I completely agree - I have been so peeved about the Y6 fiasco that I have pushed to one side the fact that my 6 yr old Ds will be sitting SATS this year too...
We are currently reading Harry Potter. He has already told me that he found a fronted adverbial and could spot a subordinate clause. I would far rather he told me how the book made him feel, what the characters are thinking and what might happen next but hey, you can clearly see the impact of these curriculum changes!!
As far as I'm concerned SATS are a way for the Govmt to measure schools and a stick to beat them with. Teachers don't like them, they produce 'teaching to the test' shallow & easily forgotten learning and judging by another thread, many parents (myself included) think they are bollocks, create undue stress for staff and kids and produce a negligible impact on learning. But that's my opinion. 
Feenie, you're dead right - the change in date is something but it's a bit like sticking a small plaster onto an almighty haemorrhage...not actually tackling the main issue of impossible standards for most kids. Pah!