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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.

Original poster

Poll - are your kids striking tomorrow?

152 replies

WalkingdeadWHAT · 02/05/2016 11:55

Yes or no

If yes, what will you be doing with them?

OP posts:
NewLife4Me · 02/05/2016 21:56

Mine are older but they weren't even aware they were doing SATS and the school didn't tell the parents when they would be.

I know its gone a bit mad now but that's the schools and parents not the test.

We have always has these tests, I'm sick of telling people tbh.
But here goes.

End of infant, before juniors = KS1 SATS
End of Juniors before secondary = KS 2 SATS
End of y3/now yr9 before GCSE's = KS3 various named tests.
CsE, O level, GCSE etc at year 11 or there abouts.
A level, BTEC level 3 = 16- 18

Knotnora · 02/05/2016 21:59

Ours have had a literacy and maths paper home every week since Sept for homework. After christmas a 10 minute reading test was added to it. After half term it was the literacy test, the maths test the 10 minute reading test and then the spellings that needed drilling that week. Then came the after school SATS prep. They do 20 minutes of practice arithmetic every morning before the register. The rest of the day has been given over to SPAG, practice tests, marking and re-doing tests, working out where they have dropped a mark, discussing where they could pick up a mark. No art or music since christmas. PE once a week. No swimming.

It might not be happening to your children but it is happening to some of them. The teachers are miserable too.

bingisthebest · 02/05/2016 22:01

No. Have a dd in yr2 (also ds in reception) but have to go to work do not possible for us.

Glittermud · 02/05/2016 22:02

Yes. Going to museum with some other families .

bingisthebest · 02/05/2016 22:02

Also like new life4me said they are being tested without knowing about it most of the time.

NewLife4Me · 02/05/2016 22:03

Knot

This is my point, not the test at fault but in your case the bloody school.
I'm afraid they'd have had them sent straight back if it was me.
It is wrong that children are given so much pressure wherever the pressure comes from.

Knotnora · 02/05/2016 22:04

Bing they do know about it. Displays are covered up. DC aren't allowed to go to the toilet alone or talk to each other. Of course they know about it. And thats just the 6 year olds.

YR6 tests are under exam conditions.

mogloveseggs · 02/05/2016 22:04

It's bloody awful. Dds school have stopped pe lessons since September as apparently there's no time due to sats. Ds I'm glad to say will go to a different primary school that seems to be much more relaxed about sats.

Knotnora · 02/05/2016 22:05

Newlife, the school are just passing the pressure on from the government. I suppose they could just not do it. But then what happens when the whole cohort are deemed to be failing?

How does the school explain 30 kids who haven't met age expectations?

NewLife4Me · 02/05/2016 22:06

bing

No, I'm sorry I must have misled you.
My dc are much older and I was talking about SATS of the past, they are 24 and 21.
However, it highlights that it can be done.
The school didn't tell the parents because in those days there was every likelihood that the pressure would come from parents, not the school.

So my main point is considering that children have always been tested about the same time, it isn't the tests that are at fault but how they are managed and the repercussions of the results.
Don't stop testing, stop pressurising and judging schools and particular teachers for the results.

WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup · 02/05/2016 22:07

No, and I asked on our parents group and no one else is either.

MrsKCastle · 02/05/2016 22:08

I know its gone a bit mad now but that's the schools and parents not the test.

Wrong.

The tests have changed. The way in which they are supposed to be administered has changed.
This year, for the first time, Y2 teachers are expected to remove or cover all learning aids (previously children could use a 100 square to do the Level 2 maths test, and the classroom displays remained as normal).

This year, all the Y2 children will do ALL the tests, with only a very few exceptions (previously the teacher gave them L2 or L3 as appropriate).

This year, in order to achieve at 'expected levels' in Y2, the school must have evidence that every single statement for that level has been met (previously it was much more of a best fit approach).

None of this is the choice of the school. I'm trying damn hard not to stress the 6 and 7 year olds that I teach, but all the while I'm thinking of the consequences for my school if we do badly. Some of my class will hardly notice these tests, but there are other children who are simply not ready, and it is harmful to put them through it, no matter how low key we try to make it.

TeenAndTween · 02/05/2016 22:09

With displays being covered up, why can't the teachers be in the middle of changing displays, or put up topic based displays for a couple of weeks? Wouldn't that be more subtle than covering with plain paper?

BathshebaDarkstone · 02/05/2016 22:12

No, because neither of my DC are taking SATs this year.

Stinkerbelle37 · 02/05/2016 22:14

No. But only so as not to affect my children - don't want them to think that you can take a day off school whenever I feel like it. (And that's the conclusion that mine would reach!).

But I fully support it. I work in education, and I cannot believe that we seem to have the ethos and spirit of it so wrong. DfE know it too. But no one there is brave enough to be the one to sign the paper that says so, and make the changes needed.

Teachers you have all my respect. If you told me to strike, I would. (But I I know our primary school doesn't want us to do this.)

MrskCastle · 02/05/2016 22:15

Yes, TeenandTween of course we'll do it with as little fuss as possible, but I have permanent displays/areas in my classroom, which will need to come down. Many (maybe most) primary class rooms have a 100 square on display for instance. Through the year we encourage kids to use the displays, look for key words etc. It's considered good practice. But now they have to cope without all that.

user789653241 · 02/05/2016 22:17

Thing I don't really understand is that only TA is informed to LA. So, the result of KS1 SATS remains in school, and only makes up small part of the children's assessment. So, why does it matter so much, MrsKCastle?

Natsku · 02/05/2016 22:17

Just want to give my support to those striking - strikes are how we have achieved many of our rights today and are absolutely something we should teach our children. I'm glad parents are taking a stand on this and teaching their children to stand up too.

NewLife4Me · 02/05/2016 22:19

MrsK.

Exactly, that's my point. It's all gone mad. That isn't down to kids taking tests.
Sometimes I feel like I was raised in a void, I'm nearly 50 and did tests at exactly the same time as kids do today. They didn't have a name and if they did only the school would have known.
testing at these times is good but should be for the child's sake and teachers to know where children need support and what is consolidated.
When it moved away from this and went into the realms of government judging schools and them judging teachers it became meaningless.

RaisingSteam · 02/05/2016 22:25

No but DH is going into school to say that DS (10) is not doing any more SATS preparation at home and certainly not the 18 point improvement plan sent home this weekend.

DS is actually still awake worrying about school tomorrow Sad what next weekend will be like I dread to think. Sad

MrsKCastle · 02/05/2016 22:26

Thing I don't really understand is that only TA is informed to LA. So, the result of KS1 SATS remains in school, and only makes up small part of the children's assessment. So, why does it matter so much, MrsKCastle?

Well, quite.

We're supposed to use the tests to help inform TA. Which is strange, because for reading we need to make a judgement about whether they can 'answer questions and make inferences' in a familiar book that they can already read fluently and accurately. Clearly, the reading tests will be very helpful there. Hmm

Equally, in maths we need to check that they can 'partition numbers into different combinations of tens and ones. This may include using apparatus. So a written maths test with no access to apparatus will be most helpful. Hmm

Knotnora · 02/05/2016 22:28

18 point improvement plan.....

DD came home with red marks everywhere telling her where she had dropped a mark. What pisses me off is the questions which need two or three elements in order to gain 1 mark. So it doesn't matter if you get one part right, theres no half marks. All or nothing.

Knotnora · 02/05/2016 22:29

MrsK, that is just utterly utterly ridiculous. And we're all supposed to just go along with it like little sheeple or be accused of rabble rousing and bad parenting for striking.

TheHuntingOfTheSarky · 02/05/2016 22:31

No. DD1 did her SATs last year in Year 2 and the school managed it beautifully. She wasn't aware anything was going on - all children were told they were going to be doing some "special challenges" set by the Head Teacher and that afterwards there would be lots of fun things as a treat to reward them for doing the challenges so well. None of them got stressed. I really and truly don't understand what all the fuss is about.