Poll - are your kids striking tomorrow?

[WalkingdeadWHAT]

Yes or no

If yes, what will you be doing with them?

No. No one I know is either.

People are getting caught up in the SATS stuff. Whilst it started as a protest about the SATS (and still is) we're protesting about teachers being hamstrung by the government. Children being forced to learn grammar that adults don't even comprehend. Large swathes of time being spent teaching to a test that benefits nobody.

Quite important things really.

No. I don't have a problem with tests and I've got to work.

Fwiw I always support striking teachers.

No, I'm unable to keep mine off for various reasons. But if circumstances were different, I would do so.

It's not about having a problem with tests in themselves. It's about these particular tests and the way in which they have been introduced.

No but DS (y6) isn't in the slightest bit bothered about the SATS. So, while I hate the way they've been chosen to be guinea pigs for the system this year and it's all a bit of a shitty mess, I don't want to change DS' mindset by using him as a pawn and having to explain why he's not going to school.

No I'm not, and I don't know anyone who is.

Walkingdead I agree with all those reasons.

I'm lucky to be in early years (for now) with a relatively sensible curriculum, however, the stress that both children and teachers (and actually parents as a knock on) is disgraceful.

I agree that what children are being taught is close to useless in a lot of circumstances. However, from the inside, I would say the government will only sit up and listen if something they hold as important is disrupted, sats is, unfortunately, one of those things.

If even 5 children from each class taking sats were off it would make the data that the government love so much (and use to judge all children, teachers and schools against) would be rendered pretty meaningless for that year. That would impact league tables, ofsted data and national percentage baseline levels.

What kippersyllabub said:

No. Because my dc are not special snowflakes. They have tests every so often at school, and they do well or badly in the tests depending on their abilities and the teaching. We haven't opted to get all hand-wringy when our dc don't do well and we haven't decided that poor performance in tests labels them as failures. We haven't decided to make a big deal of any school tests, in providing extra coaching or special treatment on the day.

My dc also take music exams. We don't make a big deal of it. We don't tell their instrumental teachers that the dc are too little to be put through grade 1 piano and they should spend the day being kids instead.

Frankly I'm bemused by the whole SATS hysteria. Parents getting worked up about routine and nationwide tests won't help their dc develop a positive attitude to GCSEs and the exams that do count

I thought strike was going to be day they actual sat the tests! Making them miss a day of "revision" isn't going help if you then make them sit it

no, don't know anyone who is. ds just about to do year 6 sats, i suspect if the parents started, at this point, taking kids out of school to strike, it would increase the stress for the teachers, and i feel for them, its not their mess, i blame the government.

ds is mostly oblivious to whats going on, just looking forward to all the fun stuff they have planned once next week is over.

Yes, we'll be going to our local city farm to do some fun learning around Ds's current "Animals" topic.

kipper my DS is not a special snowflake, he's super-bright and will do very well in the tests and is in no way stressed by them. However, there are many kids in his class who are not at his level and who will find the experience unnecessarily distressing as what is expected of them is totally unrealistic and inappropriate. The other, huge point is the fact that the curriculum has narrowed and is undermining the way our wonderful teachers are able to teach.

And don't even get me started on the fact that the results of the KS1 SATs will not be collected by the LA nor will they be passed on the the DfE, making them even more pointless...

It isn't about being special snowflakes. My children are fine with tests. My class will be pretty much fine with the tests because I'm trying damn hard not to put pressure on them. All while trying desperately to get them to expected levels.

But the SATs and the teacher assessments in KS1 are a joke this year. An absolute joke, even discounting the fiasco with the SPaG. We have to mark a teacher judgement about whether children can 'answer questions and make inferences' about a text that 'they can already read accurately and fluently.' To help us make this judgement, we give them questions on a booklet they've never seen before. Ok, that's how it's always been done. But we also have to cover up any learning aids on the walls, and escort 6 year olds to the toilet in case they cheat. And then we have to make the whole class sit both reading papers, even when we know that the second one is far too difficult for some pupils. Oh, and we should ensure that they can see a clock so that they can pace themselves.

My children are not special snowflakes. But I see no benefits to the tests in this format and a lot of potential harm.

No and like many others on this thread, don't know of anyone who is.

Have you checked with your children's teachers that they are happy for you to have an extra day off strike?

No, I don't see any problem with testing children and the school.

Don't know anyone who is striking either.

The teachers will delighted - there is a tremendous support from heads a and teachers both here and on their Facebook page. In fact, I haven't seen a single teacher anywhere who is against it.

No and don't know anyone who is.

Ds is my youngest and in Y6, sats is just the next test before cats. Its never ending.

The teachers will delighted - there is a tremendous support from heads a and teachers both here and on their Facebook page. In fact, I haven't seen a single teacher anywhere who is against it.

I am from a family of teachers. Both on mine and DH side. Many friends are teachers.

I don't know any teachers that think 'striking' is the right answer.

I'm a teacher and I support the strike.

As I said earlier, it's not about the tests happening. The SATs have existed for years. I don't have an issue with testing children, certainly assessment is a vital part of teaching and is on going .

I have a problem with:
Covering all learning aids for 6 and 7 year olds
Escorting Y2 children to the bathroom in case they cheat
Having to administer both the reading papers to all pupils, even when we know the second one will be far too difficult for some
Y2s being assessed as 'below expected levels' for writing if they don't use a ridiculous, outdated sentence construction 'What a stupid idea that is!'
No weaknesses allowed- children must tick every statement to be ' at expected levels'

Why the face? Just because there are some that don't think deliberately keeping DC off school cynically the day after BH is the right way to go about it.

It doesn't mean they think the SATS are a good idea as they don't. They just don't think that this 'protest' will a) be effective or b) make any difference.

No, the first time I heard about this was on Friday on here, nothing came home with them from school

FiveGoMad it's not exactly something that the school is likely to publicize (although I did hear of one school where the head wrote to parents). Mostly teachers and heads won't feel able to comment in real life, certainly not publicly.

I can't believe people are encouraging kids to think striking is acceptable! My DS knows SATS are only important to the school and won't affect him and he is chilled. I don't like everything that is happening regarding DS's education but this is just a pointless exercise and I don't know anyone who is participating. It won't change anything.

It changed Nicky Morgan's speech to the NAHT, showing she was rattled enough to comment.