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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

not to send my DDs to 'booster' lessons to build up to SATs?

46 replies

GodzillasAbominableBumcheek · 18/01/2008 22:15

Got given permission slips/letters today by my ten year old daughters about lessons after school. There is one hour of Literacy one day, and one hour of Maths another day.

My kids spend extra time on homework than most kids as it is, why would i force them to do even more!

Apparently though, they were told by the teachers that they have to do the extra lessons. Why do i object SO much?

OP posts:

smartiejake · 19/01/2008 14:49

OUTRAGEOUS!
This is ks 2 tests not GCSE. Their future will not be decided on a test they have been taught to pass. KS 2 sats are crap anyway and most secondary schools retest them anyway. One of my friends sons got all level 4s in his sats and he was assessed last term as 6c in 2 subjects and 5a in the other.

This has got to be about league tables and ofsted. Have they had one recently or due for one?

Teachers should be able to get children to the required standard WITHIN normal schol hours, not press gang them into extra lessons after school, when quite frankly, they have too much homework as it is at this age. Let them chill out, have fun, play outside, persue their other interests.

If they don't want to do it and you dont feel they are struggling (and it doesn't sound like they are if they are in the top groups) then refuse to let them do it and if the teachers give them grief take it to the head, the governers and the LEA. I wouldn't mind betting that other parents are equally miffed by this pressure. RANT RANT
Sorry I'll shut up now!

MarsLady · 19/01/2008 14:51

booster lesson.... second word is off!

I never sent any of mine to booster lessons even when the first hit Y9 and I won't start now.

Ubergeekian · 19/01/2008 14:53

'Sup to you, of course, but my instinct would be (a) to ask them what they are doing, precisely, with the 32 hours they have your child for already and (b) to sod off.

Persuading parents that SATs matter is the biggest con-trick (some) schools have pulled off in living memory.

3littlefrogs · 19/01/2008 14:58

I thought the whole point of SATS (which I disagree with anyway) was to see how the school is performing. If all the children are coached, then surely that gives a completely inaccurate picture.

One of the primary schools near me has an excellent reputation and SATS result, only because practically every single child has private tuition from the age of about 7. All the parents do it, and the school can sit back and bask in reflected glory. It is ridiculous.

cat64 · 19/01/2008 15:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

GodzillasAbominableBumcheek · 19/01/2008 21:45

I was quite (nicely) surprised by all your support, everybody!

Maureen - i don't have a clue what CAT tests are (unless they involve the fluffy ones that say 'meow', anyway), so i can't hazard an opinion on them!

Bellabelly - the letters have been handed out to all of the kids in their year (3 classes of 26-30 kids each)

Smartiejake and Ubergeekian - you made my point for me! I was wondering myself why they think they have failed so drastically to teach an entire year, that they all need extra hours in school!

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SlartyBartFast · 19/01/2008 21:48

when DS was in year 2 I was annoyed that we were offered at a cost, some books to help with the SATS.

so am annoyed about extra tuition for you!

Christywhisty · 19/01/2008 22:20

My DS did his SATs last May. They were allowed to go in early to use an educational site called Samlearning and stay later on Thursday.

This was entirely up to the children if they wanted to go, and they had no pressure put on them for SATs. We had to sign a form to allow them to go, but they didn't have to do it.

Much to my surprise DS went in early every day of his own accord. He brought home the odd practice test for homework. He actually really enjoyed his SATs. They were allowed to bring in cuddly toys to sit on their desks for good luck and have extra breaks and snacks.

He did his CAT tests in July (they are non verbal reasoning, verbal reasoning and quantative paper) for his secondary school and was SET from the day he started. All the other local schools don't do the CAT tests until much later on.

cottonflee · 19/01/2008 22:25

Heh MaureenMlove, do you want a laugh. When we went in for dd's yr 7 review, her teacher told me what result dd was expected to get in her welsh language exam. She doesn't do welsh language, as far as I am aware they don't get the option until yr 10. They figured it out from her yr 6 sat results. and double shock!!!

Original poster

GodzillasAbominableBumcheek · 19/01/2008 22:34

I have no idea what DD1 and DD2s SAT results will be used for - besides league tables - i am hoping they will be relatively ignored by the Secondary school, and that they will have a Statutory Assessment done on entry. Hopefully that will prove what i have been telling the Primary teachers since day 1 (that they are both dyslexic) and they can be put into whichever level of group after that.

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Blu · 19/01/2008 22:48

An hour after school, at the school? Pah, lightweights! My 10 year-old neice has just been press-ganged into a booster class that involves her being taken on a coach to a sort of central boot camp several miles away, given classes for 3 hours, and returned on a coach at 7pm!!!

My SIL refused to sign the form to begin with, and the Head rang her up at home and told her that her dd is 'below average' in maths. So she has agreed to give it a go, and will withdraw her immediately if she doesn't like it.

But (admittedly without the benefit of special maths boot-camp training) as far as I can see, the whole point of an average is that some are below and some are above, and that if she gets better, the average will rise...and she will still be below it even though she has improved, so she will once again be taken off on a coach...and the average will rise...and she will.....coach...average.....ad infinitum.

Elasticwoman · 20/01/2008 17:12

If your dc have special needs, Godzilla, I don't see how extra time in a mixed ability class can help, and I would say so.

It would be more effective if they were set work to do at home which you could help them with - so that they get 1:1 or 1:2 attention.

As you say, permission slip means they need your permission to keep your dc after school, so if you're not happy, don't give your permission and don't feel guilty either.

I am a primary school governor and I have never heard of this before; doesn't happen at our school and we get vg results (eg 100% level 5 at science in dd1's cohort). Sounds like panic measures to me.

Blu · 20/01/2008 17:16

Elasticwoman, it's definitely panic measures at my neices school - the last ofsted report was not at all good and they must be soon due a new one.

The thing that makes me so cynical is that it isn't any teaching in the school that will hoik my niece's performance up to a higher SATS level - the school's only role is to put her on a coach to an external study centre!

cat64 · 21/01/2008 13:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

Original poster

GodzillasAbominableBumcheek · 21/01/2008 22:35

OK, update time...a big juicy update...

Had a phonecall from DTDs school this morning...it was the Learning Mentor asking why i wasn't sending my DDs to the extra classes.
I told her i wasn't sending them cos i didn't think they'd be any help, and they don't want to go.
Short discussion ensues, without me giving an inch, so she passes me over to the Headmaster. I don't think he was expecting any resistance, but for every reason he could give for the lessons being taken, i had a counter-argument of why they shouldn't (partly thanks to you all who have posted on this thread!), and he couldn't actually finish with anything other than 'well the lessons aren't compulsory of course', which he repeated several times near the end. I told him that if they weren't compulsory then his staff shouldn't be telling the children they absolutely have to go, because that sounds like bullying to me.
He couldn't wait to put the phone down

Power to the MNers!!

Shame when DD2 got home she said the non-lesson-takers had been harassed all morning and told that the form making it optional was a mistake

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smartiejake · 21/01/2008 22:45

Well done for your conversation with the head but for your dds harrassment by the teachers. I really would complain about this to the governers and ofsted. It's outrageous!

Original poster

GodzillasAbominableBumcheek · 21/01/2008 22:51

I will complain if they still get harassed tomorrow, but if it stops after the phonecall i think i will leave it. I haven't got a clue how or who to talk to though, but it can't be that hard to find out, can it?!

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duchesse · 21/01/2008 22:54

Oh my goodness, this SAT thing is madness. The SATs were meant to test the school, not the children. I would most firmly and unambiguously tell them to get stuffed (or mention that the girls' out of school activities will prevent them from attending). If they can't cover everything they need for SATs during the school day when other schools can, just what are they up to? (am hoping they are doing things other than SAT preparation, but suspect from the reported tone of the letter that it may in fact be naked self-interest on the school's part).

wheresthehamster · 21/01/2008 22:57

I feel really cross about this!
I'd be tempted to contact the local paper. Or get all the parents to boycott the extra lessons. Does this happen every year? In a way I feel sorry for the teachers being forced into having to stay behind as well. If they were targetting the few who wouldn't achieve level 4 then I think that's a good idea otherwise they may struggle at secondary. Unless they think the whole year won't achieve level 4??? Surely not

Original poster

GodzillasAbominableBumcheek · 21/01/2008 23:02

Just a quick post before i have to go, then...

Duchesse - they aren't going, nuff said

WTH - i told DD2 i might contact local paper if bullying goes on. This is the first year they've done it, cos it's Y6.

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Umlellala · 22/01/2008 13:11

Go Godzilla!

We're behind you! (Now seeing whether you can get the courage to keep them home on SATs exam day... Then the secondary school won't have ANY data to use to stream/set and will have to look at what your children are capable of when they get there)

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