head, I'd take it to the governors. It's their job to make sure the Head is doing their job......she/he onviously isn't making sure that the teachers at behaving appropriately. How on earth are children supposed to have positive self esteem if their teacher treats them like that.

funnyface31 · 04/02/2015 23:08

Horrible teacher in my opinion (I've been witness to many). How awful for your Dd when she is doing fantastic anyway.

Are the school due Ofsted?

Agree with the other comment on sats week (keep her off). Go and see the Head and good luck.

Tinks42 · 04/02/2015 23:08

only on mumsnet Grin

lets stop getting so involved in the schooling and use our time as parents to prepare our children for all outcomes.

Feenie · 04/02/2015 23:10

Agree with the other comment on sats week (keep her off).

There has been extensive discussion on why this tactic wouldn't be effective. RTFT!

Janethegirl · 04/02/2015 23:11

Home schooling may be the answer if necessary!

Janethegirl · 04/02/2015 23:13

Feenie, people can still chose to keep their children off for SATS testing. It is known as 'choice', you may not like it!!

Tinks42 · 04/02/2015 23:13

All schooling is evil according to these threads and all teachers are demons!
Id sort of back my child up to a certain extent by hey! lets not poke our noses into things too much.

A child that is loved and nurtured at home will be able to cope with what life throws at them and given any point in their lives for you OP its school and helping a high achiever realise that maybe she wont achieve that much sometimes is going to help her enormously.

funnyface31 · 04/02/2015 23:17

I think the teacher humiliated op daughter in front of the class was not nice. So yes she is a Demon for that!!

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