Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Education

Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Original poster

I'm not gloating so don't flame me, I need your advice. If your year 5 child had just done really well in the 'SATS', would you look for an academic secondary? Where would you go from here?

27 replies

FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 19/05/2009 23:15

He's just turned 10 so a little year 5 and has scored bottom of level 5 (5a?) for english and top level 5 for maths (5c?). Should I be chatting to his teachers about this? I need to start looking for a secondary school for him but I don't know how to go about it or what to look for.

TIA.

OP posts:
KingCanuteIAm · 19/05/2009 23:19

I thought SATs were year 6 (and not marked yet)? Has he done them early?

S1ur · 19/05/2009 23:21

I think you should look for exactly the same things you would if he'd scored lower tbh.

The important things are important regardless of SATs scores.

Look at your local, look at where his mates will be going, look at the ethos and atmosphere of the school.

Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 19/05/2009 23:22

The year 5 class work with the year 6 class for some subjects (maths and english) so they were all given the papers. The teacher has marked them all to find out where they all were.

OP posts:
LadyGlencoraPalliser · 19/05/2009 23:24

This will be the optional year 5 SATs KC - lots of schools do them.
FBGB - my DD1 also a summer born scored similarly end of year 5. She now in Year 7 in the only local school available (an underperforming comprehensive)and doing very well, but clearly coasting. However, she is enjoying her first year of secondary school and I reckon she will be fine.
I think a school where your DS will feel happy and settle in well is more important than whether it is highly academic. I'm not saying I wouldn't prefer DD to go to a school that had higher academic standards, but I reckon an interested parent can to a large extent compensate for that at home.

Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 19/05/2009 23:25

We are not in the catchment area for where the other children will be going so we'd have to move. Should the school be doing anything else with him as he has year 6 to do next year? I know school's not just about maths and english and there are other ways to stretch him but I have no contact from them at all about ds so I have no idea what they are doing/should be doing. I need to go in and see them don't I.

OP posts:
LadyGlencoraPalliser · 19/05/2009 23:25

Oh sorry FBGB -xposted. It was the actual Y6 papers.

KingCanuteIAm · 19/05/2009 23:26

Ahh, right. Well, if he is already doing year 6 level I would say I would chat to the teacher about how they are going to keep him stretched and interested over the next year.

Other than that, basically what Slur said, a good school is a good school regardless of how your child is doing IYSWIM.

Oh and well done Lilfluffy

Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 19/05/2009 23:27

He said he has done year 5 and year 6 tests, scoring slightly higher in the year 6 tests. He is being called geek by some of the other children

OP posts:
Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 19/05/2009 23:30

Thankyou. There's a class assembly on Thursday so I could arrange a meeting then.

OP posts:
KingCanuteIAm · 19/05/2009 23:32

That is a bit sad Fluffy, TBH I am surprised they let the children know each others scores, it is such a standard way to create bad situations between peers

Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 19/05/2009 23:37

That's my thinking. He said the teacher offered them the choice of how to find out, they were calling the ones that didn't want everyone to know 'thick' or 'scardycat' and he didn't want the others to call him names. I'm fairly sure a 10 year old's memory of events is innacurate though . He does come across as a bright kid though so people can tell really easily. His brain's a bit like a calculator.

I don't think he's a nerd, he's cool. He's got alot of friends though and is confident so I hope it won't affect him too much.

OP posts:
KingCanuteIAm · 19/05/2009 23:52

Well, as long as it is just some passing kid silliness then fair enough but I do question situations like this.

Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 19/05/2009 23:54

I don't agree with them being told in class. I wonder when they are going to get around to telling the parents!

OP posts:
chipmonkey · 20/05/2009 00:34

Dh's niece is very bright and she goes to our local community college ( I'm in Ireland) because
1/ most of the kids around here do!
2/ It's a 5 minute walk from her house
3/ It has a fantastic positive attitude and huge efforts are made to encourage and praise the children in all their undertakings, whether it be academic, sports or music.

Ds1 is bright but is hindered by ADD and he will also be going there.

Very that they told them in class! I would be very annoyed.

Well done to your ds!

Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 20/05/2009 00:35

Thankyou (on behalf of ds).

OP posts:
Clary · 20/05/2009 00:37

fluffy where do you actually live then???

Are you not in the catchment for errrm the secondary school near me?

(I know lots of brainy kids who go there and seem to be doing well btw).

Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 20/05/2009 00:39

We're in the Bem catchment, they keep moving the boundaries. Ds's school should be Ash.

OP posts:
Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 20/05/2009 00:40

We are also in the catchment for the college in the city centre (LF)

OP posts:
Clary · 20/05/2009 00:43

Oh I see. Well I am always very impressed with LF whenever I go there (no playing fields tho so a bit of a nono for DS2).

Some kids go there from yr DS's school as well.

You could apply to the W school - current yr 5 is a small year I reckon, like current yr 6. (Apparently all kinds of riff raff has got into Ecc this year, from out of catchment and everything!!! mock )

Clary · 20/05/2009 00:44

Actually LF doesn't have a catchment as such. You need to put it first choice tho.

Original poster
FluffyBunnyGoneBad · 20/05/2009 00:49

The MIL wants ds to go there. I'm tempted to see if he can do well in the entrance exam to NotHigh and see how it goes. It's tough. I wouldn't touch bem! Ds isn't sporty, he's not necessarily academic, he seems to pick things up really quickly without any effort so homework comes as a shock. I darn't think what he could do if he tried.

OP posts:
marialuisa · 20/05/2009 09:17

Agree with Clary that a bright child can do well at E, W or LF. Could you move at all to ensure that you're in catchment for W if he's keen to stay with friends? A good friend of mine went to BEm and says it was "challenging" when she was there 30 years ago and it's the same now, but with knives, so understand your reluctance. She teaches at E now but has worked all over the city so knows her schools.

cat64 · 20/05/2009 09:30

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

OrmIrian · 20/05/2009 09:36

My DD is in yr5 has a reading level of 5a and suspect her literacy generally will be similar. It will make no difference to the school she goes to. Same as her brother. There are many factors just as important as the school academic results.

mimsum · 20/05/2009 14:27

you are avanap (sp?) aren't you? in which case I thought your ds had always been working at least a year ahead of his chronological age in the succession of private schools he's been at, so not really much of a surprise is it ?

any half-way decent primary will have plenty of kids working at level 5 from y4 onwards so they should have experience of how to stretch the more able ones