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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Yr2 SATs - please educate me!

32 replies

SGertie · 03/03/2011 11:06

I have a few questions about KS1 SATs if anyone can enlighten me please.

Is it still compulsory for kids to sit the formal tests or is it the school who want the kids to do them?
What relevance do the results have? Are they only for the government's and school's benefit to track performance?
Why do parents get hung up on the results, buying practice papers and worrying about it all?

-is there any benefit to the child getting a high KS1 score in later life? I'd have though surely their score should reflect what they are capable of without cramming and worrying about taking a day off sick if needed.

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munstersmum · 03/03/2011 11:14

I don't know any of the answers so shall watch with interest as DS also in yr2. I don't think there is any benefit to child. Certainly haven't bought practice papers & not done any work beyond homework. Moves to sit in bad mothers corner.

IndigoBell · 03/03/2011 11:15

More or less compulsory for kids who will achieve a level 2 or 3. ( Kids working below that level will not sit them)

Results have huge relevance to school.

Most parent's don't get hung up on the results. But obv you have meet some who do - they're just being over anxious.

Almost no benefit to child.

The benefit to the child is if they get a 2c or 2b at KS1 they are targetted a 4 at KS2, and if they get a 3 or a 2a at KS1 they are targetted a 5 at KS2.

However, the junior school will try and get your child the best mark they can. What they are targetted does not equate to what they will achieve.

There was a prev thread on progress over KS2. And the kids who were most likely to make good progress over KS2 were the kids who achieved a level 1 at KS1, and the kids who were least likely to make good progress over KS2 were the kids who got a level 3 at KS2.

So basically, your kid will get what they get at KS1 and KS2. Depending on a huge range of factors including their ability, their school, their teaching, their home life, their maturity, their attitude.....

But what result they get at KS1 does not predict what result they will get at KS2.....

You can't take the day off sick. Your KS1 results aren't based on the tests. They are based on teacher assessment throughout the year. The school just has to do the test as well.

amidaiwish · 03/03/2011 11:18

DD1 is in yr2 and is doing SATS after the may half term.
afaik it is a govt requirement but they are now marked by the teachers, not externally. but a sample of papers are checked for consistency/scores by external examiners.

there is no benefit to the child or "damage" done by a low score
it is a way of checking where the child is vs should be in yr2. it is checking the teaching and calibrating the school vs national levels.

i have never heard of kids doing practice papers at home.

the teachers don't even tell us when they take place, they happen in small groups over 2 weeks after may half term.

i really wouldn't give them much worry or thought.

Original poster

SGertie · 03/03/2011 11:21

Thanks Indigo I feel as though I'm right to be laid back about them now.
munster can I join you in that corner?

OP posts:

amidaiwish · 03/03/2011 11:21

oh and Indigobell makes a good point. my teacher friend told me they already know what marks almost all the kids are going to be given. there maybe a few borderline ones who go up or down a level based on their performance on the test, but most will do what they are capable of.

MirandaWest · 03/03/2011 11:23

Most of the evidence gained for children's level at the end of Year 2 is through teacher assessment. Schools will use more formal tests but there is no fixed date for them. Sone year 2 children will have completed them already.

smee · 03/03/2011 11:30

I think they have to assess all kids at some point in May, but how each school does it is up to them. I heard the other day of a school who puts all the kids at separate desks in the school hall. Was a bit when I heard that.

IndigoBell · 03/03/2011 11:45

No, they don't have to assess them in May. They can assess them when they want.

They do have to make sure the kids can't copy, but they don't normally put them in the hall or even let them be aware they are taking tests.

But again, the results of the test count for almost nothing anyway.....

smee · 03/03/2011 12:07

Ah sorry - someone told me it had to be in May, but they must have been wrong.

Original poster

SGertie · 03/03/2011 12:22

Sorry amidaiwish must have x posted, then I went offline.
Sounds like all of you in the know agree with indigo.
SATs for ds will be in May, before half term but we won't know exactly when. At least I feel I can chill about them now.
Thanks all

OP posts:

spanieleyes · 03/03/2011 17:20

The reason that many, but not all, schools do the yr 2 SATs in May is that the yr 6 SATs HAVE to be done then so it might be easier to get the whole thing over and done with at a similar time!

sageygirl · 03/03/2011 21:50

DS1 did them last year and he quite enjoyed doing them. It was low key though and the school didn't do practice papers - nor was I aware of any parents making their kids do them at home. DS1 was convinced it was all about spelling and got me to test him on lots of words for weeks. He was delighted when the actual spelling bit came up.

cece · 03/03/2011 21:54

Don't worry about them, ignore them and any decent school will make sure that your DC won't even know they are doing them.

smee · 04/03/2011 10:44

I asked DS if his teacher ever mentioned SATs and he said 'yes, every day' - was a bit taken aback until he explained it was about sitting on the carpet nicely.

lovecheese · 04/03/2011 13:39

So is it split teacher assessment/test 90:10 or 80:20 or something??

Niecie · 04/03/2011 13:53

OP your questions are more relevant to KS2.

Are KS1 practice papers even available? I have never heard of anybody doing practice for KS1 but it is a different story for KS2 which is much more formal.

It is primarily for the gov't and the school's benefit but it is just part of the normal on-going assessment for the children which is a necessary part of making sure they are reaching their potential and they aren't having problems. The children don't know about it and the parents don't know exactly when they are either. The testing is just part of work and will be nothing they haven't done before.

They don't have to be in May. DS2's teacher says they can be any time in Yr2 but to do them earlier than the last half term of the year would be daft because it wouldn't be a true picture of what the child had achieved in the year or during their time in the infants, which is fair enough.

Feenie · 04/03/2011 16:05

But it depends totally ok how individual teachers wish to use them - you could use them in January and use the information to progress the choldren from there - it wouldn't necessarily have to form the final assessment, it's part of the assessment conversation.

ThanksForTheMammaries · 04/03/2011 16:08

lovecheese I am a y2 teacher - the result that a child is given is completely teacher assessed, but the children have to complete the papers and these may be used to inform the teacher's judgement. So, if a child performed differently on a paper that the teacher may have been expecting, they could still give them the level that they thought the child was, as long as they had evidence - e.g. from their work in class, that the child was that level. Science - there is no paper, but levels are awarded, so what I have said applies to English and Maths. Hope that makes sense.

Oblomov · 04/03/2011 16:22

Ds1 is due to take his in may. we have had 2 parents meetings about them and told not to worry. and that they have been doing 'exercises' all year.
We were all asked to buy the CGP 'KS1 Study Books' for maths, english, and science - both the study books and the advanced question books. which most parents did.
I will do a few of these execises with ds1 int eh next few weeks, but refuse to shove it down his throat.

Feenie · 04/03/2011 16:25

that you have been asked to buy books! That's totally unnecessary.

ThanksForTheMammaries · 04/03/2011 16:28

Agree with Feenie. Also quite surprised that the children have been doing exercises all year. Quite a lot of pressure for children who are still small, IMO.

lovecheese · 04/03/2011 16:38

Echoing the at your school's approach, Oblomov!

Feenie · 04/03/2011 16:39

Children are teacher assessed throughout their primary school lives - the only difference in y2 is that the assessment has to be reported.

Oblomov · 05/03/2011 18:05

OMG. I am assuming that my schools approach with study books is not the norm then ? oh dear. wonder what is going on there then ?
(ponders thta it is very sought after school and they are a bit more concerned about their sat results than they keep insisting to us, that they are not !!)

mrz · 05/03/2011 18:10

KS1 SATs aren't published so only the child's parents (and government) know how well or badly the school has done.

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