They gave my 'baby' a mock SATS test today ......

[Carla]

.... and the poor little lamb isn't even 7 till August. They weren't supposed to find out it was a SATs test, but they did. Fortunately I don't think dd knows what it is, but all the same it does seem desperately young to me .....

horrid is't it.

they don't 'trust' teachers judgement any more so they have to give the little lamb's formal tests.

They're being abolished in Wales for KS1

I know my ds sat the STATS a yr early in yr1, he has had QCA formal tests every year, he has just had the 11+ and is now doing SATS mockups almost everyday.
And the thing is it is only going to get worse as he hits grammar school next yr
It feels no better when they are 5ft tall with big smelly feet, they are always your baby.

piffle, FWIW there seems to be no pressure at all at our grammar school. They do internal exams most years; I have vague memories of DS1 taking some old SATs papers, either as Y8 end-of-year exams or as mid-term tests in Y9, but he wasn't even slightly bothered about them.

pixiefish, I wish they would be abolished in England too

From reading the letter ds1's school sent home recently you'd think KS1 SATs were the most important thing in the universe. He's only in Reception so I'm praying they'll be abolished by the time he's old enough to do them.

Ks1 SATS were abolished in Wales a few years ago and they are now going to stop KS2 SATS.