Obtaining 2013 level 6 sats test paper

[Chapter]

My daughter is currently in Year 5 and a level 4a reading and 4b for English and maths. I want to take a look at the level 6 sats papers but I don't know how to access them. Can anyone advise of a link.

I don't have much information about the new curriculum either. Can anyone here provide information or point me to links.

Any advice on resources so my daughter can meet her full potential i.e., CGP books, etc.

Many thanks

[mrz]

If parents want past papers that's up to them but I find the idea of running courses on SATs prep ...worrying

and thank you for the flowers x

[morethanpotatoprints]

mrz

I think it is so wrong. I know that many parents wouldn't get involved with this and ultimately end up pushing their dc.
However, I'm not so sure that I would have known any better with my first ds. You believe what you are told, especially first time round and the pressure to support for want of a better word, must be so high for parents now.
It is times like this I am so grateful to be away from the crazy system.

I started a thread in support of you and the other helpful teachers on here a couple of weeks ago, not sure if you saw it. I was fed up with the teacher bashing threads.
Thank you for the wonderful advise and support you give to parents on here

[mrz]

It was the idea that at least one LEA is running "preparation for SATS" courses that caught mine missinglalaland not parents asking for past papers

[mrz]

I don't think the OP has attended the course she is simply looking for last year's level 6 papers

[morethanpotatoprints]

Having read the other posts from the OP I don't think she can be blamed for attending the course. I have heard of several of these before, albeit not including SATS preparation, which I agree with others is pointless.
It seems such a shame that within such a short space of time these tests have progressed from a simple assessment of how well teachers/schools are performing into a huge stress for parents and children.
To me it isn't the testing that is the problem it is the interpretation of the importance.
I am a very old bird, but can remember being tested last year infant, last year junior, end of secondary year 3 (now 9) then O' level/ CSE.
Nothing has changed except the pressure and stress.

[missinglalaland]

Agree.

I'm not trying to focus solely on you mrz. This is meant for the whole thread, really.

It's just that a parent posts asking for old tests, and instead of a metaphorical shrug-of-the-shoulders and a here-you-go, here's a link, we have a lot of fairly earnest commenters trying to dissuade parents from familiarising themselves with the old tests. It's the strength of opposition to what seems like a fairly harmless request that caught my attention.

[mrz]

No one is saying it is dangerous information simply that it isn't very useful information ...there is a difference.
If you read the SAT threads you will find lots of complaints from parents that some schools spend all their time going over past papers in class and sending the tests home for homework ...so I don't think anyone is trying to keep them a secret.

[missinglalaland]

OK, I had a look. I don't think it's dangerous information. It's not going to change my attitude to my daughter's late primary education. (Which is to make sure she feels confident in the "basics" and leave her alone otherwise.)

While looking at old tests might not be much help to the dc, it might actually help fretful parents. People always worry about information they think they are not allowed to know.

[mrz]

I work in education but don't look at KS2 SAT papers ...why would I, so I'm just as unfamiliar with them as someone who doesn't work in education

[BoundandRebound]

This thread is shocking - leave the children alone for god's sake, the SATs are unimportant and stressing and preparing for them spoils the point of a primary school which is to teach children the joy of learning. Nobody but the primary school cares about the SATs

I have a professional interest in exams - I work in secondary as an assessment manager and we absolutely ignore the SATs - pointless bloody exams that only fill league tables - we baseline test and use CATs and we reset every 6 weeks

Please please let them be children and don't stress

[thecatfromjapan]

Having said that, I have absolutely no intention of preparing mine for any SATs. I still hold on to the old chestnut that SATs are to help the school assess whether they are teaching effectively, rather than assessing a child's ability, so SATs are strictly for the school to sort out.

I think I'm quite a lazy parent in that respect.

[thecatfromjapan]

mrz - before I saw a SAT paper, I fondly imagined them to be something akin to a junior version of the 'O' levels I sat many moons ago. I was therefore surprised to note that they were quite restricted, had a pronounced "style" of questioning, and - as you say - really are geared towards a snapshot.

They are an odd mixture of the astonishingly restricted, even literal and the inferential (in that they seem to rely on an implicit familiarity with what I might call NC concepts and strategies rather than what might be said to be strictly mathematical concepts).

Personally, I found it enlightening, in all sorts of ways, when I finally saw some of these SAT papers.

I think you work in education (????) and are perhaps not so aware of how unfamiliar some of us - who don't work in education - are with these papers.

I really don't get why it's a bad idea to see past papers? It's routine for GCSE/A level/degree level, isn't it?

[missinglalaland]

I haven't either mrz. But I don't have a problem with other people doing so.

Frankly, not having looked makes us less informed by definition!

Think I'm going to go have a look right now

[mrz]

As a parent it never occurred to me to look at old test papers when my children were taking their SATS not sure if that makes me sensible or less informed.

[missinglalaland]

I think I understand what you are saying mrz, and I don't disagree with you in the main. I just think you are able to see the full picture because you have the full picture. Perhaps letting other parents see what a SATS test is like will allow them to appreciate what the test actually is and is not.
Most people are sensible, and make better choices for their children the more informed they are.

[pointyfangs]

DD2's primary runs workshops on current teaching methods and I can imagine these being helpful (though they are always during work hours so I have never been able to go, but that's fair enough because teachers work stupid hours already). However, they don't run SATs preparation courses for parents.

I agree that SATs prep isn't a black box at all, and any support to parents re SATs should be about helping their DCs cope with them, not about drilling the child even more.

[mrz]

Rather than being a blackbox the SATs are a snapshot but no one can second guess what it may be in any year.

[mrz]

It isn't a case of being high minded or having children progressing nicely missinglalaland, it's pointing out that last year's test paper (or previous papers) won't help you with this year's test paper because each only covers a small percentage of what may be tested, so the only way to prepare fully is to cover the whole curriculum.

[missinglalaland]

I understand why the folks who have cautioned against "prepping" for sats have done so. And I agree with the idea that "teaching to the test" is a shame and ruins fuller learning for the dc.

However, it's easy to be high minded when you are familiar with the test and the process, and have children who are progressing nicely. For many parents, for whatever reason, the SATS are a bit of a black box. Lifting the lid and letting everyone have a sophisticated understanding of what is going on and what the goals are seems like a good idea to me.

[Clutterbugsmum]

Yes. They do everything from Learning through play (nursery/reception children) to SAT's. But also fun things like basic cooking and art.

We only spend a hour with the children. Then an hour and half helping parents with the methods they use. And although I have CSE math the way they teach now days is completely alien to me, the various courses I have done I'm finally getting it.

Also at the end of the course so we do 6 weeks with children then 4 weeks working towards improving parent/carer skills.

[mrz]

Frightening!

[lljkk]

okay, that makes sense. does the school every offer sessions where they teach parents the methods the kids are taught to work out maths or what they are looking for in writing assessment, too? DC school had such math session other night.

[Clutterbugsmum]

It's run by the local Adult learning serivces. And it's one of many courses they run, to encourage parents to be involved with their children learning.

I live in a deprived area and the children school is a very good school (rated by ofsted good with outstanding areas) we have a lot of children who are not and will not meet national average levels. So it's one the many ways of getting parents into school to A) help with children learning and B) to help improve parents education.

And it's free, but it is working. Our Levels are rising year on year, still below average but only by under 5% not 10 - 20% below.

[lljkk]

Tell me you didn't pay money to sit on that course, Clutter.

[mrz]

Clutterbugsmum who on earth is running a six week Preparation for SATs course?