Bloody SATS

[Ledkr]

I know they are important to schools but its madness at dds school. They've gone on and on at them a out it for months, extra homework, extra lessons and generally created a great deal of expectation and stress.
Poor dd gets migraines and they are currently rife due to her worry over sats. She thinks they will impact on her going to her already allocated secondary school.
Then yesterday she came out with a list her teacher had given them. Apparently it's bed early a d a good breakfast (preferably cooked) which obviously all children need everyday.
It seems ott to me but hey.
Anyone got any comparisons?

[maresedotes]

DD1's teacher has told them to have the weekend off, thankfully. The last few months have been very full on though. I don't agree that it's partly the fault of parents because we are obsessed with a school's results. Wasn't a consideration with me for either of my children (different schools).

SATS results mean nothing to the child because they already know which school they're going to and they'll get more tests once they start secondary.

Also, once the SATS are over, the children concentrate on their production, week away and days out. There seems to be not much teaching involved.

[BooksandaCuppa]

[fallenempires]

Ledkr it's the same at our school

[Dancergirl]

What really bugs me about SATS is that at our school, if your child is ill during SATS week, they are phoned and encouraged to come in to do what they can!!

Sorry, if my child is too unwell for school then they're not coming in. Makes me bloody angry.

[WilmaFingerdoo]

Oh fucking sats. Ds was in tears the other night. "Well it looks like i'm rubbish at maths then. I'll get a crap score and be in bottom set in high school" and on.

The kids don't really have a clue what these tests are for except that the pressure, after school revision clubs 3 times a week since march (compulsory) breakfast club next week (compulsory) is beyond the ridiculous.

[WilmaFingerdoo]

Oh and ds class were all told the tale of the vomiting child driven to school by the headteacher with a bucket and the hospitalised child doing them in his hospital bed.

[KatAndKit]

After school revision clubs and breakfast clubs can not be compulsory. As a parent it is up to you what your child does and does not attend outside of official school day. If your child does not want to go to revision club then don't send him. Surely it can not be true that medical staff would allow a hospitalised 11 year old to do an unnecessary test while sick? It's not like its an A level or anything.

[Manchesterhistorygirl]

Sats can fuck the fuck off. Ds1 has just done his ks1 sats and he's been beyond stressed, poor boy. He's been doing practice papers since they went back after Easter and not allowed out to play if they hadn't completed all questions on test papers correctly. He is 7! I'm tempted to book him out for the week when he's yr.6. I hily doubt that his attendance record will matter by then.

[BackforGood]

That's shocking Feenie, and horrible.
I speak as the Mum of 1 dc who would probably have won that when she was in Yr6, but would have been absolutely appalled. IMVHO she is already lucky enough in her life that academic work comes easily to her, it would just be awful to think that anyone would then give her cash rewards for having that luck in the first place.
Really, really sad that anyone who thinks that is the right thing to do is holding the position of HT.

[mrz]

Why on earth is a school doing practice papers in KS1 when the test results aren't even reported!

[Manchesterhistorygirl]

Probably because they know they're a bit in the shit right now. We took it up with school who stated that it was ds1 putting too much pressure in himself and not in fact them!

[nlondondad]

The pressure on schools to deliver good, or even higher SATS results is tremendous. It comes through OFSTED where, these days a poor result can trigger being put in a category, which could (and has) meant the end of the Head's career. (Forced Academy status, and all that stuff)

BUT

I have to say that it does also come a LOT from parents. Instead of sats scores being used as one of a number of indicators, diagnostic yes, but only up to a point, all too often they are used as a if they were the sole measure...

[mumofthemonsters808]

I can't fault our school they are providing a free breakfast club and a free trip to the cinema next week for all the hard work the children have put in. DD taking it all in her stride, she is very laid back even agreeing to going to bed at 8.30 next week.

[mrz]

but the KS1 tests won't make the slightest difference Manchesterhistorygirl ... they aren't reported

[Ledkr]

The trouble is that the results aren't really true as the chikdren have been effectively hothoused through the last term to get better scores.

[mrz]

Is it an infant schools or a primary?

[mrz]

sorry that was for sparkling not the OP

[Sparklingbrook]

DS2 is in a Middle School mrz.

[LynetteScavo]

But all state school children in Y6 are "hot housed" so the results are some what true.

I wish DS2 didn't have to go through Y6. Y7 will seem like a picnic in comparison.

[mrz]

No they aren't Lynette

[darthsillius]

I know of a head who last week told the y6s if they didn't do well in their sats they would never get a job!

Poor kids.

[Sparklingbrook]

I have to say though that his school is brilliant on the whole. DS2 has had a male teacher for the first time ever and built up a great rapport with him, so enthusiastic, it is brilliant to see.

[Picturesinthefirelight]

These threads are so sad. I'm so glad dd isn't doing them. She's got normal school exams next week but there's been no revision or anything.