Lack of focus in Y6

[Morebiscuitsplease]

Am quite concerned about the lack of focus at school. Over the past 6 weeks at school, the following has taken place. Two non uniform days, a BBC music event, a film day, an ARts Day, Supply teacher for 2 days as teacher on headteacher interview panel, Forest Skills day as a teacher left. Poor behaviour is creeping in and I think the lack of routine is not helping. Given that post SATs they will have plenty of time to enjoy other things, some focus on Maths and English is important.

A school that continues to include all these types of activities at this point in year 6 has its priorities right. SATs are not for the children's benefit. Our local secondaries ignore them and do their own testing in yr7.

I second, feel very lucky your school must have secure high academic standards for them to get the results PLUS do all these activities (which all sound enriching and fantastic).
The alternative, which is what happens in many schools, is solid days of maths and english with bored, fed up children who go off-task anyway. Even the best teachers get stressed and put pressure on the kids. You end up with kids in tears on exam days due to the pressure.
Year 6 will always go off task, it sounds like your school are challenging the kids energy and keeping a balance. If you are lucky post-SATs will continue the same - lots of activities and variety mixed in with formal lessons to keep them grounded.
Don't sweat the small stuff!

Over the past 6 weeks? What do you expect them to do? Sit in silence and go through papers? Do nothing but English and Maths all year?
During the last six weeks, my class have had a whole week off timetable due to Science week. They've had supply teachers for a few days, because I was somewhere else. They've had non-uniform days, sports enrichment days, trips out, lots of art and music, have done performances, worked with other year groups, been to forest school, worked on a media project, etc.. They've followed their normal timetable. We'll be off for another week before the actual tests. We'll do revision. For about three weeks before they sit the papers...in the mornings, as part of their normal English and Maths lessons. We've done little bits here and there throughout the year and in Year 5.
KS2 performance is not just the responsibility of the Year 6 teacher. It's a whole-school responsibility, ensuring good teaching and progress throughout. If a school has to fall back onto nothing but test preparation for a whole year, I'd be worried about what they've missed out on in the other 6 years those children have spent there. I'd also be worried about how prepared those children will be when they move up to secondary school. Passing test papers should not be the only skill they are being equipped with.
After SATs, we'll continue with our normal timetable,...including the various trips and wacky projects.

Normally we get parents on here complaining that schools are focussing TOO MUCH on SATs, now we have complaints that there's not enough focus!

I agree with thatsofunny. I wish that was the attitude of all primary schools.

I wish my school did have good SATs results, they were also downgraded by Ofsted last year. I am for a rounded education but do feel that a iittle more focus now would be good. There will be plenty of time post SATs. My daughter with many others is bored and already beaming quite disengaged ..roll on secondary school.

Sorry becoming disengaged.

The key thing is how is your daughter doing? My dd started to coast in year 5 but has now moved to another school and is in year 6. I've never seen her work so hard.

I don't see anything there that should result in a lack of engagement. Quite the reverse in fact. Why on earth is 'routine' vital to a Y6 child? How will such a child cope in secondary when each day is different and you won't even be told by school if your child has a cover teacher? Above all, remember that SATs are not for the benefit of your child.

She is not being challenged at all at school and has complained it is boring. Many of the activities she has not really enjoyed, I think they are pitched at younger children and the film day seemed quite pointless. Roll on secondary school....I think she has well and truly outgrown primary.

This sounds like quite a small school. It is an unusual child that wants to focus on SATs and not enjoy other activities! No doubt a new teacher will be recruited and obviously a new head too, so things may well change. I think if a school does not engage year 6 by having activities especially for them, the children do outgrow primary school, especially small ones.

:( that she's bored. Social life must suck if she doesn't enjoy doing random things with her peers. Hopefully she'll make much better friends at secondary.

Perhaps combination of being with her peers for 7 years is part of it. For many activities they are grouped with younger children and are not with their peers. She does enjoy seeing her friends. She is keen to learn and it is a shame as she is bored particularly with Maths and would relish a bit of challenge. I know come end of May, it will be downtime so some more focus now wouldn't hurt. I think things will change with a new head.

I think my Y6 dd is getting bored and restless, ready for new horizons now - and its nothing to do with lack of focus at school. Its just that she's 11.5 and has set her sights on secondary school and wants to be there NOW

Its also possible that, if bad behaviour is creeping in generally in your dd's class, the other children are also feeling restless/nervous/excited about the impending changes. Its a very big deal to most of them.

Sorry, meant to add - my dd is also frustrated with the learning at her school, although its not because she's keen to work harder (she's on the lazy side, tbh). Its because they're doing a lot of revision for SATS...