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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Not to send DD to school in Easter holidays?

121 replies

muminthecity · 10/02/2017 17:23

DD is in year 6, and preparations for the SATS are well underway. DD is very bright, and expected to do well, but she is really feeling the pressure and is not particularly happy at school at the moment, mainly because her favourite subjects (art and history) have been sidelined in favour of extra SATS practice. She gets practice tests sent home every week which she does well in, as well as maths, English and grammar homework.

Today we had a letter home informing us that the school are laying on extra lessons to prepare for the SATS over the Easter holidays. They have asked if DD can attend 4 days (mon-thurs) in the first week, for 3 hours a day (1-4pm.)

On one hand, extra education is no bad thing, and it is good of the teachers to give up their time in the holidays for this. On the other hand, DD is only 11, she's under enough pressure as it is, shouldn't the school holidays be a chance for her to relax and do things she enjoys? Not to mention the awkward timing which will really limit what else we can do that week. I'd like to have days out, visit family and friends etc. Having to be back by 1pm for school would severely limit that. WWYD? AIBU not to send her?

OP posts:
Nomoreworkathome · 10/02/2017 19:02

This drives me mad.
Primary school kids are hot housed like crazy for these SATS then arrive in secondary school out of their depth in sets too high for them with unattainable targets based on a system with so many holes in it you could drain spaghetti.

youarenotkiddingme · 10/02/2017 19:03

I've not come across any secondary that sets from SATS. Most set from cognitive tests which is worse IMO!. Ds is the full range (or was!) from level 3 English to level 6 maths. But they stream so he ended up 2nd to top across the curriculum.

I wouldn't send her if she doesn't want to go. I'm sure many children will go on holiday during the Easter break?

Piratefairy78 · 10/02/2017 19:19

I wouldn't send by DS. He's is Year 6 now but won't be 11 until August. He's struggling already, has done through out primary. We support the school, do extra work at home and have paid for help with a tutor after school. He will do some work during the holiday but no more than usual. There's no way that I would make him give up his holiday for this. I also feel for the teacher who either is being made to do this and/or feels they need to. So much pressure for everyone.

Gatehouse77 · 10/02/2017 19:35

youarenotkiddingme - my experience is the same for which set they went into. I.e. based on CAT results taken early on in Y7. But the students still have to follow the trajectory of progress which, again, in my limited experience, is based on their SATS.

My youngest was put under a ridiculous amount of pressure from her primary school because they were trying to get out of special measures and she was one of the more able pupils. What's infuriating is that they were put into special measures pertially based on the SATS results of one of my other children's year. Out of 26 I could easily name a third of them who will have brought the numbers down but, frankly, they did the best they could. They mostly came from families who don't value education and abdicated all responsibility to the school. No doubt because education had failed them and it was cyclical.

That's the problem with collecting data in this way. It doesn't take into account any background for those children who don't have SEN but, equally, don't have any input from their home environment.

DisaL · 10/02/2017 19:50

There is not a cat in hells chance that I would send my DS to school for this. He is in year 3 now and the pressure his class are under already is ridiculous. I feel really sorry for teachers who are having to give up their holidays to support extra sessions like these and as parents I think we need to take a stand and say no.

dingit · 10/02/2017 19:53

No don't! She's only young, let enjoy her hols. My Dd got fairly average scores in her stats, got 11 A* and As at GCSE, and is predicted AAA at A level. She will find her own way.

InfiniteCurve · 10/02/2017 20:24

Nope, Yr 6s shouldn't be doing extra school in holiday time for tests which are only meant to demonstrate where children are academically and which have no benefit for them.
Our local secondary schools do CAT tests for new Yr 7s,and at DS's secondary school sets are very flexible with children regularly moving up and down according to how they are doing.
Predicted GCSE grades are based on KS2 SATS,but those are easily ignored - mine both came into their own at secondary so it was "yes,you were only predicted a D - isn't it great you are on course for a B!" No problem really...

SukeyTakeItOffAgain · 10/02/2017 20:33

Are teachers actually getting any extra pay for this lunacy?

NeverTwerkNaked · 10/02/2017 20:35

I wouldn't send mine! And I doubt it will make much difference to children's outcomes in the end. The worst thing for exam performance is to be burnt out and over stressed.

Time and again the people that really flunked exams that I knew were the ones who placed excessive significance on them. Who worked too hard and either got burnt out or who panicked on the actual day.

I also don't think academic success by any means the sole factor in future success in life; better to spend the holidays exploring the world, making new friends, learning new skills or just relaxing.

My friends used to get frustrated with me because I never "over- revised" but ended up with a string of A's and then a first class degree in law. It's about doing "enough" and balancing that with sport/socialising/ relaxing.

And it's as much (if not more so) my extra curricular activities (sports, volunteering etc) that got me interviews/ taught me the skills I needed to be a good manager/team worker etc

BlondeBecky1983 · 10/02/2017 20:44

Teachers often get paid for after school booster classes. 3 hours for 4 days seems excessive though! I wonder if it's an academy?

TopSecretSquirrel · 10/02/2017 20:53

My son has been offered 3 mornings in the Easter hols. It's non uniform, drinks, snacks, maths, English, art and PE. His teachers are lovely and really good fun. He wants to go - so I'm saying yes!

Kookypants · 10/02/2017 21:05

Good God.

MiaowTheCat · 10/02/2017 21:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Original poster
muminthecity · 10/02/2017 21:12

Thanks for all the replies, the classes are not compulsory. I've spoken to DD about it again tonight and she is adamant that she doesn't want to go, but a bit worried that she will get in trouble if she doesn't. I have of course reassured her that she won't, and that I won't be sending her.

I've just looked up the new SATS scoring system and can see why some of you were confused by the whole levels thing. The teacher did definitely mention the level 5/6 thing. I worked in the school with her up until 2013, when those levels were still used. Perhaps she was just telling me in a language she knew I'd understand? I'm not sure. Will ask my friends if she mentioned levels to them at parents evening as well.

OP posts:
Original poster
muminthecity · 10/02/2017 21:14

Oh and the PP who mentioned academies - yes this is an academy. A Harris one. School was in special measures, Harris took over and the pressure was on to get better results. They got a good at their last ofsted. Maybe pressure is on again to get to outstanding? I don't know, I'm just speculating.

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JigglyTuff · 10/02/2017 21:21

Oh a Harris academy - I might have guessed. Dreadful places

MirandaWest · 10/02/2017 21:45

I thought this was going to be about a year 11 child. Not a year 6 one. My DD is in year 6 ans although I can't guarantee it, I am pretty sure she won't be asked to go to school in the Easter holidays.

DS who is in year 8 wasn't asked to and had the same teacher that DD has now and so hopefully that is still the case. I really wouldn't send your DD if it were me.

ForAllWeKnow · 10/02/2017 21:52

Teachers often get paid for after school booster classes.

What?

Have you ever actually spoken to any who do?

I have never been paid extra for booster classes and I don't know anyone else who has ever been paid for booster classes.

It does not happen. There is no function for paying teachers extra. You cannot work overtime.

ForAllWeKnow · 10/02/2017 21:55

I've just looked up the new SATS scoring system and can see why some of you were confused by the whole levels thing

Erm, I don't think it was us (teachers) who were confused about the whole levels thing. They don't exist. Teachers don't, or shouldn't, even be talking in terms of levels anymore because the assessment criteria is different and it's not like the same information is there and we just don't call it 'levels' anymore, in many ways it's very different.

So no, I wasn't confused. The teacher you spoke to was wrong for talking in terms of levels.

BlondeBecky1983 · 10/02/2017 21:57

I've spoken to many and I used to when I did booster classes.

BlondeBecky1983 · 10/02/2017 21:58

£25 per hour.

ForAllWeKnow · 10/02/2017 22:02

How was that administered? I've never even encountered a system where being paid extra was possible. How was it recorded?

I've been asked to stay and deliver booster classes for an hour after school as a long term supply teacher and no extra pay was offered (when they do have the function to pay you more for a day if they want to) because it was considered to be just part of the job. The difference was that, as supply, I could refuse, and did.

lovelyupnorth · 10/02/2017 22:02

Not a chance in hell. When my two did SAts made it clear to the head if they where under any undue pressure I'd pull them out of school.

ForAllWeKnow · 10/02/2017 22:03

At a mainstream state school? I have seriously never encountered that.

Or a school that had the budget to offer each of it's teachers £25 an hour to do so!

Original poster
muminthecity · 10/02/2017 22:30

Sorry ForAllWeKnow, I didn't mean any offence, I meant that my post was confusing because I/DD's teacher was using old terms.

OP posts: