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

[MrSlant]

Agree with granny most secondary schools will take them as a guideline but there is constant assessment and movement once they are in the school and taking internal tests. My DS2 has moved from the lower sets to the top ones for everything in his time there (we had a hideous family bereavement the year he moved up and he was a slow starter anyway.)

An no, don't feel bad that you don't care, they are a pointless test to beat schools up with in the first place but your son will go on and if you make him feel happy and full of worth (which it looks like you are), do well in his own time. My DS1 (many SN) and DS2 (NT) both got a gift from me after the last GCSE they sat because they both tried really hard and as I said to them then, it doesn't matter what grades you get, you did your best and I'm proud of you. There is no rule in the world that says what grades you get at 16 (or 11) should ever define who you are or mean you can't learn more as you grow up or even get old. (DS1 got some very respectable grades for someone with his shaped brain and time will tell for DS2 but I'm not bothered.) Also as someone said upthread now DS1 is doing A levels he is doing a lot better because he has chosen subjects he is passionate about and don't require the skill sets he struggles with. Amazingly we are talking about universities in a 'quite sure he'll be going' sort of way which is something I never expected!

[MickeyRooney]

Are you helping him each night with his reading, spelling, writing and maths at home?

[Aeroflotgirl]

Elion back in the day there would be no such public gloating of anything. As there were no internet, or social media. I despise it! To Be proud of your child's achievements does not mean you have to tell the whole world about it. Same with these pictures of your sick children on Facebook. Somethings are best kept to yourself, nothing's private anymore. Rosen I was just like your dd, well done to her. I took a BETec, got a distinction, and went to Uni.

Mabey your ds needed the use of a computer and extra time. I had those at uni, and did not fail an exam.

[TheFirstMrsDV]

My DD and DS1 were the first cohort to do SATS (If I am getting this right, late 90s?)

There was all the talk of it not being a big deal back then. It was for the school blah blah.
Yet they still hassled the kids, phoned me to make sure they wouldn't be off on certain dates, sent home advice on not having late nights and eating properly
My two eldest were very bright (relevant, not boasty).
Put me right off SATS from the beginning.
FF several years and DS2 is in primary. School tells me 'we won't be putting him in for his SATS' no discussion, no choice.
DS2 has SN. Clearly they don't want him fucking up their results.

DS4 recently did his SATS (yr 2). School handled it brilliantly. I didn't even know he was doing them till I put two and two together from all the angst on FB.

These are not exams.
They should not be coached for.
Some parents are ridiculous.

YANBU

[Neome]

It sounds like your son deserves an award for courage and resilience. He's facing an unfair and disappointing experience and you can be proud he is acting with dignity and grace - and encourage him to do so.

I'm sure you are telling him that you are very upset that the testing system is so useless and that you hope it will one day be scrapped or changed so that great kids like him won't have to have such a horrible unfair experience.

If it's not too late I'm sure your tutor could write a suitable 'test' for him to show him and you his strengths. One that does not put him at a disadvantage and for which he could earn a suitable reward.

[ratspeaker]

Dyslexia is not just about grammar and spelling as some people seem to think.
Its also the inability to express or put ideas down on paper. Its extremely frustrating that they have all these thought and ideas , that they know the answers but there is this barrier in the way.
It can seriously dent their confidence.
One of my DCs exam results never reflected her obvious intelligence, they left school without much confidence in their abilities. It was only later when taking an access course the lecturer suggested they get tested for dyslexia.
This made such a difference, from getting help such as a laptop with voice recognition , using recording devices in lectures, they've now been to university and got a degree.

zzz has it spot on.

[Tw1nsetAndPearls]

Might be the case in some schools but not all. I took GS to view secondary school he might go to and they said they broadly look at SATs for start of year 7 but by the end of the first term they will have assessed the kids and make their own judgements and will continually reassess as children progress at different rates and times.

Most schools will say that they do similar. However of course for a child to be moved up another child usually has to be moved down and so it is probably preferable to get into the correct class to begin with on the basis of the SATS tests.

Lots of students also tend to go with the flow and so if they are able but in the wrong class it can be a challenge to work at a higher level than the others in their class.

The SATS are also used to set targets , schools can deviate from this but the SATS form the basis of their target and this can impact the support they get or the expectations.

My daughter for example did very well in her maths SAT and this seems to have skewed her overall targets to be very high despite her struggles with literacy - she always seems to be chasing a very high target and for much of year 10 that was demotivating. It can vary for each child though.

[BertrandRussell]

You aware right not to care about SATS. You seem from what you have said to be worryingly unconcerned about your ds's learning difficulties. He needs support and help to make sure he has as many avenues open to him as possible in life.

[Rosenspants]

☺ aeroflotgirl' you are an inspiration. DD just coming to the end of her first year BTEC. I'm so happy not to have kids in school, anymore when I read threads like this.

[supersop60]

The SATS are of more concern to the teachers, to see if they've been teaching properly. YADNBU. All the best to your son!

[Crumbs1]

Failing his SATs doesn't matter per se but there are some issues that need addressing.
Exams and academic achievement DO matter and you need to ensure he has support in place to achieve academically.
You are dismissing him as having talents elsewhere and suggesting his dyslexia and dyscalcula limit his potential such that he needs to write off any ambition that involves formal learning. You perhaps need to change your attitude as there are now very few jobs that don't require GCSEs as a minimum. Are you already thinking university won't be for him? It's quite sad to limit both your and his expectations in this way. Plenty of very high achieving people with dyslexia. Requires more work but entirely possible. I don't think not being good at something is reason to avoid it - just a reason to try harder and to ensure proper support/strategies.

[Aeroflotgirl]

XThanks very much Rosen, myntutor at college where I was doing my BETEC encouraged me to fill in a UCAS form for uni, I was not even considering it, as I was put down and made to feel bad by the formal education, so my self esteem was down there. Imam considering applying for a Clinical Psychology Phd when the kids are grown up, so you never know. Don't give up.

For school, see how school are going to support them with his learning needs, they might need top up funding for an extra TA to help him. Mabey look at a tutor as well.

[Anotherdayanotherusername]

You seem from what you have said to be worryingly unconcerned about your ds's learning difficulties

Wtaf of course I'm concerned which is why he goes to a tutor (who is dyslexia qualified btw). However, I'm also frustrated by a system that sets him up to fail and also want him to see that there is more to life than academic achievement and that he has other talents!

[SongforSal]

My Ds 12, never took his SATS due to Dyslexia. He has spent his first year of secondary as an uphill struggle. Due to frustration, he often acts out and the teachers call me on an almost daily basis. He has a reading and writing age of an 8yr old, his reading is improving and I make sure he feels very proud of himself for small achievments. The Ep will be doing a cognitive assessment in September, so he can have a statement and have continuous one to one support. He can not wait! For kids like him it is very confidence knocking to notice his peers able to cope. On Friday at school, his class gave him a round of applause for simply reading out loud in class. When he told me last night, I got a little something in my eye.

[NotYoda]

I am surprised he didn't have a Reader

[Whatawaytomakealiving]

The SATS are of more concern to the teachers, to see if they've been teaching properly
Nope, we are more interested in a broad and balanced education for all, in developing children with appropriate attitudes and learning characteristics, rather than over rehearsed skills to 'pass' a test.
It is the government who 'think' that test results tell them how well we teach.

FF several years and DS2 is in primary. School tells me 'we won't be putting him in for his SATS' no discussion, no choice.
DS2 has SN. Clearly they don't want him fucking up their results.
Not true either. If say a small cohort of 12 year 6 children, 6 of these are SEN and although they have been supported to make progress would never achieve national standard. These children still count in the percentage score for SATs results. So even if all 6 children who are expected to reach national standard do, the data for the school would be 50% even if the SEN children are disapplied.

Academies of course are more noted for exclusions or being selective about who they admit to school in the first place. But that is another issue!

[simon50]

I'm dyslexic (never picked up on at school) and in my 50s, got ungraded CSE maths and grade 5 CSE English.
Was lucky enough to be offered a craft apprenticeship before my results arrived!
The following year I achieved double distinctions in City & Guilds (which equates to A level), in the following 3 years, mix of credits and distinctions, then my employer sent me on an extra Plant Mantainance (still can't spell) course, in which I achieved a credit, all of these involved maths.
Guess what I'm trying to say is that if he can find something that interests him things may fall into place?
My hand writing and spelling is still poor and I often miss out words(thank God for backspace) and I still check and re-check as I can transpose numbers.
What I learnt from my apprenticeship gave me the grounding to do a number of major house renovations, allowing me to live in houses worth far more than I could have ever afforded on the wage I earned.
(not a stealth boast) but by the age of 33 I owned outright a 3 bed detached house in an expensive part of SE England.
For the last 25yrs I have driven a train, not the best job, the shifts are rubbish, it impacts on your social life (was a major cause of my divorce from 1st wife) but it pays £50k or if you believe the right wing press £70k !

[SongforSal]

NotYoda Dyslexia and funding is a massive battle in schools. In my case, my dc had his first educational psychologist assessment in year 4. Some measures were put into place, but not all due to funding. It also depends on the level of Dyslexia, for mine the EP said his was extremely severe, next year when he goes into year8 he will have (finally) continuous support, and be able to use a tablet/laptop in class as typing is less stressful than remembering the shapes of words.

As for posters on here assuming GSCE'S are important, well. To an extent yes. My daughter and I are very academic and it comes easily to us. For my Ds, academia for the most part is akin to asking a fish to climb a tree. I have to remind myself the current education system is fairly new historically, and isn't inclusive to all children. Kids like my son often compensate in other ways. For example, his vocabulary is extensive, he makes bows, shelves, fixes things for fun. Any 'practical' work he excels at, it is likely in his case he will complete qualifications other than GCSE'S when the time comes, UNLESS with the extra help he comes along academically. It takes a hell of a lot more than a bit of extra tuition.

[RoseDog]

Are you helping him each night with his reading, spelling, writing and maths at home?

I have a 14 year old dyslexic dd and of course we help her at home, she still forgets how to spell her own name the next day, she can practice and practice and we can help and help but as yet nothing works, verbally she is above her years on paper a toddler, her major downfall is processing the information.

We are in Scotland where there is no sats and no pressure although there are assessments, when my daughter sits her exams in 4th year I will be putting no pressure on her to do well or pass or get good grades, I will praise her loads for trying.

[petitesassygirl]

ZZZ bloody well said!

[SongforSal]

Rose Exactly!

Without sounding like a bitch, the strain my Ds's dyslexia has put on us is unbelievable. It's the constant explaining to staff, friends, reassuring him that he isn't 'thick' constantly. Sometimes sitting with him to assist he will immediately cry before he has started. It is gut renching to watch him. Last night he wrote on a post it note 'Mum's' and stuck it on my drink. He then told me he had remembered the capital 'M' and the apostrophe before the 'S'.......It was a satisfying. He got a high five and a cuddle. Today he may forget, or need reminding. It is a constant battle.

[Rosenspants]

Things improved for my DD once they were properly set in Secondary School and she was working at a manageable pace. Mixed ability groups were anathema to her and did cause behaviour problems Sal, and I went through that thing of being called up by teachers regularly.... "Mrs Rosenspants there's been an incident . " This really disappeared overnight when DD was set (yes, low sets but GCSE groups) . She had a TA looking out for her but no specialist help...
She might never get her coveted C grade (level 4/5) in maths and English even though she has good functional reading, writing and numeracy now. This is because she struggles with exams, misreads questions, doesn't see where she has repeated herself, can't get her ideas across well enough although verbally eloquent, or used the wrong punctuation or missed a decimal place. It doesn't mean she can't take her place in society. When I went to school in the dark ages the kids who didn't get O levels when out to work, went to technical colleges, worked their way up etc etc. There seems less of that now and kids who don't go to sixth form, quote... " Mrs Rosenpants your daughter is at risk of not getting the minimum required grades for a sixth form place" ....think there's nothing out there for them, but there is!
aeroflot the students on DDs BTEC course already have tutorial sessions to address writing their personal statements. She want to apply for foundations degrees in her area of interest. So good to hear your experiences.

[Ceto]

What did the school do to support him apart from getting him extra time in tests? It sounds very much as if he should have had a scribe where allowed, but more importantly he should have been getting dyslexia specialist teaching in school and other adjustments such as the use of IT, and possibly things like coloured paper etc.

[Ceto]

Yes, with an EHCP. If he needs it and the school can't provide it, they should have helped apply for it.