Can we opt our DS out of taking SATs?

[sogrownup]

The pressure placed on DS (yr6) around the SATs is incredibly high. After much thought and anxiety we have decided to opt out of the whole 'pressure at home' side of these tests to create a little balance. The Easter Holidays will be void of any formal homework and will be about relaxing and learning through play........
If the school is taking part in the SATs is it mandatory for your child to sit them? Can we opt our child out? If we can do this, are there any horrendous consequences that we have not considered?
Thanks all......

if a child achieves a 3 at ks1 then they are supported and taught so much more to ensure a 5 at ks2, the expectations will consequently be higher at secondary school and the same will happen.

I object to this statement, Singledadio - as a teacher, I ensure that every child progresses and achieves as much as they possibly can, regardless of any numbers that come attached to them, and I have equally high expectations for all the children I teach. I certainly don't support and teach a child 'so much more' just because a child achieved level 3 in KS1, and I don't believe that this is how the majority of teachers teach.

I had a year 6 class couple of years back who were so laid back about school and work and tests it was unbelievable. Nice, in a way, until we ran a practice maths paper for them in November and saw the results! I don't think they'd ever taken on board before their levels and targets (all changed now, rightly or wrongly). So we let them know, and wow! What an impact. The competitive spirit came right out and many of them were furious with themselves for having got disappointing scores and the switch in attitude from then on was quite remarkable. Dramatic increase in scores the next term.
So one can't assume that all children will view tests as a stress and welcome being removed from them. Out of 60 kids that year, only one was upset by SATs - and he had major other stuff going on in his life that contributed to that. The rest took it in their stride and were fine with it.

I don't mean that Feenie. Yes everyone has high expectations for all children. What I mean is that the ofsted expectation n for a level 3 child is to achieve a 5 and therefore if they are behind they will be targeted to achieve this, in most schools. However, if a child achieved a 2, then the expectation is a 4. I'm not talking about how individuals teach, I'm talking about ofsted and target management. Yes as a teacher we want all children to get the best results!

Well, the 'satisfactory progress' target would be a 4. We're meant to extract blood add value and get them higher if we can.

Very true Clam and most teachers do that! I'm just talking about in relative ofsted terms. Just to also clarify Feenie, my 'so much more' comment meant that actually because in my school we set of Maths and the top children are taught 'so much more' of the Level 5 stuff than the lower sets because they need solid foundations in the basics.

So when I'm teaching level 4 maths to some of my Y2 class I'm not doing so much more because I don't set?

If Cortina sees you posting this, Singledadio, you are in big bother!

Surely in Ofsted terms the target for all children is to make 6 sub levels progress so it those starting at level 3 don't get more encouragement than those on a level 2 or level 1. I know I only have experience of one school as a governor, and I am not a teacher but here they are looking at progress across the board and teach accordingly. In fact, DS1's school has a target of 8 sub levels now because it is only if you achieve 6+ sub levels that you are going to start adding value surely?

Doesn't matter if you stream or not either, since the teacher should be getting all children to improve. Streaming is useful if you have a large school (like ours) where you can split up classes to form separate groups with different teachers but you don't need it. The teacher should know and work with all children to reach their individual targets. The hardest pushed in our school are the stuck and stalled children, of all levels.

Clam - I have found that with DS1. His class have known about the SATs for some time but I don't know what the teachers said to them before the Easter holidays but my DS has suddenly slipped up a gear. Rather than forgetting about his homework and having me force him to get on with it on the last day of the holidays, he has made a plan of the work he needs to do and so far, he has stuck to it. That even includes doing daily maths although I think he has had the weekends off on that.

I don't see him as stressed by it at all and I think the parents of those who do get stressed might have as much to do with it as the school tbh.

No Msz never said it was because of streaming, just said that in my school the lower set of year 6 are being taught the level 4 stuff because they aren't ready for level 5 yet. Having Year 2's ready for level 4 is brilliant and I've had the same in previous years. All I'm stating is ofsted expectation regarding setting targets using sats results. I'm not getting into some huge debate over how individual teachers do things. If you disagree that is fine.

Actually SingleDadio we strive to get the level 2s to a level 5 by the end of KS2, not all make it but many do.

As a parent non-teacher, I fully support the comments of the teachers on here. My DS was level 2 in everything in Year 2 and is now being pushed to get level 5s in Year 6 because he has just grown into learning as he got older. Tke key stages are fine but really do not take into account children developing at different stages, the teachers do. If anything Ofsted simply promotes children not being pushed to level 3 in year 2 so there can be added value with them getting Level 5 in Year 6. This was from the mouth of a year 2 teacher who had been told to keep as many at Level 2 in Year 2 as possible. I am sure this does not happen in all schools but this particular school had been rated as unsatisfactory by Ofsted because there was not enough added value progression in KS2. Madness!

Mrz your school always sounds excellent on here, is it one of the top in tr country? Many of our children also achieve 5's who were 2's and I'd never hold them back! However, I'm again going to state that I'm not talking about individual schools, I'm talking about the ofsted criteria for ks3, and I've seen some children not do ks2 Sats and then not be 'pushed' with the excuse of 'we didn't have the data so value added didn't matter' not good I know!

Bitsyandbetty, I've heard of many schools where this happens. Personally I agree with you, a child should achieve whatever they capable of and not be held back.

No bog standard state primary in a socially/economically deprived area.

Really? That surprises me, after reading so much about it in here. It sounds like a great school to work in.

It is a great school to work in