To ask why children will be 'distressed' by the Reception Baseline Test?

[Eastie77]

I completely disagree with this ridiculous test. However after reading an article in today's Guardian I'm wondering if there some parents are over-reacting slightly about the effect it will have on children..

According to parents in the article and solictors representing famililies, children are likely to be 'distressed' and 'damaged' by it. I'm wondering how a 20 min chat and check of language of ability to count will really impact a 4 year old personally when they have no idea they are being tested?

I do understand concerns over the longer term impact such as early streaming which some parents think will be the end result of this test - I happen to agree with this which is one of the reasons I'm opposed to it. I think that should be the emphasis of the protests against the test rather than claiminng that children will end up psychologically damaged by it. Getting lawyers involved to prevent children being asked if they can count to 20 really seems a little dramatic

Yes, massive hyperbole. That said, there are huge differences in the way Y2 Sats are administered by schools. My daughter’s school wrote to us telling us to keep completely schtum, and presented it as a “fun quiz” on the day. When DD came out and I asked about her day, the quiz didn’t even feature. Other schools make a huge deal of it and that must be stressful.

Depends on the child I think.

My friends child was taken off for this kind of assessment (for entry to a private school, similar format) and was very upset by it. He was too shy to say anything then was worried the teacher was angry with him for not answering the questions.

Feels like something parents should at least be told about so that they can prep their children/decide not to do it if they’re concerned.

I’m not worried, my eldest will view it as a fantastic opportunity to tell his teacher all about his favourite cars, she won’t get a word in and he will have a great time.

But for some children it would be different.

It took DS4 a very long time to settle at nursery. I'm hoping school goes better but the taster sessions weren't exactly a great success.

If I've read it right, the test is in the first 6 weeks and being taken out 1:1. I can see it's quite possible DS4 won't engage at all or just say don't know to everything.

I'm not bothered about his results at all but he'd really just need time to settle and the more intense adults are with him, the worse he'd be. DS3 would have lapped it up as he lives for 1:1., But he's on a reduced timetable whilst I grapple my way through the SEND tribunal system!

I broadly agree, a 1:1 chat wouldn't have distressed any of my 4 year olds. But as Longtalljosie points out it does depend on how the school discuss it. My eldest DD1 was totally unaware that she did Y2 Sats, my DD2 was at a different school where a huge emphasis was placed on the tests, extra work sent home, kids very aware about it & my DD2 very anxious about it. So in their hands a Reception baseline test could be distressing!

Urging you all to opt your children out of this, it's not statutory. Please let's all get together to stop this ridiculous testing of young children and undermining of teachers' own assessments which are carried out daily anyway

Most of the parents complaining are ones who don’t send their kids to nursery.

There's a big anti-testing lobby, as a parent of a child with SEN I'm grateful for all the attention my DCs get in the way of assessment and anyone refusing this is to my mind either one of the tinfoil hat brigade or completely misunderstands the idea behind this. All teachers will be talking to all children, as a matter of course, if they didn't I'd want to know why - some won't respond, but that's just life.

Nobody (not the schools or the teachers) is going to get the results of this (so they couldn't possibly use it for early streaming, that's leaving aside the fact that children are in different phonics groups from early in Reception anyway!)

If your child has SEND then either the school will already know or suspect or this will be a great opportunity for them to twig that the parents might be on to something if they have spotted it.

Any halfway decent reception teacher will do a baseline assessment in the first few weeks anyway - and will keep assessing thereafter - do I dont think this makes any difference, whether the child engages or not.

www.primaryleaders.com/attainment-and-assessment/baseline-assessment-why-4-year-olds-shouldnt-be-tested

This article suggests the results of the Baseline can’t be used by schools to form future planning as they will be locked away by the DfE to compare the data with the SATs results in 7 years!

I have a child starting Reception in September. I think there are a few things to criticise about this but I think most children will be unaware they are being tested or that this is anything to be worried about.

My criticism would be that this is quite time consuming - 30x 20 min 1:1 time at a time when children are needing more support to settle into school. Also teachers already make these assessments in a more informal way.

Given that the aim is to eventually use this as a baseline to measure school progress is it not in the school’s interest for children to do badly!

Like all tests it will be stressful if its made to be.

Some children won't be up to be isolated by an adult they don't know that well and being asked anything at all...

Some parents will be prepping their kids to do well which will stress them out...

Some teachers will be prepping kids and that will stress them out....

All of these things could be mitigated, but will they be? If my kid would do better with me in the room making them feel secure, will that be allowed?

At testing can be done in a way that minimises stress or a way that maximises it, I mean I didn't find GCSEs stressful...because I didn't buy into the whole 'determines your future' BS, and didn't do any revision for them...so it was literally 'turn up and answer questions to find out how much you know' as far as I was concerned.

But I know kids who are unable to attend SATs in fecking primary schools, because teachers and parents are putting so much pressure and additional study in place that the kids begin to feel they will be wrecking some combination of their own, their teachers, or their parents lives if they don't do well....

I have to say that I don’t really want my 4 year old closeted alone in one room with one teacher for 20 minutes. Interactions with children of that age should be public, wherever possible.

This article suggests the results of the Baseline can’t be used by schools to form future planning as they will be locked away by the DfE to compare the data with the SATs results in 7 years!
Yep, that's exactly what the purpose is.
So they can't be used for streaming etc.

Also teachers already make these assessments in a more informal way.
So hopefully they can save that informal time (and keep their own notes/make their own judgements on the formal assessment) and do it properly rather than differently with each child.

Given that the aim is to eventually use this as a baseline to measure school progress is it not in the school’s interest for children to do badly!

Indeed it is - one hopes (vainly perhaps) that pilots will iron that kind of stuff out. For example we know that children who come from poorer backgrounds, haven't been to nursery etc. are likely to do worse when they start school so if schools are boosting - or playing down - every child's skills this should show up.

And as a teacher on their own I would refuse to do it.

I have to say that I don’t really want my 4 year old closeted alone in one room with one teacher for 20 minutes. Interactions with children of that age should be public, wherever possible.

I'm not sure I agree with you even as a general principle (if a child was to be disclosing abuse or even just having a little weep about a disagreement in the playground, they will want privacy) but if a child is assessed as e.g. a speech therapy or OT type exercise (both my DCs have been) this will be best accomplished in a quiet area with no disruptions and I trust DBS'd HCPs to do this so I also trust teachers.

Don’t see the harm

The teachers need a baseline to set learning.

This is just a government measure on a points system.

If your child ‘fails’ the test then the schools end results will be bigger and better.

drspouse

We all have different comfort levels with different things.

Its ridiculous, just as the overreactions to the Y2 SATs by certain groups of parents are. Tests are only stressful to kids if they're hyped up to be so by teachers or parents.
I can only see benefits from testing kids on entry to reception - the range of abilities & skills is so wide at that age that it will give teachers a better handle on how to help each child attain the best learning outcomes they possibly can. As far as I know our school "streamed" the kids from reception onwards by ability, this meant that those who needed extra attention got it & those that were ready to move onto the next level/ attempt trickier work also got the opportunity to. It absolutely depends on how it is handled by teachers & parents/ carers alike.

1. My son would be distressed as it will test to the point they can’t do it which he will take as a failure.
2. The data will follow then around the SIMs (or equivalent)
3. Since the tests have not been found to be reliable - so that means if you tested the same child three times they would perform wildly differently. This is probably no surprise to anyone who knows a 4 yr old and attention/concentration

There is going to be a good deal of pressure on teachers to get as low marks as possible isn't there?

Probably pretty easy to scare the kids so they perform badly....

And all in a room on their own so no one will know what happened.

Sounds awesome.

I think how stressful it is for the children depends on how the school handles it.

There’s a big difference in perception between a test done in a relaxed low key way, and a test where the school has been hyping up the important of the tests beforehand.

Our school introduced baseline tests as a trial run the year before the government was supposed to introduce them last time. As far as I'm aware, they actually found them really useful and continued with them (in a low key way) even though the government didn't at the time introduce them.

I can't get worked up about it - I have another DC starting Reception in September and people are already frothing at the mouth about this on the WhatsApp and will the school be doing it.

DS3 has ripped up nearly every maths test he's done this academic year. He's year 1, there's no school pressure, he's always asking us to give him maths questions verbally and is more able at maths than English. He has ASD but it's not all tests, just maths. He's now graded as below expected level for it.

People wouldn't be so blase about this stuff if they understood the mental health stats for the undergraduate population. We have an ever increasing year on year number of students unable to sit exams because of the anxiety/panic attack like response they provoke in them. This ruins their degree experience and often their degree outcome.

If people understood this properly they would be in favour of banning testing of primary school kids altogether.

Of course it would be nice to reliably measure the added value of schools....but firstly it isn't more important than the long term mental health of our children, and secondly these tests won't deliver that.

Its just not worth the price.

www.theguardian.com/education/2019/jul/23/testing-four-year-olds-begins-september-parents-in-dark-schools#img-1

How does this work with Safeguarding?