To be deflated at Ds KS2 SATs results even though he passed them all....

[RockYourSocksOff]

As with maths he just got through by the skin of his teeth and I know he can do better.

I also know that even though High School do their own tests, his SATs score will be a benchmark for his future GCSEs so will stick with him throughout his time there, in some form or another.

Don’t get me wrong, I AM proud of him but the more I hear of other dc results and the more I look at the ‘raw scores’ I know he really did just about get the ‘magic’ number.

He did better in SPAG and Reading but not ‘greater depth’ better, a point off GD in reading (I think) and 2 points in SPAG (on the scaled score) although that’s depending on the score being 110 for GD.

I’ve posted on here because I want you to tell me I’m being an arse because I am but still, I can’t help the way I feel.

Those who say SATs don’t matter, well they do don’t they?

Bookmum8. Our school did their own 'tests' in September and then gave them minimum expected grade. Our son got 5s and 6s. He's been getting 8s and 9s in some subjects for ongoing assessments.

It really doesn't matter. They don't get taught different stuff if predicted 5s!

having had 3 kids through school and 1 doing sats next year i would say the following
1). it is done. stop mulling it over. comparison is the theif of joy. he did well
2). long term, what will make the difference to his actual gcses are the following
Good consistent teachers
Having good friends
Having good health
Study skills
not being bullied
not having mental health problems
Buckle up sweetie, you have the teen years ahead.

Of course you can mull over your child’s results but if you convey the least disappointment to them, then you will end up by them thinking that

1. You don’t like him/her because he doesn’t meet your expectations
2. Producing a child that lacks confidence.

Of course attainment at school is important but it’s not the only indicator of how life is going to turn out for them. I have brought up a clutch of diverse children. The least intelligent ( according to their CAT scores) attained beyond expectations because they worked really hard. The most intelligent ( Oxford candidate material) messed about and was disorganised and scraped by...and still does. I couldn’t make the ones who discovered boys, girls, drinking and partying at a crucial time ( GCSE etc) work any harder. I tried everything within my power as an adult. I really think looking back that the most valuable asset you can pass on to a child is to give them unconditional love, within a organised. framework. Sats are a very low indication as to whether a rounded, fulfilled happy adult is going to be the outcome of your parenting anyway.

I teach and can agree with all pp who've already told you they don't matter a jot.

Yes his secondary school will use them to predict his KS3 results, and his GCSEs.

But it is 'most people with this KS2 profile go on to score XYZ at the end of KS3' - nothing to stop him exceeding that, or falling short.

FWIW I've seen plenty of chn come in with high expectations and not make it, and others come in and fly.

I don't understand why you're disappointed that he's exactly where he should be for his age though, who really cares if he's exceeding expectations for y6 or not?

Or, PotteringAlong, his highly stressed NQTs who teach him in Y7 will look at his mediocre SATs results and conclude that he is either unwilling or unable, and hope he fits in the quiet but compliant strand. It would have happened to my DS, but I'm a very squeaky wheel.

Teachers have too much to do, with ILPs and all the other rigamarole of admin and training, to really concentrate on the JAMs. Too much effort is dedicated to the SN and G&T, and the middle rankers who pick things up and hoist them in are over looked, while the disruptors make life miserable for all.

And everyone who's telling you not to press the panic button is RIGHT. It's a benchmark from which to grade schools (and teachers) not individual children.

It's only on mumsnet that sats don't matter. They do matter a bit. Everyone in dds class was tutored for theirs and tbh I wished I had too! It was only mumsnet being scornful that stopped me doing it.

Having two older children I can safely say the attitude on here about education is often very different to real life.

Being tutored for SATs is not the norm.

It was at our very standard primary!

A child can’t ‘fail’ the SATs. They are an indication of how much he has been taught/learned. He may score lower than the national/school average or he might score higher but it isn’t a ‘fail’.

All that matters in education is that a child fulfills their potential by working hard. Some children are academic and will achieve very high marks, others will do their utmost and scrape by or even fail public exams and still do well in the world. Not everyone is good at sitting at desks and writing things down.

Congratulate your son for working hard (if he did), and big up his strong points.

I have kids who have worked their arses off for four years placed in a mid to bottom set because they tanked a math test when they were 11. Despite the fact that their current grades show their true ability
No offence, Tunnocks but your school is nuts. The baseline target has to come from KS2 SATs, yes, but not their set! That makes no sense. Surely you want pupils who show improvement to score more highly? Surely this is more likely to happen in a higher set?

I was a data manager for a very large secondary school responsible for pushing the buttons on the PC that then churned out KS3 predictions based on KS2 results and then the GCSE predictions based on KS3 results. It takes into account several factors as well as the individual’s SAT results including ethnicity, gender, postcode at home (a loose indicator of family income), whether the home language is English, free school meals, child in care and probably loads more that I’ve forgotten.

For an entire cohort of about 250 students in a school year, the results were pretty consistent but for individual students they were a lottery, based as much on whether they got good teachers as individual ability. The variations between achieving predicted results based on the staff they were allocated was quite shocking sometimes.

Chill about the SATs OP. They are benchmarks only. If when it comes to GCSEs it looks like your son needs extra support think about some tutoring then but for now, just encourage him to work hard and have fun.

Do schools still do CATs tests. I remember doing them in year 9 and having my gcse predictions based of those rather than the year 9 sats. It does seem a bit crazy for there to be widespread complaints about selection at 11 via the grammar system for state schools to then rigidly predict outcomes at 16 based on the year 6 SATs.

But they're just predictions. Predictions for how a child will perform academically in five years time, during which literally anything could happen. They're a crude tool but you've got to use something. Absolutely nothing stopping them from exceeding their predictions, and many do. If you saw the data analysis going on in secondary schools you would know that no teacher is resting on their laurels because a child is on track to achieve their predicted C.

I just hope you are not letting your child know how disappointed you are in them.

Genuinely.

He passed his SATS.

He has every chance to do well in the future.

Do not make him feel shit about himself.

I think it really depends on if your DS achieved to the best of his ability and if he worked as hard as he could have. If he did, great, you should praise him as much as possible.

If he didn't work hard enough, I would punish him and put in place a more structured study routine for him.

My daughter's SATs results didn't arrive until year 9 (admin error apparently). She was top set in year 7.

It made no difference to any of her school life or gcse outcomes.

High flying sats results = mega GCSE targets = mega pressure

I agree with. DD had target grades of 9s which is incredibly high and was feeling pressure at times.

Especially when the school identified the gifted and talented high flyers were not on target, so they had to stay for prep talks after school once a week.

Her predicted grades were mainly 8s. Having 9s is really high..more so than A*s

Oh well, we'll see what happens in August on results day.

There is a difference between predicted and target grades.

The SATS results will be used as target grades. Teachers in secondary school will give predicted grades nearer the time.

Target grades are what they could potentially achieve based on their SATS results with value added.

I really wouldn't worry - these aren't GCSEs, even if teachers are using them for targets or predictions...at the end of the day, those aren't final grades. If you feel he can do much better, what you should be thinking of is how you can motivate/encourage your DS to do his best in tests rather than just enough to "get by". Sometimes, this is a maturity issue - some children are more comfortable coasting when younger, but as they get nearer GCSE age they then get more fired up to do their very best. I'm told by male relatives that this is more common in boys! (including some who went through this themselves). You don't have to be upset right now that he didn't appear to try harder, but perhaps start to encourage him to do better than what he did before, rather than aiming for a specific score or percentage. However, if he is the sort of child who needs a specific number or percentage to aim for, then pick a realistic one (ie not 100%!) and encourage him to try to see if he can reach that target - without making it sound like it's the end of the world if he doesn't. (There does have to be a balance of course- too much pressure is counterproductive to exam/test performance).

Sunshades. Seriously?! Punish an 11 year old for grades.

I dont agree with that at all. I dont really think they should be revising for Sats beyond what they do at school.

Yep. I know my school is nuts. I don’t agree with it at all cardi. I’m Head if department infuriates me, when I am trying to push a pupil into a higher set because of their ability but she’ll say ‘oh no their MEG is only a 4, keep them in set 3’. Like I say, our school definitely isn’t the norm for this at all. Thankfully.

SATs just look good on the Ofsted report. DD's going into yr6 in September and this is really pissing me off.

madonna you’re right, I was trying to explain in a more simplistic (yet now outdated) way. Is it that we now use FFT statistics of previous pupils at the same grade? im not entirely clued up on it myself if I’m honest. Only thing I really look at is their MEG.