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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

Year 6 SATS preparation

55 replies

Redrubber · 01/04/2012 08:34

DS has come home with some Maths to do over the Easter holidays- "No More Than 10 Minutes a Day" written in big letters on the front of the folder. For complicated reasons connected to the secondary school he's going to he needs to get the highest SATS scores he can- can anyone recommend a website with practice for kids already a level 5 but who need keeping on track and reminding about punctuation and things? Can't believe i'm doing this......!

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

IndigoBell · 01/04/2012 08:41

I was just online thinking the same thing

Again my DS is a comfortable L5, but he's very stressed about the SATs and I'm not sure what the best thing to do with him.

The reason he's stressed is he wants to be top of the class, and he isn't.

I keep telling him he's doing fine, and SATs aren't important etc, but he won't listen to me.

I've also started doing 10 minutes a day of workbooks with him. But wondering if anything online over the Easter holidays would be more effective?

6 weeks to go! And his stress levels are already through the roof :(

I don't think anything will help. Just need to count down the days. His stress levels are through the roof under test conditions, so is very hard for him to do his best.

IndigoBell · 02/04/2012 10:12

I've decided to go for IXL.

No games or gimmicks or rewards. Just questions that get harder the more you get right.

Questions are per topic, so it's easy to only concentrate on the areas he feels he's weak in.

Does anyone know if Y8 is going to be closest to L5?

SoupDragon · 02/04/2012 10:26

DS2 is doing Y8 work and is expected to get a level 6.

IndigoBell · 02/04/2012 10:57

The minimum expected level end of Y9 is a 5 or a 6.

So I'm hoping Y8 is L5 and 6 work.

Years don't map very well to levels. I think what IXL are doing are L4 and L5 questions in Y6.

And L5 and L6 questions in Y8.

But That's only a guess. The website doesn't say.

seeker · 02/04/2012 11:03

The criteria for the different levels are pretty clear- I would be worried about a website that doesn't make it equally clear, to be honest. Have you looked at the BBC site? I haven't- but the sheet that my ds brought home on Friday suggested it. Haven't looked at it because we're not doing it.........!

SoupDragon · 02/04/2012 11:12

Thankfully SATS are irrelevant for DS2.

mintchocchick · 02/04/2012 11:17

We were told by our sons teacher last week that he's borderline level 4/5 in maths and we should 'LEAVE WELL ALONE'!

He said it was the schools job to teach them enough to reach their potential and that he battles with parents over this regularly but the school/teachers approach is to leave SATs work at school and get him to enjoy his holidays and relax, get fresh air etc. Hard when it's chucking it down here!

I am tempted to do 5-10 mins a day because I'm a bit anxious about the SATS but my DH has totally backed up the teachers approach and persuaded me to not mention work over the holidays. So no SATS work here - we have a Yr6 and a Yr 2 and neither will do anything.

IndigoBell · 02/04/2012 11:17

BBC is all games and gimmicks.

Nothing wrong with a website describing their work as Y6 rather than as L4/5.

Lots of parents would prefer it described like that.

After all the levels criteria are as artificial and made up as anything else.

SoupDragon · 02/04/2012 11:18

"Nothing wrong with a website describing their work as Y6 rather than as L4/5."

Apart from the fact that you can't work out what level equals to what year! :o

IndigoBell · 02/04/2012 11:30

Mint - if DS didn't suffer from severe anxiety, due to his Aspergers, I wouldn't want him to do any extra work either.

But as he does, I have to try and work out which is the best way to manage his anxiety. And I'm really damned if I do and damned if I don't.

But seeing as, in general, responding to exam stress by working hard is a good strategy, that's what I've decided to do.

seeker · 02/04/2012 11:31

But year 6 work could be anything from 4c to 6. How will that help you with a child who is at level 5 already?

And what 's wrong with games- if your child is very stressed by this process it might hel to relax him a a bit.

I've just noticed the OP is talking about literacy, anyway! OP- have you looked at the BBC thing?

mintchocchick · 02/04/2012 11:53

Sorry indigo that your DS has anxiety - that can't be easy to manage as a parent.

If you have tried and tested techniques for reducing stress levels, then like you say, best to stick to these. I think if I had a child with anxiety I would go for whatever way helps them feel in control - so extra work might be it.

IndigoBell · 02/04/2012 13:07

Thanks mint.

I've just bought him some rescue remedy. That'll probably help him more than extra practice.

But I will also keep up with the extra practice. Because I think you're right, that's the best way to increase his confidence.

He's been a secure L5 all year. But he's very worried that under exam conditions he'll go to pieces.

And no amount of reassurance will reassure him.

bubby64 · 02/04/2012 13:36

I am exactly the same position with my 2, DS1 is working at a level 5c/b in both numeracy, literacy and comprehension, and is quite chilled about the whole thing, his twin, however, who was again a solid 5 in literacy and comprehension,but was a 4b in numeracy and was offered extra tuition by the school for a term to boost him up, and is now at level 4a/5c. He is really worried and stressed about the whole thing, and keeps saying "he can't do it!" Lots of reassurrance has been needed there, and I have got him Rescue Remedy, which seems to work, even if it is only in his mind. (mind you, I use it as well before I sing in a choir performance, so swear by it myself!!)
They have got homework for over the holiday, and we are taking it in 10-15 minute slots to break it down so the don't get bored, but also don't get stale.

bubby64 · 02/04/2012 13:40

Oh - and have you seen the "woodlands" website- its very good for fun practice.www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/index.html

MrsLovely · 02/04/2012 13:46

There is no SATS test for writing this year, it is based on APP and teacher assessment, so if your child is working at a level 5 then the teacher will assess them as such; it won't depend on a one off piece marked by a stranger.

It is only reading comprehension and maths which will now be assessed externally.

PastSellByDate · 03/04/2012 16:09

I know Indigo doesn't rate BBC games, but BBC bitesize maths does have directed gaming for maths topics: www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/maths/ - if your DS prefers to revise in the less stressful way of playing games 'for fun' that may help.

I'm not trying to plug this - but if you're looking for on-line ideas and just want a bit extra (not overload) - you may want to consider the revision club through mathsfactor www.themathsfactor.com/revision-club.aspx. It's tests where your DC is at and then places them in the appropriate grouping for revision - to build skills from that starting point. You can do as much or as little as your desire - £6.99

HTH.

ByTheWay1 · 03/04/2012 16:28

SATs are there to see how well the school is doing at educating our kids.... have they added value, progressed, whatever between KS1 and end of KS2.... why tutor the kids in passing them? Most secondary schools here take the teacher report, not SATs values and test the kids in the autumn term for setting anyhow....

mrz · 03/04/2012 16:34

Year 6 tests are an assessment of the individual child which is reported to the government to set future targets regardless of what receiving schools do internally.
Yes the results are used to compile league tables but this is a by-product.

merlin · 03/04/2012 16:35

I agree with BytheWay - maybe I'm naive but I just don't get the hysteria surrounding SATS. If my child was falling behind the expected levels I would hope that both myself and the school had noticed by Yr 6 and were putting things in place to help.

Anyway, do not all secondary schools retest at the start of Yr 7 for set purposes?

mrz · 03/04/2012 16:37

no they don't many use the KS2 levels

merlin · 03/04/2012 16:39

mrz - oh - well the secondary where my DS is going do retest so maybe that's why I don't get it!

mrz · 03/04/2012 16:45

Well I don't get it either regardless of whether the school retests or not ... these are 11 year olds with lots of growing and learning ahead but the idea that the tests are there to test schools is mistaken.
The tests/assessments are there to assess what a child knows at the end of each key stage so that the next teacher/school knows what they need to learn. Teachers are constantly assessing their pupils for this purpose. The difference is simply that they are reported to the government.

IndigoBell · 03/04/2012 16:56

It's not just the govt they're reported to - they're reported to the child / parent.

So there's competition amongst the students to do well, same as GCSEs, because it's a public exam.

That is if you have a child who cares.....

KitKatGirl1 · 03/04/2012 21:25

Is it just me or do you feel more pressurised to help your child revise last minute for the areas where they are borderline for a full grade (not sublevel)?

My ds is secure 5a for reading (not doing level 6 paper), secure 4b, poss 4a writing (ie will definitely not get a 5) but a 5c for Maths (Teacher Assessment, sometimes only just scraping this on timed papers) and as a consequence I feel his teacher is pushing the maths revision a lot more. We were sent home with umpteen practice papers for over Easter and I can't help but feel this is because the difference between 4a and 5c seems so much more important (for the school) than 5b/5a or 4b/4a. And is it just the number reported to secondary school or the sublevel too?

Am still letting him do lots of what he wants to do, btw, which is either reading or drawing!

Can't believe we parents are getting so stressed over these tests...anyone else think last year's year 6 parents were bonkers...and now it's us?!

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