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Original poster

S A T s !!!!!!

123 replies

dottee · 04/05/2005 11:33

Ok whose little darlings are doing their KS2 SATs very soon?

I'm already going head to head with ds about early nights over the next week or so!

OP posts:
andif · 11/05/2005 14:42

It annoys me how stressed some children are made by their school's approach to SATs. I agree that these are more indicators for the school and teachers and that parents shouldn't get too hung up about results. My ds1 took his KS1 SATs last year. He hardly knew he was taking them and we had no parent pep talks beforehand to stir up sats fever! He got level 3s in everything, but we have taken little notice as I know that they spent at least a term being taught to pass them! I don't think this is necessarily a true picture of his ability. We only found out result on his record of achievement at the end of the year and were much more interested in the teacher's 'blurb' than a number. He too was unaware, and it was only when a friend of his from a private school was dancing around singing 'I got level 3! I got level 3!" that I had to explain to him what he meant.

Doddle · 11/05/2005 14:55

Sometimes it is not the school who put the pressure on. I teach Y6, we have worked hard with the children but not ridiculously so, they seem to feel well prepared and confident in their ability to do their best. Last week we had a very relaxing week with lots of interesting, unusual activities on offer. This week we are spending a lot of time relaxing with the children as well. We have been cooking, playing games outside and doing a great deal of art for instance. The children seem less stressed than we do!!

However last Friday we did not set any homework, believing that it was much better for the children to have a pleasant relaxed weekend and to come into school on Monday fully refreshed. At least 5 parents have been in to complain about this, saying that we should have filled the children's every waking moment with work.

Sometimes we just can't win.

Original poster
dottee · 11/05/2005 17:10

Just been talking to ds and said, "was one of your spellings 'disease'?"

He was amazed at my mind-reading powers - courtesy of MN!

OP posts:
meea · 11/05/2005 17:25

LOL Dottee just done the same to my ds.

He's not been very well today and just went in to do the test then came straight home.

Does anyone know why some children did a second maths test while others didn't in the key stage one sats.DD seems to think it's because she did well yesterday.

Goldfish · 11/05/2005 17:27

My ds has been fine so far this week with ks 2 sats, but is dreading maths tomorrow and Friday. He is in the top group but has worked hard to get there. When he was doing ks1 sats he was one group up from the bottom ( I was a teaching assistant in YR2 at the time so knew how he was getting on), however this last year or two it seems to have clicked with him.

He is very nervous about the mental maths tomorrow though. At the school open evening they played us a tape of an example of mental maths, and I must say, I wouldn't want to have done it. They just need to remember not to panic and if they get stuck, to listen to the next question or they will miss that as well. After that theres another 45 minute maths test. Poor things, then more maths on Friday.

Roll on the weekend, thats what I say. Ds2 is doing tests in year 5 as well. They both seem tired now. I think this week is a real strain for them and we can't wait to get them out of the way.

Doddle · 11/05/2005 17:52

meea, if they do well in the first ks1 maths paper, then they can do a second one to see if they achieve level 3.

andif · 11/05/2005 18:15

Doddle - sounds like your school has a healthy approach, and I agree it's often the parents who are desperate to have some sort of yardstick to compare the kids. It's so hard for kids that aren't good at putting things down on paper (esp KS1) to be compared in this way.

figleaf · 11/05/2005 18:20

What bits make up the kS1 sat - you all seem to know loads. DS1 is in Y2 and hes come home saying Ive done this or that but I dont know if any of them are sats stuff.

Do KS1 do things on the same day nationally like the KS2 kids?

saffy202 · 11/05/2005 19:05

Ds1 thought there wasn't enough time for today's exam. He finished but had no extra time to check his answers, he reckons most of the class were the same.

He's also dreading tomorrows mental maths - maths is his best subject but he sometimes struggles to understand what the tape is saying - he's too used to geordie accents - maybe they could bring out different tapes for each region

marbeth · 11/05/2005 19:39

Figtree

My DS is doing his key stage 1 sats.Think school can decide when to do them.In his school,teacher said they would do 2 pieces of written work.One short and long.Also got to do spellings to go with writing.They also have done reading to teacher.Numeracy test,if they achieve level 2A they do level 3 paper.Also reading comprehension test.He has done 2.All the children have been very relaxed about it and are not worried.

marbeth · 11/05/2005 19:40

Figleaf

apologies for typing figtree

piffle · 11/05/2005 19:52

saffy my ds wrote about chicken fajitas
ds also had to hurry his ending up today, he heard the teacher call out the ten minute, check your answers 10 mins and had to rush a few bits,

he said he did the easy questions first and so on, he says he thinks he did good answers for all questions but does not sound nearly as cocky as he has done all week.
Having just been chosen for a primary vs secondary school maths challenge he is VERY excited about the maths papers!

figleaf · 11/05/2005 20:02

Thanks marbeth, thats 6 bits to the test then ( or 7 if they do 2 maths papers). Sounds alot for 7 y.o doesnt it.

swedishmum · 11/05/2005 20:38

Doddle
Hope you're thinking up some suitably pointless and time consuming homework to give to Y6 to keep the parents happy!!
Ds (no 3) had the option of Level 3 tests last year - teacher spoke to me about it as he's dyslexic therefore finds writing stressful. I said no - it's enough for me to know he could have done the paper, don't need government to be able to tick a box about my little boy.

tigermoth · 12/05/2005 07:09

My son wrote about toad in the hole. Glad he had such a nice question, as the writing tests are his least favourite and he was very much suffering from tonsillitis - I had to take him home straight after the test. His teacher looked over his work and reckoned he had got a level 5 in this paper, so I am very proud of him.

He has been ill for every test so far, but is battling through. Doesn't seem too fussed about them, thank goodness.

Very interesting to read the teacher's take on the tests this year.

beep · 12/05/2005 08:22

my daughter's fav food is spaghetti bolognaise but she said that was too difficult so she wrote about bangers and mash!when we have that ialways make a "birthday cake " with ketchup as the filling, mash as the cake the veg as decorations and the sausages as the candles, so she described all that and said that the taste of it takes her to heaven and of couse her mum is the best cook ever!

Potty1 · 12/05/2005 09:13

My dd wrote about chips and gravy from the chippy - like we go every week! - She said it was 'the taste of the nation' lol.

She's dreading today had two nosebleeds last night and her excema has broken out. My baby...

Potty1 · 12/05/2005 16:21

How did everyone get on today?

Dd said maths was OK. The mental wasn't as hard as she thought so she was calmer for the paper - one more to go.......

Doddle · 12/05/2005 16:36

Teacher Perspective:

Mental Maths was a good paper, very clear and straightforward,

Paper A mainly fine, only the final question was really tricky

Only one more to go!!!!!!

Potty1 · 12/05/2005 17:01

Yes Doddle - dd has tried to explain the last question to me....but I didn't understand

meea · 12/05/2005 17:38

Ds2 says that the last question was pips translated means easy peasy lemon squeezy.
I asked him if he was sure and he says the whole class got it.Maybe they all got it wrong.

saffy202 · 12/05/2005 17:58

Ds1's teacher ran through paper A afterwards -so from memory he got 2 questions wrong out of 40
One of them was the last one also!

beetroot · 12/05/2005 18:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

tigermoth · 12/05/2005 21:49

snap - ds knows he got the last two maths questions wrong but thinks he was ok on most or all of the others.

Potty1 · 12/05/2005 21:52

So what was the answer to the last maths question??