What does 109 and 118 mean in SATS scores please?

[Hunnybears]

(DC is 11) I was given those scores on a piece of paper and advised when schools go back they could go in to it further. That’s what DC got in the mock SATS and they’ll use those scores to advise secondary school where children are academically.

109 Maths
118 reading and comprehension

DC doesn’t struggle at school I know that much and did pass the admission test for the local grammar but those scores are completely arbitrary to me...

Doesn’t anyone have any idea where they are in relation to whether they are expected etc...

Many thanks

Different schools make their groups in different ways. Some grammars have plenty of children that didn't sit KS2 assessments, so it would be pretty silly to use the KS2 scores to group children.
Some schools prefer mixed ability teaching. Most will assess children when they arrive in any case, because despite KS2 being reformed some schools have already become very good at teaching to the new tests, and children with scores that seem strong (110+) actually aren't demonstrating they have stronger skills than those with "lower" comparative scores from previous years.

Very good OP! Well done to your child :)

As to where your child should be- what were their KS1 and EYFS scores like? If they were average at KS1 but strong now, they have made excellent progress. However, if they got all 3s at KS1, I would be looking at their maths skills before they begin Y7 in September.
Another factor is the prep you did for grammar- if your child was heavily prepared for 11+ that will have had a knock on effect on their KS2 outcomes. The type of preparation will also have had an effect, as entrance exams for independent schools may test very different skills and knowledge from the state grammars.

That’s what I mean, I don’t even know what CAT/SITS are 🙈 clearly don’t have brains that my DC has 🤣

Regarding secondary @MooPointCowsOpinion that’s exactly the advice I was looking for. Thanks. It’s all good getting 109 and 118 but what does it mean in the grand scheme of things. If secondary schools don’t even use them them

@Soontobe60

No I have definitely not asked this before. Must be someone else, I’m surely not the only person asking about this in Education section?

SATs are all about measuring the progress of children to judge the school, not the children. They’re not at all important on an individual child level, though I know it’s gratifying as a parent to know your child is ‘above average’ and it does mean we can predict higher gcse grades, ultimately it doesn’t impact what happens in year 7.

People are just quoting terms at you without explaining their meaning.
A score of 109 means that your son is better than 75% of the students taking the exam (by some definitions this is within average by some it's above, in an average class room it would represent a student that was maybe just about about on the top table - perhaps on the 2nd table)

A score of 118 means that he did better than 97% of students taking the exam (this would obviously be above average - and would represent a student that is top of an average ability class).

The value of SATs results is debatable as some school prep students for them more than others giving inflated results. All kids of other factors can also come into play but the stats I've quoted give you an idea of your child's performance whatever that's worth.

The scores would be fairly typical for a student entering a grammar school - slightly below for maths and slightly above for English.

What does it mean in the grand scheme of things if secondary schools don't even use them - SATs are generally considered more a measure of the school than the individual pupil.

My daughter got similar scores and wasn't placed in top sets in high school. She's in year 10 now tho and headed for 6/7/8 but the ones where she's 6s she's getting 100% in the tests so I don't think they're too accurate.

Thanks very much for the replies all- much appreciated. I’ll be asking what 6, 7, 8 means soon 😂

In the latest GCSE gradings the numbers equate to the old letter system as follows - 6 is a good B grade, 7 an A and 8 is an A* Well, you almost asked....

It's not always true that they have no bearing on the individual child in secondary.
Some schools partly decide who should be offered 2 languages or 3 separate sciences based on the KS2 SATs. They are often used for flight paths and deciding if children are on-track or not and also for who gets extra help and intervention. Higher attainment may well be expected from those with high KS2 SATs and less from those with the low scores.

And this year with Covid, when GCSEs are issued without exams, one of the prior attainment things to be considered (if it exists - because not all children do SATs) will be their KS2 SATs.

So to say they have zero nearing on an individual child just isn't the case really. The students themselves might not be very aware of the bearing they have and parents might not either, but they do impact.

They do have an effect on them in secondary, just depends which they go to. Your child has done really really well.

The lowest you can get for a scaled score is 70. Our DD has severe dyscalculia and on the maths papers she only got a couple correct and so she scored 71 or 73 for maths I can't remember.
However, her school puts kids in pathways based on their sats and however well she does in class she's always going to be pathway D. They slap this on on the inside of all exercise books so it's humiliating for her. A lot of schools use this system and I'm sure it has its advantages but our friends son who is high achieving also hated it. However hard he tried the school would say based on your sats this isn't good enough.

Literally the first link on a google search came up with the answer that even I can understand and I don’t have school age children.

thirdspacelearning.com/blog/sats-scores-explained-ks2-ks1/

Wonder if you would have posted this if the scores had been 80

thirdspacelearning.com/blog/sats-scores-explained-ks2-ks1/

@LochJesd

Oh do go away. Why bother replying to just be arsey 🙄
You don’t even have school age children- as you say!!

Even by the comments on this thread there’s clearly different views.

I never said my child wasn’t clever- they are clever, I don’t know strangers to tell me they think that too. I know that myself. What I wanted an explanation on is what does it mean in the grand scheme.

Oh and I have another child that I would be over the moon if they got 90 FYI!!!

I'm not sure why the school shared those results with you really; they may be indicative of how they would probably have performed in the real thing, but they will not have been sat under the same conditions and will not officially be recorded.
Presumably they will use them amongst a range of other things to inform your child's secondary school about the level they are working at, but they there doesn't seem to be any reason to pass on the mock results to anyone.

They do have an effect on them in secondary, just depends which they go to. Your child has done really really well.

But these results won't be used. In a normal year all children in state schools sit the same tests under the same conditions, so there is a level playing field.
This year some schools will have sat mock tests already, some may have being planning to do them towards the end of term, but were unable to do so because the schools closed. Different schools will have used different previous years papers, under different conditions, some children who would qualify for extra time in the real thing may have had it, some won't and they have not been independently marked.

Whilst primary teachers can use the information gathered to help them report to the secondary schools, the results of random tests will not be passed on.

If they're going to a grammar they will not use SATs results for streaming usually (they're much less useful in a grammar as they'll have all their students mainly clustered around the 110-120 mark with many on full marks if it's fairly selective). Also grammar schools have 11+ marks which are more useful as it's a more difficult test - although I know quite a few grammars who also do their own in huse CAT testing during the first few weeks although in general this is just used for their internal monitoring (ensuring all students are reaching their potential).

My daughter got exactly this set of marks when tested in feb. There was an expectation that the maths mark would improve by May.

I’ve no idea now what high school will take from these scores. Her older sister got 116/119 in the May and has always been top set at high school. I’d think DD2 might be top set (of six) for English and maybe 2nd or 3rd for maths. Apparently she’s quite amazing at maths but she doesn’t check her work. Frustrating

Dd is at comprehensive. Has sen throughout lower school/primary.
She scored last year 99 in maths and 104 in English which we were really pleased with ( she was working at year 2 level at the end of year 4).
Secondary did Cats. She is I. Set 3 of 5 for English and set 4 of 6 for maths. I think that whatever tests they use it gives a decent indication of the top and bottom. Those in the Middle sets can be moved up/down to find the right level. Just before lock down, dd was due to be moved up in Maths to see
If it was a good fit.

@ArtieFufkinPolymerRecords well obv, they're mocks. He's still done v well mocks or not!
My comment about their usefulness was re a pp that said they're useless in general. This is a myth and it's not true.

Well done to your DC.

It is a good indicator for you to have a reasonable expectation that DC should be getting good reports at senior school.

If they don't, it might have been a fluke, it might be the teacher and their teaching style, it might be an attitude thing. In the teenage years, it might be a confidence thing (extroverts can dominate lessons if the teacher doesn't know the class).

I suppose it is my way of suggesting that your child has great potential to enjoy senior school and do well, and you need to ask for help if they appear to struggle.