year 6 English advice please (SATS stress?)

[gothicmama]

DD is struggling with English but not the reading part _ she has got into a real state I think there is a really big focus due to SATS and I don't know what to do to help her - so any help much appreciated
thank you

Well there is no writing test this year, it's Teacher Assessment so if that's what she's worried about, hopefully you can reassure her. The teacher will base it on their average (best?!) towards the end of the school year during normal class work.

average/best work - sorry!

There is a writing test this year some schools are marking internally (and will be subject to moderation) , others are choosing to have them externally marked as normal and others have been selected to have them externally marked but all children will complete the task.

www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/ks3/english/index.php?category_id=31

www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy/index.php?category_id=248

www.lancsngfl.ac.uk/nationalstrategy/literacy/index.php?category_id=258

Thank you so much for your responses Smile is from dd :) who appreciates the help.

Can't cut and paste yet on ipad but dfe website says 'pupil's writing result will be a teacher assessment judgment of their work across year 6' and that some schools are selected to do the externally marked test and some may choose to do it optionally if they wish or not at all. Our school is certainly not.
Hope I've not misled you if your school is, OP. Check with your school asap. But might help reassure dd with a white-ish lie that what teacher has assessed her on all year counts for more (if anxiety is your main concern) and of course look at the helpful links from mrz (will be looking myself as ds's weakest area is writing!)

Schools have the choice of whether to mark internally or externally kitkatgirl not whether to do the writing task, it is statutory

media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/k/assessment%20and%20reporting%20arrangements%20key%20stage%202.pdf

Two options are available for administering the English writing test. Schools may
administer either:

? An internally marked writing test that will be distributed to schools in February 2012. This can be taken at a time of the school?s choosing before the end of June and should be administered under normal test conditions; or

? An externally marked writing test that will be distributed to schools with the
English reading materials by Wednesday 9 May 2012. This test must be taken on Tuesday 15 May 2012 and must be administered under normal test conditions.

Regardless of which test schools choose to administer, they should use the writing test results to inform a teacher assessment judgement of a child?s work across Year 6.

Writing sampling test
Schools selected in the sample will be required to administer the externally marked writing test as part of a sample that will be used to monitor national standards. STA informed these schools of their selection in the sample at the end of October 2011. Participation is statutory for selected schools.

Participating schools must ensure that they administer the writing sampling tests on Tuesday 15 May 2012. Outcomes of the writing sampling tests will not be used for school or local authority level accountability purposes. However, schools will receive results which they should use to inform teacher assessment of writing.

Sorry, the dfe mentions the one sent out earlier in the year but our school treated that as a 'practice' as far as the children were concerned and its teacher assessment only after that. They're only reporting teacher assessment.

Just in case OP's dd has already 'done it' without realising it.

The test had to be done under test conditions we aren't doing ours until after the other tests so end of May early June.

I recommend Rescue Remedy

DS has taken one every day for a few weeks now, and it's really helping with his stress levels.

I didn't even tell him what he's taking. He just thinks it's a multivitamin.

Thank you I have shown dd the responses and it turns out it is the teacher assessment bit that is worrying her because she is not as high scoring as her friends.and a rumour that at secondary school they have a clever / dumb split which is like a secret and this has worried her As far as I know they have done two practice papers so not sure. Dd is pleased with the links from mrz I think she feels she can do something now to help herself

Ds' was under test conditions and he got a 4b, so pleased as that's his TA level too but he's not always performed well in tests for writing (perfection anxiety due to his autism not always apparent in maths tests where he's more confident!)
Hope you can reassure your daughter, OP, that secondary schools like to make their own mind up about children and give them a fresh start. (I know it's not true in all areas before people pick me up on it, but trying to be helpful to OP I think a possible white lie would help with anxiety?)
What level do you think/have you been told she's at?

If she wants to do extra work with you at home, great, go for it. If she's not so keen and you think it'll stress her out more, am not sure a few extra weeks' work will make much difference, but will bow down to better advice.

She is at 4b level her friends are appaerently 5c so I think this is why she is stressed we have tried to reassure her that she has different talents however I think it is her fear of being separated from her friends at secondary that is bothering her - my friends dd started there this year and the school assessed thwm in the first hakf term

Aren't children mean? To talk about each other as clever/dumb as if there isn't everything in between and different abilities for different things and it's not what counts anyway! Most schools don't set for English so hopefully that'll work out fine. She will probably have different friends by half term too. I know she won't believe that so hope you can do whatever it takes to relieve her anxiety so she can enjoy the end of primary/beginning of secondary. Goof luck!

KitKatGirl1 "Most schools don't set for English"

Erm...yes they do.

Ok. The school I work in, the school my husband works in, the school my son will be going to and the many schools of all my friends' children don't set for English.

To improve writing skills choose a favourite (or any) newspaper, magazine or book and together count how often adjectives and adverbs are used together with the types of verbs used. Look out for the metaphors the professionals can think up. Identify their other techniques also. You will recognise what they are doing ? the trick is to copy their powerfully descriptive style. Perhaps Google Creative Writing Magic Money Cards, too. But practice. Don?t just read. Do some extra out of school written practice.

Thank you we have been practising I'm learning too