Another SATS thread.... Anyone's school really obsessing about them?

[MummyPenguin]

DD is in year 6 so will be doing the dreaded SATS tests in May. Honestly though, her teachers, particularly the Deputy Head, who teaches the top groups (which DD is in) seems to be losing the plot over them. Since the beginning of term it's been SATS SATS SATS. DD says that's all they talk about. At times DD has been coming out of school very stressed due to the pressure in class to perform well. Yesterday morning the Deputy Head said to me that she'd 'had a word' with DD on her way into school and will be doing so with three other girls as they've slipped from a level 5 to a level 4 in the Maths test. She made it sound like it's something that's been happeneing for a few weeks (before the hols too.) I asked DD about it when she came out yesterday and she said that it was only last week's Maths test that she had got a level 4 in. All the previous ones are level 5. I said to DD that it was obviously just an off week, so not to worry too much, and that I'm sure she'll be maintaning her level 5's. DD said that the Deputy Head told her and the other girls that she was 'disappointed' in them. That's nice eh? They've been working so hard and they are only 11...

DD is going to Grammar school in September. Does anyone know if Grammar schools stream the children according to their SATS results in the same way that comprehensives do?

Year 2 is now totally teacher assessment, although some schools do sample papers "just to check".
Year 9 is the KS3 SATS year, not Year 8 btw.

A local school does KS3 SATS in Year 8.

Most teachers I know hate the pressure of SATs as much as anyone, but - if enough children don't achieve the level predicted for them, the OFSTED report will only grade them as 'satisfactory', which may lead to falling numbers, and thus reduced funding. This may not affect your year 6s, but it may well affect younger siblings.

Many schools do optional sats in years 3,4,5,7 and 8 ready made end of year tests.

DS3 (year 9) enjoyed the projects for the EP grades

IMO the year 9 sats are quite useful for the kids as they get a taste of sitting for a public exam (big hall, timed papers, revision etc) which can act as a dress rehearsal for the GCSE papers which for many subjects start in the November of year 10

MP, not sure. One went to the school his father taught at so we paid 15% of the fees only and then he got a music scholarship to his next school.
But with all 5 school and university it's about £50k a year I think out of taxed income, so yes, not cheap.