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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

Disapointed in Ds's year 6 sats results and I shouldnt be!

15 replies

sprat1 · 14/07/2011 16:55

We got Ds's sats results yesterday. 5 maths 4.s English and science. so I shouldnt be disapointed. They are perfectly respectable. But I am. Several others in his class who are thought to be less bright got all 5's. They have all had private tutors all year. I can just feel their mums crowing about their wonder childs results. isnt competitive parenting awful!! I do feel Ds hasnt forfilled his potential . I know they are silly tests which count for nothing. Their secondary doesnt use them for setting. The school will be delighted at the high nimber of level 5's which largely isnt due to good teaching but is nearly all down to outside tutoring.

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RogerMelly · 14/07/2011 16:57

please don't engage with other mothers about this :( honestly, none of it is important. Just to put it in perspective, my 11 year, yr 6, is still on P scales and I am still proud of her, it is not comparable to what your son has acheived but you need to remember how well he has done and not get drawn into all this competitive shit

Original poster

sprat1 · 14/07/2011 17:02

I know. I am being a twat!!

OP posts:

mummytime · 14/07/2011 17:03

Also any good secondary know that some children have been tutored to get these grades. Some of them will struggle when asked to think creatively at senior school, especially in Maths and Science (do they understand rather than just know the answers?).

lovecheese · 14/07/2011 17:06

If my child gets a level 5 for maths I will , literally, eat my hat. Your child has done well, ignore the other mums.

Original poster

sprat1 · 14/07/2011 17:08

Thanks

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MigratingCoconuts · 14/07/2011 17:13

As a secondry school teacher I would also say do not worry! Mummytime is totally spot on.

I would worry about the priority of parents who tutor for exams that are simply a guide of where understanding is and not really an end in themselves. It all just carries on next year into KS3...

Where's the fun? Where's the love of learning? Talk about killing the joy in education!!

(of course, I also speak as a parent of a DD in year 1 who is 'slightly below expectations' and I'm also trying to get my head round that )

GrimmaTheNome · 14/07/2011 17:16

Why on earth would anyone tutor a child for SATs?

bellavita · 14/07/2011 17:16

DS2 has got 4's. He is disappointed, but we are very proud of him especially as his teacher told us he would probably fail... As long as he tried, that is good enough for us.

RogerMelly · 14/07/2011 17:19

People tutor for sats in grammar school areas unfortunately I have no idea, apart from for specific learning difficulties, why someone would do it in a non selective area

lovecheese · 14/07/2011 17:27

A friend of a friend employs a tutor for her 2 children, not because of Grammar competition or selective secondaries, but because she wants her children to "Be better than their friends".

Original poster

sprat1 · 14/07/2011 17:27

Mixture of reasons for getting tutors, Some did private exams, Some parents wanted to give their child an extra boost. The school sometimes recommends tutoring. And some have just had a tutor ever since year 1 believe it or not. it is notable that several of the kids with tutors have come from below the expected level to getting 5's
Anyway I am greatful for your wise words.

OP posts:

GrimmaTheNome · 14/07/2011 17:47

Tutoring for 11+ and entrance exams is understandable, as they can actually matter. (the issues around ethics and advisability is a whole other matter). Such tutoring might improve SAT scores but the focus and techniques are surely significantly different.

Tutoring because your child isn't being adequately taught at school is understandable too.

Tutoring soley to boost SAT score as an end in itself is bonkers a waste of money. It distorts the metrics for the school, and does a disservice to other parents trying to work out which school to send their kids to.

spiderpig8 · 14/07/2011 17:58

Perhaps though the other children aren't less bright?? Just sayin....

blackeyedsusan · 14/07/2011 20:26

SLAP tries to stop self being so bloody silly

what we know in our heads and what we secretly wish for are 2 completely different things.

MigratingCoconuts · 14/07/2011 21:43

what we know in our heads and what we secretly wish for are 2 completely different things.

that's soooo true and exactly the conflict I have been internally dealing with since DD's report came out . I've definately got a demon coconut sitting on my shoulder whispering what i know to be absolute bollocks into my ear.....

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