How common is it for private (any) schools to set year 1 DCs based on the results from old KS1 SATS papers?

[just2curious]

Has anyone had experience of year 1 DCs completing an old SATS paper at the start of year 1 to determine how to set them?

How accurate are the results likely to be given that I thought KS1 SATS were teacher assessed (over a period of time and with a range of work)?

I mean if a DC achieves a 1c, or a 2c, or whatever, does this mean they are working at that level or is it a little more complicated than that? I'm thinking it is, but can a child score a higher result on a SAT paper than they are actually working at the rest of the time? If so how much could the results be out by?

Have never heard of this but think its very sad to be testing a yr 1 child on a test designed for year 2 children. You'd have thought if they wanted to do a formal test (not sure at its appropriate with yr 1s) that they could have put together their own assessments.

They wouldn't be testing genuine Y1 children in that case, would they. The children in question would have only just emerged from reception! The OP is talking about the start of Y1 (not the end of it.)

The concept sounds barking mad, frankly.

Thanks for posting and yes columngollum that's right!

So perhaps DDs school in the only one in the MNiverse that does this - either that or it's a taboo subject ....

That seems like a totally bonkers idea to me.

How could they test on things they haven't even covered yet? Or are they advanced in the curriculum that they teach Y2 topics in Y1?

I do understand - the view is this is mad and sad.

However as it's happened (and doesn't seem to be a new initiative) I'm still interested to know whether MNetters think the results are as meaningful as they would be for a year 2 child?

I know many doubt the meaningfulness of SATS results at year 2 and year 6 too, but would these results be any less meaningful or reliable for some reason?

I believe that nursery in many private schools is more like reception than a state school nursery. I suppose that a september born child might thrive in that kind of enviroment and easily be able to cope with a key stage 1 SATs paper at the start of year 1.

Conversely there are some children who would make no progress being in a reception style nursery class as they aren't developmentally ready.

I think that streaming at that age is horrible and potentially damaging to summer born children. Most sensible school have a system of tables where there is plenty of flexiblity to move chidlren.

As for meaningfulness, I guess it depends what they are using the results to do. Are they a meaningful predictor of a child is capable of getting at the end of KS1 and further up the school? I wouldn't have thought so. My dd entered Year 1 only knowing 5 letter sounds. As a young summer born, she'd spent most of Reception sucking her thumb and staring into space. She wouldn't have scored anything on KS1 papers. Now she's in Year 5 she is at the absolute top of her class in a very high achieving school.

I guess they could be using the results of the papers just to group kids in similar levels of attainment. But I don't see why they need to get the kids to do a test to level them. Surely their previous teacher would have kept copious records and their progress should be being regularly tracked anyway.

noramum - yes advanced in the curriculum, however I had no idea that this is how the DCs are set or that they assess using SATS papers.

It wouldn't have occurred to me that DD could complete one.

Then again the EYFS in maths for example takes you well into year 2 topics for some areas at least - which isn't saying I think it's a good idea, but rather that a child that's expected at the end of reception could probably answer quite a few maths SATS questions simply because they have been taught concepts.

I think in so far as schools do set for certain subjects in Y1 (and ours does) they would do it based on the assessment of the reception teacher initially and then based on their own observations of the child's ability.

I would say the SATS wouldn't be a good representation of a child's ability because they wouldn't have been taught the requisite materials to respond properly to the questions so any result would be meaningless.

Apologies, only just got back and must have crossed posts with reallytired & neolara.

Reallytired I don't think this is streaming (isn't that separate classes?) it's setting via tables, and there is apparently fluidity although given that top table is working on level 3 maths not sure catching up is likely. However age not a factor - some DC were still 4 on starting year 1!

Neolara, yes results just used to group, more papers done through the year, presumably allowing movement between groups.

Ghoul does the result become more meaningful with a higher score then? So a child who gets a low score may not have been taught / covered the topics - but a child that gets a good score is actually working at, or close to that level?

Can a DC score higher on a SATS test that their teacher assessed level - is there often a difference between these score and if there is why?

DD is in yr1 and I believe is sitting a SATS paper at some point this month (or may have already done so).

But this is part of her ongoing assessment, not to stream her.

(She will be sitting them for reading/writing only).

Simpson - finally

So not an utterly unique situation, which I am relieved about as there is no one in RL ... well you know!

I am not suggesting that this is the only assessment used, there are continuous assessments & APP grids etc. I had just never heard of old SATS papers being used in this way (for the setting of ability groups) nor of DCs in year 1 taking SATS papers.

To be honest I'm just so shocked that a) DD managed to complete them and b) got scores that I was surprised by (in a good way) that I'm looking for ways to almost dismiss it, which is why I asked about how meaningful the results are.

Am I right thinking that you feel quite comfortable that your DD will take, or already has taken the reading/writing SATS? Has her teacher already shared teacher assessed NC levels with you or will an NC level be new information for you?

How grim.

Not all of the class are taking them, the general impression was that it was DD and a few others (top group ?).

DD is very able in literacy/reading (2A - reading although poss higher now, this was info given back in Sept & 2B for writing).

Don't have a clue what her numeracy is.

DD loves doing "tests" so don't think it will be a problem for her really.