Taking child out during SATs week

[tickingstripe]

I have name changed because my description of the school might identify me.

I heard from a friend, a few months ago, that a child in my DS's class was being taken out of school during SATs week because his mum didn't agree with them. She has now done this and the boy has been off all week.

The year group sizes are a maximum of 15 each year so his absence will have a big impact on the school's league table position. At the moment it is at the top of the league tables with a 100% pass rate. But if it was just the league table position, I wouldn't be bothered about what she has done. What bothers me is:

I think she has done it just to make a point, and so it is for her benefit not her son's. Unlike a lot of schools, the school only does 2 weeks of SATs revision, so they have not made it stressful for the children. He sat the mocks last week, so I don't see how the real thing is any worse. He is now going to have the stress of coming back to school and the other kids thinking he has done something out of order (which they do think). The rest of the class has worked really hard and it seems unfair that 1 just didn't turn up.

The other children have bonded through doing the SATs and looking forward to the treats that follow. The school is taking them out on fun and exciting trips on 3 days in a row, and then taking them out for a meal on the 4th day, all as a reward for doing the SATs. Apparently the Head is to decide whether or not the child who didn't attend can go on all of the trips.

I feel she has undermined the school and the teacher, particularly as her son came from a Steiner school at age 8, and the school then had to teach him to read, write and do maths, and a lot of extra effort went into this.

So AIBU to care? It just seems unfair and disruptive to the other children, who had to sit the SATs and try their best, knowing someone else was treating it as optional.

YABU to care as it is nothing to do with you.

The other children did not have to sit their SATs, it is optional in that all parents can make that choice if they so wish. I'd certainy consider it.

Bugger the league table IMO - education should be about what is right for the child not what makes the schools look best.

Given the help her son has received from the school, plus all the hard work the child presumably has done, it's a bit of a kick in the teeth. I also guess that the mother did her research and chose the school based on its good results.

Is it optional? I thought it would be considered an unauthorised absence? But I admit I don't know.

Optional? why do they go round to get kids who are off ill then? Or even do the SATS with them at home?

I'm taking my dss out this week coming but had to change the holiday ( ok stone me) as I'd previously booked it in SATS week. Cost us a good bit to change but I've learnt my lesson. Plus ds1 is going to comprehensive in September so won't be going out of term holidays in the future.

TBH I couldn't get worked up about it.
SATs are the government's cack handed way of trying to measure...actually I am not sure what.
Looks like they are going to be abolished soon anyway.

It's not optional to remove your child from school because you don't happen to like what they're doing that day.
Don't know whether YABU or not, but I suppose you could look upon it as a learning point for the others. They perceive it as foul play in a way, and clearly disagree with it. And I'd be narked too, as a parent, but really narked as the teacher.

Thanks Clam, that is good advice. It is a good learning point for DS. In a way the fact that the other children are bothered show that they care about and feel part of their school, and wanted to do well for the good of their school and teacher, which are nice sentiments to have as they leave.

Imo, there are the bits of 'school' that are about relationships and community; friendships and solidarity, etc. Then there are the bits of school which are about school the insitution. For me, certainly, SATS fit into the latter category. For this reason I would not view this as you have done whether I was a teacher or a parent or fellow pupil.

One can attack the institution on some points without detriment to the members of that institution.

tickingstripe - I think it's pretty bad form tbh for the parent to take her child out. After all, presumably she wanted a more formal education for her child as she moved away from the Steiner or 'alternative' forms of education?

SATS are pretty mind-numbing for pupils and teachers BUT in a small school such as yours, just one absent child can make a huge difference to the league tables, and like it or not, parents do choose schools based on this.

If your school is down in the tables because of his abscene, it could possibly have a detrimental effect on future intake, and that would impact on the pupils - less kids, less money, less resources. Small schools really struggle in this respect.

And what kind of message is it sending to her child? That he can cherry pick the parts of school he participates in?

If you choose to be in the system, I think sometimes you have to suck it up and work with the system, especially if that system is a small school.

It's tough for the child involved and I feel a bit sorry for him having to stand out like this, TBH. In that respect, I guess it would be a shame if he was denied the end of SATS treats.

I disagree with SATs, I don't think children need this pressure at 10 and 11, and think it detracts from 'proper' learning when children spend weeks/months revising for them.

My son is in year 6 and has just finished his. He has special needs (aspergers syndrome) and is tutored at home by the local autority. He is still on the roll of his old primary school, although he hasn't been there for over a year, and therefore still counts in their numbers for SATs. They have a year group of 30 children.

They were EXCEPTIONALLY keep for him to take his SATs (because he's bright no doubt!!), and someone has been out to our home everyday this week with the relevant papers, and invidulated the test.

I made it clear from the start that while DS would be allowed and encouraged to take the papers, I would not have him pressured and upset by them (he has huge anxiety issues, as well as problems with changes of routine, new people etc etc). I fully intended to pull him out of them (I would have said he was ill), if they had caused problems.

Fortunately everything went well, and I am in the weird position of having sat next to him while he took the papers (but couldn't talk to him obviously!), so have a good idea of how well he did.

I think that your friend is BU if there are no issues surronding her son taking his SATs which lead her to withdrawing him from them. If he was suffering mentally or physically as a result of the tests then I think she had every right to withdraw him on these grounds. If not, and it was just her preference for him not to take them I think she was wrong.

You either put your child in the system (good bits and bad bits), or you take them out of school and educate them yourself.

"You either put your child in the system (good bits and bad bits), or you take them out of school and educate them yourself."

$Great if it were universally practicable!

my daughters yr 9 sats results were lost last year. along with many. that has left a lasting impression in our house!! her brother just did sats this week( year6). i had to take him to the docs on the tues morn as he woke up unwell. never in my life have i known such a fuss from the school!!

theres a thread about it here somewhere. headteacher was on the phone etc. i stuck to my guns tho. had no idea they were optional!

Sorry123, my original post might have been a bit misleading; I don't know the mum in question very well. I heard months ago through a friend that the mum of the boy was intending to take him out during the tests because she didn't agree with the SATs. The boy told my son that he was going to 'skive off all week' because his mum said he could. I have no idea what the mum has said to the school, but I have heard the head is very annoyed about it.

I can completely understand why it could have ended up not being in your son's best interests to take the SATs, and am glad for both of you that he didn't get stressed.

Actually, I can't see that it's any of your business, sorry. I think it's a bonkers thing to do and if I was on the staff of the school, I would be ROYALLY pi**ed off - but I really don't think that it has any impact on other parents.

I remember your thread ILT! I thought of all the stress you got put through over an ill child when I heard about this boy not going in.

Ok, I only have little kids so have not gone through the process yet but 2 weeks of revising and then 3 days of trips is making quite a big deal of the whole thing. I totally understand the woman being cheesed off and if it is genuinely for reasons of principle that she is keeping her son out then YABU.

i think really,this mother is doing more harm by being so controversial,and creating a position for herself where she will be seen as "difficult". also,spreading the message that if one family can withdraw,then so can anyone.

as it goes,y kids have all been quite unphased by SATs all through their schooling,and i think the revision and work put in,stands them all in good stead for their gcse's. no harm in getting to grips with tests etc at an early age.

SATs are not and never have been for the benefit of your children!!!! They are to assess the school's performance.

In fact, many schools request parents to remove children who they know will perform poorly (usually due to absence or attitude as SN children can be disallowed) during SATs week (admittedly more at yr 9) level, so that their stats will not be affected.

It is none of your business whether this child takes his SAT tests or not. Good on his mother to take a stand against the stupid things. I suggest you exercise your mental muscles on something else that might actually be some of your business.

Duchesse, if a child doesn't turn up he is counted as part of the stats! That child gets zero and is included in the school's percentages. It is never in the school's bests interests to discourage a child from turning up.

My DS isn't at school yet, so I might have a different opinion in a few years, but I must say I have a real problem with the whole SATS test thing - my sisters are quite a bit younger than me and I remember them being under loads of pressure (from the school) my mum even went in to speak to them because my younger sister was crying all the time about them. Now I have lots of friends who are teachers, they are so cynical about the whole system, it has really given me anegative view.

I don't think they are a reliable indicator of the quality of the school, or of an individual child's ability, so in principle I have sympathy with the mother who is taking her son out of school. However in her place I would plan to use the time constructively - and I wouldn't want him going round saying he was skiving!!

My son is also in a small village school. I threatened to take my son out this week due to the pressure placed on him from his teacher. The poor loves have had it drilled into them how vital these tests are. He is working above his age group and because he didn't perform well enough for her in his Maths, she balled him out in front of his class, and told him she was disgusted with him He was in floods of tears when he got in the car.

When I confronted her on this I was told it was not her problem if he was upset!!! told her it would be if I keep him off all week because he was so upset and he is only in Year 3!!

Duchesse you are completely misinformed. All children count in the SATs results. Absent children are counted. SN children are counted unless they are completely 'unable to access the tests' which applies to a very small percentage of SN children.

What a selfish parent. The school has gone out of its way to accommodate and assist her child in catching up because of the educational choice she made and this is how she behaves? I hope for her sake that her child doesn't require any further special help. SATs are are big deal for schools, not least because of funding. The fact that the school treated SATs as they are supposed to be treated (not lots of revision and no pressure) is praiseworthy too.

This parent didn't have to send her child to a school that did SATs. There are loads of schools that don't do this type of testing and that aren't Steiner based.

lostinparenthood - if that actually happened as you said it did, I hope you have complained to the Head. That behaviour is completely outrageous.

well if we all just visited a school and made a judgement on it based on whether our child might be happy there, none of this would matter one bit anyway. League tables mean nothing except schools becoming all about targets rather than about inspiring a love of learning and a valuing of individual's own strengths.

It's totally up to us whether sats and league tables matter or not

If the government sees there is no 'market' for this style of education it will be dropped.