KS1 SATS - just how important are they?

[sallycinamon]

Hi
DD will be doing SATS in a couple of months - just teacher assessment I think.

Just how important are they? I feel like she has already been pigeon-holed as being a certain ability and get the impression that her academic future is more or less mapped out. Apparently they can predict what she will get at the end of KS2 and pretty much KS3 and therefore GCSEs. This seems so wrong - she is only 6!

Children are expected to make a certain amount of progress each year and usually do but there doesn't seem to be any scope for making any extra progress. She will make progress in line with where she has been pigeon holed but it will be difficult for her to 'break out' of her 'compartment' into the next one up as it were.

I've probably not explained myself very well but am I being really negative about this whole process? It does seem to be flawed.

Can anyone explain how it all works? thanks!

I too have a year 2 six year old. I hope very much he has not been pigeon holed for the rest of his school career. We are not doing preparation for SATs as he enjoys school but not keen to do work at home. I am aware of parents that are doing practice papers and hothousing somewhat. I know that would not suit my ds and he probably won't do as well as those who do more at home. He is on the 2a / 3 'border' and will probably be mostly 2a. I don't want to take the 'joy' of school away from him and hope my approach is the right one.

Of course they're not pigeon holed if they're in a reasonable school.
Dd2 did her SATS last year, at junior school they reassessed them on their own at half term. SATS results had no effect on the placings at all, one or two big surprises compared to the infant assessments.

The groupings took no notice of SATS results at all. Similar happens at secondary school; they do their own assessments after the first half term.

Mine never realised they were being tested at KS1. They played Victorian schools, and then wrote a "best story" for their next year's teacher.

sallycinamon:

Do KS1 SATs matter - not really. And they shouldn't. It's a national test to assess that the schools are delivering the minimum acceptable levels of attainment in reading, writing (grammar), maths & science. It probably is more useful to see this as a check on the school. The school is being audited by test of their pupils in Y2 to determine if the minimum level of achievement (Level 2 by Y2 - ideally 2b - see www.mumsnet.com/learning/assessment/national-curriculum-levels.

Now presuming you are genuinely asking this - then I think you could benefit from checking out websites like Times Education Supplement or education sections in broadsheet newspapers (Guardian very good, but there are others).

The rather unfortunate statistical fact is that your performance as a pupil is fairly predictable on the basis of parental wealth (socio-economic class) & education (in particular mother's level of education). Does this mean this is set in stone. Of course not - but this is the trend in educational outcomes and has been since WWII - so is well recognised as a being 'real' trend.

At issue is the fundamental view of learning: UK view is effectively inherent intelligence will pre-determine outcome. Other world views (especially far east - places like Japan, Korea, China) - is that anyone can learn, it is entirely dependent on effort. This debate has raged for decades and remains unresolved.

Possibly because there simply is no one way to learn.

So back to your question. Do tests matter? Well as a check that your school is doing what it should in KS1, then yes for tax payers (with and without children) it matters, we are investing in the education of the next generation.

Does this test matter to you as a parent? Well that's entirely up to you. My DD1 was performing below expected level and this test, along with a growing realisation that my DD wasn't reading well, wasn't writing well and wasn't getting subtraction all combined to motivate me to do more at home. I've written elsewhere about our struggles, solutions and results. By trial and error we've turned things around for DD1 - she's doing great now and I genuinely can see that is true. But I'm very clear that in our case our DD1 needed that opportunity at practice and review. A system without homework wasn't working for her. We found our solutions - but I'm very clear that other parents may be less fiesty and determined that me.

So take the test with a grain of salt. But use it as an independent check.

Thanks everyone, especially pastsellbydate - that was a very useful reply.

I just think it is a pity that children are being assessed albeit in an informal way at such a young age. However, seeing SATs as more of a benchmark for a school's performance seems sensible.

great post pastsellbydate thanks

Apart from it's not a test - it's teacher assessment, same as the teacher assessment that's done constantly from the second the children step through the door in Reception and the minute they leave in Y6. How else would we know what to teach?

The only way that Y2's differs is in that a small part of the evidence legally has to be a test, the results are reported centrally and to parents and they are used to measure progress between Y2 and Y6 - that is to see if the school's children make enough progress. That's it.

But parents tend not to get so nervous about say, Y1 or Y3 continuous assessment when in reality it's the same.

I think KS1 SAT assessments are important (as all assessments are important) in providing a clear picture of what the child can do and where they need help to improve and where they need more challenge.