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Primary education

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

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Original poster

Education professionals: what happens if I take my child out of KS2 SATs?

85 replies

Wordsmith · 16/04/2015 16:00

I am at the end of my tether with DS2's school. Long story which I won't go into in detail, but he's in Y6, is on target to get his Level 4 (which I am completely happy about) but is being pushed to do more and more to get up to a L5. He has problems with concentration and confidence and is getting very stressed about the whole thing. Now he's just told me he's been told he'll be doing his SATs in a room on his own with a teaching assistant. God knows why? I'm obviously going to try and get to the bottom of it - I have already complained about the pressure he is being put under. It seems they are telling me one thing and DS another.

If I can't sort this out we're seriously thinking of taking him out of the SATs altogether. I know someone who did this a few years ago and got a lot of grief from the HT for it but it was perfectly legal to do. What I want to know is, is that still the case? I know his secondary school re-test the kids within a couple of weeks of starting Y7 so the SATs aren't that vital, but what sanctions, if any, could I expect from the authorities?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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vindscreenviper · 16/04/2015 21:56

babypythagorus how are you stopping your child from doing the tests, if they are in school on the day of the test then the Head is breaking the law if they do not sit the tests! Unless they are at private school?

Original poster

Wordsmith · 16/04/2015 21:57

Blimey Occams, that's horrendous!

OP posts:

OccamsLadyshave · 16/04/2015 22:08

Wordsmith - It still makes me angry now. And I was really happy with the school up until Y5. It was such a kind, nurturing environment with lots of extra curricular stuff, great drama and art etc.

It's like the teachers were possessed! But like I say - surely common sense would dictate that even if you want kids to do their best, basically bullying and abusing them is not the way to achieve it.

I did complain afterwards but that didn't help DD. I really wish I'd had the courage to pull her out.

BoffinMum · 16/04/2015 22:08

Regarding SATs, I think it usually makes sense to just put up and shut up unless the child is completely falling apart.

However your legal workaround is to de-register your child from the school with the intention of home schooling, and then immediately apply for a place in the same school for two weeks' time, with the support of the head. There is no legal prohibition to doing this. It is also unlikely you would be allocated to another school for the last few weeks of Y6 as there simply won't be a waiting list of kids looking to transfer at that stage.

ragged · 16/04/2015 22:11

Which county / LEA imposes fines per session missed, as stated written policy?

I'll start another thread to ask if you prefer.

youarekiddingme · 16/04/2015 22:15

I personally don't think the issue is the hot housing for results. You can hot house lots of children but only those who are genuinely that level will acheive it.

Eg my DS has daily input for literacy and is still a level 3. He also has once a week maths club after school - whole year group do and will be going in for level 6 maths. But he was a 5c at the end of year 5 before the maths club. He is achievements only reflect his actual ability.

The issue is when they children have all this input - learn and acheive well and then the high level of input becomes a normal level of inout and progress rate slows to reflect this.

Then you have a whole cohort of children who can acheive a level 5 - but who can acheive it at different speeds and differing levels of input - put into the same set at secondary and expected to make the same rate of progress as each other.

This is why I'm currently reading and highlighting sendcop. My DS is also on Sen register and has reader, transcribe and scribe for SATS. I'm now fighting for this permanently with a 1:1. Why? Because his SATS levels reflect his ability but also show what support he needs to maintain his full potential.

Springisontheway · 16/04/2015 22:26

Occams that's dreadful. Perhaps the worst SATS story
I've heard.

hoobypickypicky · 16/04/2015 22:26

I pulled my DC from (two different) schools over the period of time that SATS were taking place. I did it entirely for the reason given by UnsolvedMystery - "Schools care because of league tables. That is how they are judged. That is not your problem. Put your son's mental health first and make a decision based entirely and completely in his best interests".

My niece's reader (class TA) influenced her SAT result by placing a ruler under each correct answer while all parents in my youngest's year received a letter telling us that our children "must" attend booster classes each morning for a week over the Easter holiday!

Like hell that was happening.

I can honestly say that my DC haven't suffered as a result of not taking SATS.

Feenie · 16/04/2015 23:53

Why didn't you report your dd's school for malpractice? It's a very serious offence.

Feenie · 16/04/2015 23:57

That's the most sensible advice I've seen so far ever on this subject. Doesn't unfairly penalise the school, and saves an extremely jittery child's sanity.

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