To not care that my son failed all his SATs

[Anotherdayanotherusername]

Year 6. Not exactly a shock, we were told by school that he probably wouldn't pass - he's very dyslexic & probably has the maths one too.

However, we know he is far from stupid as well as being sporty & creative and that these results will not affect him in high school or life actually. He's gutted though.

AIBU to think these tests are a massive waste of time & to wish the school could've spent year 6 teaching them instead of doing endless mock tests

He attends a high achieving school so is just one of a handful that "failed" and I can't help but be irritated by all the fb posts from other school mums chuffed to bits that their kids passed. His best friend is getting a hamster for passing

[cheval]

Please don't worry. My son always struggled with these tests. After many, many hiccups and failures. He got a first in economics at age of 24. Not that that means he's now a success. But just shows there are many paths we can take in life. Passing an exam at 10 doesn't mean anything other than you were right on that day.

[theEagleIsLost]

I made a lot of improvement over secondary school

[theEagleIsLost]

I'm so glad we moved to Wales and avoided sats for our children.

I would check how Secondary is using them - if they actually are.

My own primary school wrote me off by 11 luckily secondary school tested us all through in first week there and I ended dup in top sets and did well in exams. I have dyslexia and dyspraxia.

I was very clear which GCSE I wanted to do and my Mum backed me – even when my Dad wanted me to do more vocational subjects despite good exams marks at secondary. I did well A s ( year before A* ).

When I got to A-levels my family talked me out of doing two easy based subjects – despite teachers of those subjects talking to them and me about how well I could do. I stuck to my guns with third essay based subject – that was one I got A in . I did not do so well in others subjects.

I did get to University – have a good Degree and post graduate qualifications. I’ve done by far and away the best out of my parents children academically but they still see me as less academic child .

I know Dyslexia is an umbrella term – but personally with my children over learning has massively helped – apple and pears for grammar and going over and over same spellings using them in sentences – on-line maths sites so they can go over same concepts again and again and get loads of practise, plus going over ways to structure answers on paper.


I made a lot of improvement of secondary school - why I hate idea of testing at 11 and expecting that to indicate outcomes years later.

[midnightmisssuki]

Yanbu to not care about how your son did. THe SATS are just one of the many tests he will have to go through.

Yabvu to judge those parents who are proud that their children passed and announced it however they did.

HTH.

[Rabblemum]

SATS are horrible. The main worry I would have is the lower groups. My son has a ton of problems and ended up in this dreaded place. Verbally in some ways he's way ahead, I called him my "little Russel Brand" because of his vocabulary but he hardly writes. My son was moved to the awful lower sets and his behaviour got worse. My son got frustrated at everything about them but his self esteem inproved slightly because the others asked him the answered and they were spellbound by his vocabulary. But my son also got very wound up, he said many didn't belong there and had some problem like Dyslexia, some were disturbed or bully's but many were intelligent.

Schools can't cope with SEN kids, they don't have the money or training. I would get help for your son yourself with extra lessons

If your son can survive the lower groups Betecs are fine and many are creative. You can get in with few GCSEs.

[Ineke]

I hope that you can get some extra help for your son's dyslexia and dyscalculia as it would be a huge benefit to him and can and does have very positive results. You can access all sort of assistance but you need to kick start it as soon as possible. Extra time for exams and free equipment, computers etc are also available when attending University. You need to be a proactive parent though, gaining confidence is key.

[user1494237944]

The school actually said that my DS could be excused taking the SATs due his dyslexia - oh right because they didn't want him to affect their results - I discussed with DS and he insisted that he wanted to sit them and so reluctantly the school agreed. He got 4 in Maths and 3 in English and we were thrilled and so was he - school were amazed! And yes secondary school don't care as was retested beginning yr 7 and getting the extra support he needs. Hope your DS gets the support he needs in Yr 7.

[pollymere]

My dd got given predicted SATS grades based on her academic work at school. These were extremely accurate and her school report matched her actual SATs results. It did make me ponder why we need national tests which just confirm what the school knew anyway. There are no real surprises. Your child's school would've known their capabilities so the SATs haven't really changed anything for you either.

[Goodasgoldilox]

Please don't let him be too concerned - and don't worry too much yourself.

As a fellow dyslexic - from a nest of them who have achieved high things after being written off in school- I can tell you that SATS are not suitable tests for us. They are just for average folk.

Our motto: To us, easy things are difficult and difficult things are easy.

Sats test easy things that we can't do well. We are amazing at the thinking and terrible about the detail (the order of letters - getting the numerals right in calculations). We are hopeless at the remembering things and really really good at the working things out and at knowing how to find things out.

A levels and degrees and Masters and Doctorates are much easier for us than SATS.

[Blossomdeary]

SATs are an irrelevance and the best way you can help him to deal with this "failure" is not to care about it. However I do think you should care about his special needs (as I am sure you do) and take steps to get the help he needs.

[hks]

We live in Scotland so my daughter didnt so the SATs but is Dyslexic and in the bottom class for Maths and i know that if she had failed she would have been very upset like your son who probably thought he would pass and tried his done his Best

.you say your not concerened and that scores dont matter have you found out where your son failed and maybe with extra support at HOME and school in these subjects he might get better or find an easier way to do them

Dyslexia and Dyscalculia are learning difficulties and with correct support the kids can do just as well as the top achieving pupils

My eldest daughter has a boy in her class who is Dyslexic and in the top Maths class

[kentparent]

The SATS are a ridiculous waste of time imo. SATs measure how well children can learn to answer SATs questions. They don't measure thinking outside the box / innovative thinking. Remind your son Richard Branson is dyslexic. Reward his effort and reinforce to him there are many important skills the SATs don't measure. I feel for you both op.

[mumto2two]

I'm not sure this is the approach I would take. As someone else, I'd be looking to help him regain confidence in his abilities, and guide them in the right direction. My eldest is dyslexic and after a dismal KS1 and many concerns raised over the fact that she was still jumbling things like hsuoe for house, I felt the only way she would ever succeed, was with my help. I bought every book going, and spent her ks2 years making sure she would never be left behind again. She started in bottom sets, ended up in top sets by year 5, gained high score level 5s in all her KS2s. Did very well in her GCSEs and is predicted As in her A levels..including English! With the right help and support, any dyslexic child can do well. I don't think it's ever right to say it simply doesn't matter.

[RhodaBorrocks]

YANBU. Did he have special conditions - extra time, a scribe etc? My DS is due to do his SATS next year and will have mocks in November to determine what support he will need. He has ASD, Irlen Syndrome and is borderline for dyscalculia. (I have Irlen Syndrome and was also borderline dyscalculic and now I work as a data analyst - go figure!)

DS is already stressed about his SATS but school are already supporting him and I've told him it's important just to do his best.

Reward him for effort, not achievement. If you want to join in on the Facebook pride, speak about how proud you are that he worked hard and tried his best. Actual legitimate child development studies have found that children do better when you praise effort rather than simply telling them they are clever.

[Plainlycrackers]

OP... push hard for extra time etc at secondary school... it makes a huge difference, DS's school always made him change ink colour once he went into extra time and it showed that he needed extra time... his end of year exams transformed once he actually had time to finish. It is increasingly tough to get support for dyslexia so you will have to be very persistent and fight his corner and perhaps find the cash for a private diagnosis 😡 But there are lots of things that can help them in the non-dyslexic world in which, unfortunately, they have to be judged. Sending you and your DS huge hugs... ignore the boasting, DS's bestie at primary was v clever and didn't we know it... i just tried to focus on DS's many positive personality traits like not being a boastful show off😬 And rewarded him for his kindness and creativity instead.

[keeptheaspidistra]

What matters is, children are supported to do as well as they're capable of- that will obviously different greatly between each child. Some parents make it a competition which is annoying. But some are just proud parents, why resent that?
Also, SATs matter way beyond year 6 - google progress 8 and KS2 attainment. SATs are relevant at GCSE level.

[Plainlycrackers]

My DS is really dyslexic too... he "failed" his SATs but I assured him that they did not matter at all... he has gone on to get 9 "good" GCSEs... focusing on on creative and practical subjects like Art ICT DT but he also got a B and a C in English and a B in Maths... lots of steady work & support and extra time & a reader for exams but an entirely normal lazy teen so it just goes to show that failed SAT meant absolutely nothing!

[SuperPug]

Hope your son is ok.
It's great that you haven't made him feel worse about them and I hate FB bragging as well.
I think that it probably does highlight some key things for your son to work on with further support. In terms of his secondary school, will he be fully supported by their SEN department? I would definitely be getting in touch with them prior to him starting in September.

[AnnabelC]

My husband is dyslexic. Has an international company. Please just support him and give him confidence that he can achieve what he wants. Understand he will have a different way of thinking. Schools can only accommodate the average child. Dyslexic children iare like putting a square peg in a round hole. Schools do their best but it's down to you. He will be able to think of a total project in his head. Dyslexics are amazing.

[Laine21]

My DD is dyslexic, when all her friends were getting presents or paid for results I treated her for making a huge effort in trying her best.

Getting the right support is essential, was he given extra time or a scribe? If not, you need to ask why not?
In the future college and uni are not out of reach with the right support, but right now the right support needs to be in place. You will need to make sure the senco at his new school is aware of the dyslexia to ensure he has support during the transition and settling into the new school, and importantly ongoing support for the following years.
He will be entitled to extra time/scribe or a laptop for exams in the future.

[howrudeforme]

Op feel for you. Dc very late in the day being assessed for dysphraxia. Confidence at all time low. He did pass but he's still unhappy,



I'm putting primary school aside and I hope for greater recognition at secondary school. I hope their worlds will open up a bit.

And what really fcks me off is that last school tried to help but new school at the outset did zero and wrote him off, no agency would help but this last year he had a sympathetic teacher who was encouraging. Only now is he being assesed and perhaps of his difficulties we've just about managed to handle but because of such a late assssment I doubt he'll get help. Fallen through the gaps..,,18 months of hell.

Hug and love you dc for who they are.

[frumpety]

By the way that last post was not a dig at the teachers up and down the country , it was a dig at the SAT's

[slkk]

Toffee, sats results are all counted for the school, regardless of SEN. The only children whose marks are not counted for data purposes are those who arrived new from a non English speaking country in y5or 6. Even children who do not sit the tests are counted.
OP, I completely get where you are coming from. DS didn't pass his phonics screening in Y1. It's quite liberating knowing he is so far off the standard that I don't have to worry about it and his school are not trying to force him falsely to a level he isn't really at. They plan and teach exactly what he needs at his level and he will read, just not this year.
And I'm a Y6 teacher by the way.

[user1489675144]

EHCP for a child with dyslexia even with 'the other one for maths' is unheard of and unnecessary. The right school should be able to accommodate his needs without a formal plan ie within the SEN school framework - not additional needs.

[user1489675144]

I wouldn't get upset with the other mums on FB saying how wonderful their children did at SATS... they will do the same at GCSE, at A level and then after degree... ignore

If you have a lovely son who tries his best then that is more important