in thinking our primary school should not bring back a teacher who went off ill in November for three weeks to admister the SATs and then go off again...

[Strix]

DD's year 2 teacher went off ill in November. They have had one single supply teacher since then who has worked out very well and provided continuity and the kids and the parents like her. It has just been announced that ill teacher is coming back part time for 4 weeks (half time with returning teacher and 1/2 with the temp cover teacher). Then returning teacher will teach the class full time for three weeks (when I believe the KS1 SATs will be given), and then she will begin her maternity leave and the temp teacher will resume full time for the rest of the year.

Several parent are unhappy about the dispruption to the kids.

Now, of course, the teacher has every right to come back to work. But, we feel she does not need to replace the teacher who has now settled with the year 2 class. I am especially unhappy about all this disruption being just in time for SATs.

"My approach to supporting/furthering my children's education was never intended to be up for debate on this thread."

Then why ask the original question?

Strix - a fair point...except that I know lots of state school teachers who I think are amazing and I am not sure the teaching at most private schools is massively better. There are poor teachers in the private school system too. Of course smaller class sizes make a difference as does the freedom from state interference.

For me, facilities, extra curricular options, friends were bigger drivers and yes, we are lucky enough that we can afford it.

I'll stop there as this is not a private school debating thread and I have no wish to be drawn into that discussion. I am privileged and grateful.

Well this thread is clear evidence why SATS are bad for children and parents. Op - good you have chilled out about this a bit. This year my daughter started the year with two pregnant teachers who have both gone on maternity leave. The replacements are staying till May when one of the teachers will come back and one of the replacements leave. I don't think this is impacting on dd at all. It makes life hard for dh though - as he is much less at school than me he can't remember who is teaching her!

As others have stated, the result reported to you at the end of the year will be a teacher assessment, not the test results. The SAT tests, which you are guessing the teacher will administer (although schools can give the tests any time from January to June), will form a very small part of this teacher assessment. When schools are moderated in KS1 (to check the robustness of their teacher assessment), some LEAs won't even allow test results as admissable evidence.

Someone made the point that teachers are balloting to boycott the SATs - that would be KS2 SATs, and the traditionally moderate NAHT (Headteachers' union) are ballotting for a boycott at the moment. The NUT are also ballotting but are asking only Heads, Deputies and Assistant Heads, because oly they have a legal resomsibility to administer the tests. KS1 tests won't be affected.

Blu, schools are unlikely to 'drill' Y2 children nowadays for all of the above reasons - one test result does not a teacher assessment make!

Anyway...

Math is fun. And doing some extra in bits and pieces on top of the school work is good for her.

I do realise the test is not the only part of the assessment. But, it is definitely part of it.

What's the worst that can happen? She learns a bit too much math... no such thing.

There is indeed no such thing as 'Math' in the UK system!

The worst that can happen? Your child could get completely stressed, worry about pleasing mummy, hit a question in the test that she cant do and break down in tears. Leading to her deciding that she can't do maths (or math). It does happen.

As long as the extra maths is fun and she is encouraged and praised without too much pressure, this is unlikely. But personally, I would not be spending time coaching a 6/7 year old for their SATs. I think it is bad enough with 11 year olds.

So, why don't you say "sciences" or "Literacies"?

I speak American. It's not the same is your language. But it has a lot of similarieites and I think you can probably follow what I am saying.

Pozzled, I think you have the wrong impression on the tone of our math studies and also the wrong impression of my DDs personality.

Strix, you are on the right track and I admire the way that you encourage and help your DD. Don't be put off, keep it up.

As for math, that is the term that most of the rest of the world use. Most of the resources on the internet concerning mathematics in the English language use the term math, since they come from the most important English speaking country on the planet.

I think it is only maths because it is from mathematics if you see what I mean. Whereas science is science.

But, science is not science. I can talk about the natural sciences or the social sciences.

So if we are going to be persnickety about math(s) I want to know why we are being selective.

Thanks, Claig! You know how I support all that natural ability nonsense.

Just kidding, Strix, not being pernickety, honest.

Confrim what Feenie says.
KS1 SATS are teacher assessed. A 'test' can make up part of the evidence for levelling the children. If a child scores a 3 in a test but there is no other evidence to show a level 3 they will be assessed lower, so no amount of 'proving' what your child can do by doing well in a single test will necessarily make a difference. SATs are set up to show how the school is doing in relation to teaching.For your information state schools have targets and children who do not make 12 points from Y2 to Y6 are flagged up and extra provision made. It is not a one size fits all approach. And, by the way every child is expected to make progress whether they are GT or SN so it's not a question of letting the bright ones 'get on with it'.

From what you say, it sounds like there are bigger issues at play here. I talk with 25 years experience in teaching. I am currently teaching Year 3 and am aghast at the practices you describe! I wouldn't send my own children to such a school and wonder how it manages to get away with such lax and lazy teaching/attitudes. Is it really like that??
If so, why don't you have a look around for an alternative?

"If so, why don't you have a look around for an alternative?"

It's not a bad school all round. It has good points. But, this math thing grates on my nerves.

We are going to carry on in hopes she does very well on the SATs. But, of course, the more important goal is just that she learn maths at an appropriate and challenging pace, which I believe she is doing. We do old level 3 SATs papers and she can do all the questions on them. Some with a bit of help. But, not much. So, I think that by May when she has the test / assessments she wil be fine.

And, remember, this thread was about the teacher swap during SATs and not about whether or not we should study for SATs.

But the two issues were linked - by you. You were concerned that the potential disruption was going to impede your DD's success in the SAT and might mean she was put in the lower set for maths in Year 3.
Many posters have pointed out that it is a much more complex process than that. And that you seem overly concerned with how she performs in a test, hence your studying at home, I presume.
What will you do (and how will your DD cope) if her teachers assess her at, say, a 2A, if you firmly believe that she can "do" level 3 questions? Are you prepared to accept their judgement?

Ok - just trying to be helpful!
As far as the teacher swap goes I would guess that the supply teacher has little experience in 'doing SATs' and perhaps doesn't want that responsibility. I would also think that they both feel that they can provide better evidence working together. No?
Most Y2s don't even know they are doing SATs and so the swap shouldn't make any difference.
BTW I would also be irritated by a streaming system that seems so inflexible. Hopefully it won't turn out to be as bad as it seems from where you stand now!

The level 3 test questions are only a small part of being a secure level 3 Maths worker in the classroom. You would do better to look at the Level 3 criteria, which are way more rounded than snapshot test questions.

Can I also add that I have some Y3 children working at level 4. Sorry but level 3 isn't the be all and end all. They could be a 3a/3b or 3c but you won't know until Y3 as it is not assessed in sublevels at Y2! In Y6 children can be working at way over level 5.It just goes on and on if you want it to...

Sorry if I have been a bit defensive. I do realise people are just trying to be helpful. I just don't want to debate whether learning more math outside of school is cruel and unusual punishment because I am already firmly of the view that it is not.

Feenie, I'm really interested to know where I can find level 3 criteria. Can you point me to it?

Having trouble finding a document which you won't need a password for - this is the best I can do for now, it's not bad.

nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/64668

Hope this works. This is the new assessment framework that is coming into schools.

Btw, apologies if I offended you ealier, I did not mean to imply that I thought you were leading your child to a breakdown. I just wanted to say that it can happen, I have seen it.

I can't believe you do mock SATS papers with your child! I am so shocked. Do they school ask you to do this? Is it homework? I'd tell them to shove it where the sun don't shine!

Big thankyou to both of you.

I don't suppose you can tell me all of the 2D and 3D shapes she is liable to encounter in the assessment / test?

Seen now that post is why I wanted to make it clear that whether or not to study was not the question at hand.

Funnily, I get a lot of comments like that on MN. But, when I ask the teacher what we should be working on, she says "Oh that's great. These things here could use a bit of work."

We have been doing this for quite a while, so it is not a sudden cram session in the few weeks running up to the assessment.

And furthermore the best way I know to make test taking less stressful is to take a lot of them.

I am surely not alone or these things would be stocked in Waterstones, WH Smith, Amazon, etc.

I am surely not alone or these things would not be stocked in Waterstones, WH Smith, Amazon, etc.