AIBU to think the school is being a CF?

[mrscupcake]

DS age 10 has come home from primary school (yr6) with a letter asking all parents to pay for revision books for Sats. It isn't a huge amount of money, however they have stated that:

"it is really important that all the Yr 6 children are able to start using the revision books at the same time, we would therefore like the form below completed with the payment by Friday 19th January".

I will pay the money as, of course, I don't want DS to be different to any of his peers, however I feel really really cross that the school are effectively demanding payment from parents for books.

I know schools have very limited budgets, BUT I can't help feeling the real reason they want the kids to have the books is so that the Sats results look good for the school in the league tables and I begrudge paying them for that.

I am already paying a tutor a fair whack every week to help DS with his maths as he hasn't progressed at all at school and had such a negative mind set towards maths that he had completely switched off in the classroom. The school's attitude was that he 'would just have to learn to concentrate and focus'. Unsurprisingly since he started having an hour a week with the tutor his maths has come on in leaps and bounds and he loves doing maths at home and with his tutor. He still isn't very keen at school.

I'm also not particularly pro Sats for many reasons so this, along with the fact that I really don't like the school, could be colouring my view.

So AIBU?

I don't think YABU but it's par for the course these days (although I'm not a fan of SATs either) schools really don't have enough funding.

DD's secondary school did the same for GCSEs (although it was partly to make sure they got the correct revision books, and because they could get them cheaper as they were ordering in bulk) and one course didn't even have enough textbooks to go round.

The school don't want to do them either !

The think it's pointless bullshit dreamed up by an idiot who doesn't understand children

for you

We get a face to face plea at the Feb parents evening. I get the feeling the teachers would have a donation pot on the table to make a point if they could - how bloody embarrassing to have to beg parents for money.

We’ve had the same letter, but the money has to be in by Friday. They want us to buy 5 books at a cost of £2.50 each!

lauriefairycake I am so tempted to book a holiday for SATs week - I find it so annoying that the kids will be drilled now until May just so that they can get the results the school need them to get for the league table. Last year one yr6 ended up having counselling due to the stress he was put under by the school to do well. So it really peeves me to be told I have to pay for the revision books. Thank you for the

madamginger - are you going to pay it? I'm sorely tempted to send an accompanying letter with my cheque explaining how cross I am. But then I just think what's the point - they will probably shred it ignore it anyway!

just so that they can get the results the school need them to get for the league table.

And who are the people who scour the league tables in order to get the supposed "best" school for their children? Oh yes! Parents.
And if a school's results slip, regardless of the cohort taking the tests, it can trigger an Ofsted inspection, who could easily send the school straight into special measures, possibly resulting in a closure. Where would your kids go to school then? Down the road to a school (probably over-subscribed) that has exactly the same approach to SATs.
If you have an issue, don't blame the school - contact your MP.

I wouldn't.

They're not for the benefit of the children and no university or employer has ever asked for someone's results.

The school are pretty daft though. I'm sure they could have successfully asked for the money for something else and paid for the revision books out of their budget.

(I also hate how many weeks are given over to SATs revision rather than teaching, but that's another thread.)

I would refuse to pay. I am willing to bet that if you don't, the school will provide the book anyway because it will be very difficult for the teacher to plan a lesson for 29 kids who have the book and one who needs a whole activity just for them because they don't have it.
My secondary asked parents to buy revision book in my subject to use in class and then at home once study leave started. We were instructed to chase students for payment every lesson but the reality was that kids who didn't pay just got given the book.

2 weeks notice isn’t much, until last year that would have been a stretch for us!

I am because DD wants them, I’ll silently seeth over it though!
School are pushing SATs hard this year, last years cohort didn’t do as well as expected and the school have slipped 2 places down the league table, DD has been living and breathing SATs since September. They sat last years SATs at the end of September under exam conditions, they’d only been in yr6 3 weeks

I think it's pretty standard for SATS books and GCSE books.

If the school buys them parents don't return them, some children don't look after them etc so easier and better for children to have their own copies.

At £2.50 each that will be cost price to the school as even second high I bet the prices on popular book sites are higher.

We've always bought the requested books, refusing to pay on principal just means elsewhere in the budget goes short and the parents still expect their child to receive them for no payment.

Oh stop moaning 😂

I went to WH Smith with my year 11 DD yesterday and somehow ended up paying £46 for her GCSE revision books 😳

I went to WH Smith with my year 11 DD yesterday and somehow ended up paying £46 for her GCSE revision books

I did the same donkey's years ago for my kids. But I didn't begrudge those ones...

I know schools have very limited budgets, BUT I can't help feeling the real reason they want the kids to have the books is so that the Sats results look good for the school in the league tables and I begrudge paying them for that.

Yep, of course they do. I assume they want them all at the same time, with the same book, so that they can set work from them. It's illegal for schools to ask for money from parents for core functions, but given the terrible choices they face it's happening in almost every school now.

The state school system is well on it's way to being dismantled now, and it's happened largely under the radar of the general public. The decline of the last few years has been heartbreaking to work through.

I do get very irritated by people who voted Tory in the last few elections and then has the audacity to mon about this sort of thing- this situation was their decision.

I had to pay for DS revision books last year and happily did so. He had a really rough time during his SATs but got really good grades. These grades were used to place him in the correct set at comp. He is currently in the top set in his year based on his results. Id say that was £10 on revision books well spent!

I think it's not unreasonable for school to ask to pay for revision books, which may benefit some children. You can refer to things you are unsure, work on weak points, etc.
Also everybody having the same books means teacher can set homework revision easier, and maybe differentiate easier as well?
As happiest says, Sats are for kids too in some areas, not just for school.

Tell them you care about him getting a good education and working hard but you don't care about his SATS results so you won't be buying the books. Tell your DS he is to work hard at school but not stress about his SATS results.
I think you can withdraw your child from sitting SATS?

I have quite strong feelings about SATS so I would refuse to do any 'revision' outside of lessons. If they want to use them in school then they can provide photocopies or, I dunno, make up their own revision sessions based on the books?

When my youngest was doing them her older siblings said don't try too hard as your GCSE progress/targets will be based on them and the school all set them high.

Way to much pressure for 11 year olds and ultimately meaningless. In my experience hardly and of the punctuation terminology is used in secondary school - main clause, subordinate clause, etc.

How much are they asking OP?

And who are the people who scour the league tables in order to get the supposed "best" school for their children? Oh yes! Parents

^ This a million times over

@Gatehouse I think you are my cyber-twin! I could not agree more with you. Thank goodness my kids are well past this now.

Gatehouse this is very much along the lines of my thinking - the secondary school he will go to is a given - rural area - one primary and one secondary on our doorstep. That particular school takes no notice whatsoever of the SATs results so it won't make any difference to him at that stage. And I know a mum whose DD was set in yr 7 based on her KS2 SATs, and the (different) school pushed her so hard to achieve her SATs predicted GCSE results that she was on beta blockers for anxiety - at 16!

FitBitFanClub I totally get your point, but we are very rural and just don't have any choice as to where to send our kids - unless we go private - so regardless of the SATs results the school will get all the local children. I suppose arguably if there was a very low intake one year being high in the league tables would maybe entice parents from other villages/areas to ship their kids in.....
Interestingly though, when DS started there it was a highly respected, well thought of and very oversubscribed school and a fair few people moved to the village to be in the catchment. At that point it was a school that fostered ethical and moral behaviour, with a strong focus on the arts and music. Then that head left, now it is all about results, results, results. Just don't hear about parents moving to send their kids there anymore.......

donquixotedelamancha I totally agree with you!

Scrumptiousbears it is a small amount - literally the cost price of the books - and that isn't my issue at all - it's the way the letter was phrased and the fact that I honestly believe that whatever results DS gets in the maths SATs will be down to the tutor I'm paying every week and absolutely not the school.

Nomorechickens I may go with your response (I'll probably still pay for the books) but that really is a fab statement!

We have been telling him since the beginning of yr5 (when he started to stress about SATs) that we don't give a jot how well he does in them as long as he always tries his best at school.