to want to beat with big HUGE sticks the people who thought up the SAT's for children.......

[Psychomum5]

I had a letter from DD1's school last week recommendng she attend booster classes in English for her yr9 SAT's...after school on a weds, for an extra 1 1/2hrs (which happens to be her only night free from any kind of dancing and drama classes). This sent her into a spiral of panic, and she ended up waking up the following day with chest pains which docs have diagnosed as panic attacks (I have a athread in health about it).

the doctor commented on yr9 being extra-ordinarily hard on teens, especially as this is the same year that most of them are at the height of puberty, plus they have to choose their options which is huge stress again from the school for obvious reasons.

anyhoo.......I at first agreed to the booster classes, caving into pressure from school etc, but have since pulled her out seeing as the doc signed her off school for now.

anyway. YESTERDAY, I got another letter from the school regarding yet MORE boostere classes for the SAT's, this time science classes.......but get this.........they are to be held DURING THE EASTER HOLIDAYS!!!!!!!!

How effinf dare they encroach into children much needed time off school, and also into much appreciated break for the mums for the time off school runs and pressure etc.

I am furious, but unsure whether I am unreasonable to want to beat them with sticks or whether the fury is just worse because I have seen the effect on my daughter.

Not unreasonable at all. I think Sats are a waste of time and I'm an English teacher. The schools tend to put the pressure on because of league tables - sad but true.

Hope your DD feels better soon.

I don't have children of that age yet but do the SATs count for anything other than the league tables for older children? If they don't I would studiously ignore all attempts from the school to put the pressure on and just go over the material nearer the time. If your DD's option choices are affected by them then it is more difficult but I would certainly not deprive her of her easter hols for studying.

So it is not unreasonable for you to want to beat up the inventor of SATS at all. I think they are a waste of time in secondary school where the GCSE marks should be pointer to the level of achievement in the school ( you could, after all, still work out the value added from them to show how a school is doing)

thanks for that.....I am so hoping she does too.

I am glad that a teacher is also of the same mind regarding SAT's. I really wish there was some way of opting our children out of them, but as far as I can tell from trying that last year with DD2's yr6 SAT's, there isn't.

I would reckon that if all us parents could opt our DC's out, then no child would be there to take them!!!!

SAT's for the yr9's in my DD's school have absolutely no bearing at all on their options, as they have chosen them already a few weeks ago......and they also have no bearing either on how they grade and stream them either, as they have to do CAT's tests on top to stream them!

arghhhhhh

at least I have backing for my beating idea

I'm hoping they won't exist when my DD is at school - she's only 2, but if they are, then she would be 'ill' on SATs days!

Many teachers I know regard Sats as an exercise in learning for the test and nothing broader than that, so the whole of the year is spent focused on 4 days of exams. It's ridiculous.

I tried that in yr2 for my children.......being ill on the SAT's days......and the teachers just made mine do them when they returned to school!!.

for the yr6 ones, in fact now I remember, that was when DD1 started coming down with lots and lots of tonsilitis (she ended up havng them out at the start of yr7 in fact as she got it all so badly). but even so, the school still ensured by subtle threats that she went in to take them.....and then she was in the booster classes as she was pipped for getting the higher grades!

That was part of the reason that I tried to prevent DD2 from taking them, along with the fact that at that point, she still hadn;t yet had her DX for dyslexia and I was not for making her do something she had no ability to read and understand without major help.

they still made her do them even then

argh........