Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Special treats for some year 6 who have done sats

34 replies

kidshurt · 21/05/2013 09:33

This year our school have decided that 6 children that sat level 6 in the sats should be treated to a outing of bowling and Mc Donalds, what about the rest of the children that worked so hard at the level they are at? Does anyone else think this is wrong and unfair?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

bettycoast · 21/05/2013 09:38

That's dreadful on so many levels. I do wonder if they're making a public show to encourage more to go for L6 next year, but do appreciate that's a bit cynical.

TeenAndTween · 21/05/2013 09:42

I think it's wrong and unfair.

An extra chocolate biscuit in the afternoons after taking the extra tests would have been right and fair though.

Periwinkle007 · 21/05/2013 09:46

no I think that is unfair. Whilst yes they have had to do extra tests some children will have worked just as hard or even harder to do lower levels and may have really achieved something for themselves whilst others may have actually found level 6 very straightforward. TeenandTween is right, an extra chocolate biscuit after doing the tests would have been appropriate and fair but to single them out for something special like this is just going to lead to bad feeling IMO.

Periwinkle007 · 21/05/2013 09:47

out of curiosity is the school paying for it? 6 kids bowling is about £72 isn't it (it was when we took some friends for a party) so add in food as well and thats £100 spent on 6 children which could have paid for a nice little food picnic or a cake for all the children to enjoy.

Witchesbrewandbiscuits · 21/05/2013 09:48

that is so wrong. its no wonder so many children have self esteem issues. totally agree that all should be rewarded for working hard and reaching their own full potential within their abilities. so much for every child matters. makes me so cross.

Original poster

kidshurt · 21/05/2013 09:51

School are paying!!!!!!!

OP posts:

Periwinkle007 · 21/05/2013 09:58

hmmmm. I would like to know how they justify that. no school has spare cash at the minute do they. Either the money should have been spent on all the children or it should have been kept for other things like new books/subsidising trips and so on but that amount on such a small number of pupils seems very wrong to me.

Tiggles · 21/05/2013 10:09

Wrong - the children who sat the lower papers will have worked as hard as the brighter children who sat the higher papers. Totally unfair and doesn't give out the message that 'trying your best' is important.

isitsnowingyet · 21/05/2013 10:10

That's a really bad idea I would have thought that the less fuss made about it the better. Particularly insensitive for those children who aren't naturally academic but may have tried their best anyway.

Theas18 · 21/05/2013 10:11

Hmm tricky. I get the " every child matters " stuff etc but when the footy team win they get a cup and general accolades in assembly etc do they not? (and in my kids junior school the sporty kids were always getting prizes of some sort).

Why don't the geeky kids get a chance to be made special too?

(from the mum of geeky kids who didn't feel at all special to the school, even though they were academic and musical.)

Ds was bullied for being a geek. If this makes geeky kids more socially acceptable/valued by the school then why not?

Disclaimer geek = shorthand for academically able, non sport kids like mine- it's what DS called himself at age 9.

It's the old "prizes are they good or bad" debate all the time isn't it. From my Dd at 4 coming storming out of school because X got rewarded for not hitting and she " never hit no one not never", Upwards.

A prize given to everyone is no prize at all (DS had this at 14 when the school decided for some mad reason to have " lower school presentation evening" . He got a " certificate for contribution to school life" - apparently because he had one of the senior music awards already he couldn't be allowed to have the junior one as well, that went to someone else LOL).

Theas18 · 21/05/2013 10:13

isitsnowingyet...

Noone worries when sports awards/certificates are given out that it is " insensitive" for the non sporty kids.... or at least they didn't when mine were at juniors.

Isn't it just " celebrating our different abilities?"

Chopstheduck · 21/05/2013 10:14

def unfair.

Ouyr school, they all go to Legoland, every year 6. Not that they appreciate it, every year they all moan that they want to go to Thorpe park instead! I think the PA subsidises it, btu we paretns have to pay.

MadeOfStarDust · 21/05/2013 10:35

Totally unfair and wrong to reward some kids in this over the top way --- but it would be nice if a fuss was made of the academic kids in some way - assembly/certificate or something...

DeWe · 21/05/2013 10:52

I don't think it's a good idea (and dd1 did all three level 6 papers last year), but I do get what Theas18 says. Maybe these children put extra effort, took extra classes etc, just the same as the football team puts in extra practice.

Also in dd1's year, a good number of the children taking the level 6 paper were those children who were often mocked for answering the question, groaned at when they got it right, and laughed at if they got it wrong. And the ones who dreaded school trips because they knew they'd either be sitting on their own with no partner or put with someone they didn't get on with.
So there may be more to it than just taking them out because they did level 6s. They may have as many self esteem issues.

And I doubt bowling for 6 children would be as much as £72-that's £12 each, you can get a child's party including food for less than that. Round here (near London) on peak for children is £4.50, and a happy meal is £2.50(?), so that's £42. However they would almost certainly be going off peak which, depending on the time they start would be an amount up to £2, which would be £27.

ReallyTired · 21/05/2013 11:06

I suppose that the level 6 children probably attended extra lessons before or after school. Its likely that they have been pushed to obvilion in an attempt to get them to level 6. However special needs kids often attend extra lessons after school and should be rewarded as well.

I agree its unfair especially as gifted and talented children get lots of extra treats and attention anyway. They get the star parts in the play, get to be on the school council and enjoy school.Before I get totally and utterly flamed for this my son has attended a serious of science workshops for gifted and talented children paid for by the school and he is doing a county guitar day. There are lots of other children who would have benefited from the same experience.

Most "gifted and talented" (or more able) children come from athulent homes where they get no shortage of treats. This outing is not going to make a difference to the children's lives.

I feel that this use of money is unjustified as the majority of children could never reach such levels however hard they tried. Children should not be rewarded for just being clever.

The money should be used for helping more able children reach their potential. Wouldn't be nice if all children with sufficient mathematical/ sciencific ablity to cope (ie level 5B or above) could attend the maths and science workshops rather than arbitary 10%.

Periwinkle007 · 21/05/2013 11:15

well the only bowling alley round here is £12.00 for a child!

I can see that yes there could be similar things to playing football etc but I do feel this is a bit too OTT if that makes sense.

my daughter is currently one of the top in her class (according to staff) and whilst I want her to know her hard work is rewarded I am not sure I would want it singled out like this that she got an outing and others didn't. To me it is more likely to lead to bad feeling from the other pupils.

OldBeanbagz · 21/05/2013 11:23

It's a tricky one

As much as i think that all children who worked towards the Y6 SATs deserve a treat, I?m a bit similar to Theas18.

I'm mum to a non-sporty slightly geeky DD who gets no recognition for her musical/academic achievements whereas the football/netball/cross country team gets to stand up in assembly every single week.

Maybe bowling/McD is a bit over the top though. They should have been rewarded in another way.

AChickenCalledKorma · 21/05/2013 11:25

DD1 did all the level 6 tests, which meant that she was doing tests every afternoon as well as every morning. She got an extra house point and a chocolate biscuit for each paper, which seemed reasonable recognition for the fact that she was sat indoors doing extra exams, while most of the year group were outside letting off steam.

The whole year group then had a big picnic in the park on the day after SATs finished, which seemed like a nice idea.

I agree that the OPs school is being very unfair by singling the level 6 children out for such a special treat. They all worked hard.

(And for what it's worth, no, my daughter has not been "pushed to obvilion in an attempt to get them to level 6" - she has rather enjoyed the challenge of having something new to aim for, which will stretch her beyond the decent level 5s that she was already getting in Year 5.)

FadedSapphire · 21/05/2013 11:26

Not fair.
Well OTT.

Sparklymommy · 21/05/2013 11:27

I think this is a bad idea. I have a child who is currently year 5. She sat the SATS last week as at her school they do them alongside the Year 6's in a kind of "mock" way. She found them relatively easy and expects to sit the L6 papers next year.

She also is of the opinion that she has to do far more to get recognition of "good" work as she is capable. Even at age four she questioned the teacher who gave a boy a gold star for a piece of work that she new she had done much better, where was her gold star? However spending money, be it £30 or £100 on 6 children is unjustified. Our school did a school trip to reward all the children who sat the exams. Much nicer and no bad feelings.

Periwinkle007 · 21/05/2013 11:40

Sparklymommy, we get the same from my reception daughter - why did so and so get a certificate for something I did months ago, why did whoever get one for something I did at the same time and I got it all right and they didn't, why when I have harder homework do I not get a prize each week when they do.

Tiggles · 21/05/2013 11:58

The question is, does the football team get a massive (paid for) celebration by the school just for taking part in a match? Do they get it for winning the match? Or do they just get a 'well done' in assembly - for taking part, or for winning?

These children have taken the exam, but presumably it isn't known if they have passed it. If the school pays for the football team to have a celebration just for going to a footie match, then yes it is fair for these children to go bowling. Else it isn't.

ReallyTired · 21/05/2013 12:04

"I'm mum to a non-sporty slightly geeky DD who gets no recognition for her musical/academic achievements whereas the football/netball/cross country team gets to stand up in assembly every single week."

In most children the year 6 children get tons of recognition. Infact they get so much recognition it becomes part and parcel of normal life. Prehaps you dd doesn't realise when she is getting recognition.

My son who did not do level 6 papers, has regularly had his work put up on the wall in the classroom or his poems displayed in the school's entrance. (There are hardly any level 6 children at his school.) ds has had several head teachers accomodiations for leader learner awards for excellent projects. He has had special extra curricular trips.

The children who get left out are those who are plodding at level 4B. There is a very quiet well behaved little girl in ds class who never gets stickers, certificates or does anything special in the school play or assembly.

crazeelaydee · 21/05/2013 13:15

Now then let me just have a ponder on this....SATS.....select rewards.....No I don't think that is fair. Some schools push SATS (I have had experiences of pressures put on Dc and parents). It's made into such a huge deal resulting in some poor Dc being really affected by it so just imagine putting in all that effort regardless of what level is achieved effort is effort...to sit and watch a handful of Dc be rewarded?? Personally I would feel like I had just had a swift kick in the chops!

QuintessentialOldDear · 21/05/2013 13:27

Wrong and unfair.

(My son sat L6 Maths) All children are worthy of recognition. If they want to treat them, treat the entire Y6 that sat their sats, not just the L6 children.

Flip

1 2