Dramatic drop in KS2 sats results

[HalleLouja]

Would you be worried if the primary school your children went to school at had a really bad set of KS2 results?

The school had a meeting and they are putting changes in place. My kids are really happy there and seem to be learnings loads.

It is a one form entry school so that can distort things. I know there has been a new curiculum but the school has fared worse than other locally.

I am not hugely worried but lots of people seem to be and I feel like maybe I am missing something. Last year's results were fabulous and this year way below national averages....

[bojorojo]

I agree with you nat. The top 5% is a holy grail but one would not expect all children in any cohort to be less than 100 if they started from a position that indicated they should have achieved more. In other words they did not make sufficient progress.

For what it is worth, there are good teachers in most primary schools. Very many of them. There are a few who need help to be good and a smaller number who will never be good whatever help they are given. Clearly the role of SLT is to manage this and not tolerate it. In any school I have been involved with, the constant mantra is Quality First Teaching. Nothing less. This is to ensure children make good progress because the two are linked. If a child has made brilliant progress to get to 99 because of first class teaching - that is absolutely fine!!!

[bojorojo]

Mrz - Ofsted look at progress as well as results. They are more concerned about poor progress - as you know. If all children have not achieved as well as they should, the school should be looking to see how they can improve this situation - before Ofsted show up!!! They should do it because the children deserve better.

[mrz]

I should say the school in question isn't the one where I teach or where I live but I do know a parent with a child in the school.
However if you think a school can control what happens on a single day you are naive.

In my own school over the past years we've had children arrive in the week of the test from other countries who haven't been taught the UK curriculum but because English is their first language their results count. Another year a water main burst and the school had to be closed but the Y6 children had to remain to the test ...distracted doesn't come close. Another year a child was brought to school to take their SATs after mums partner had threatened to kill the child's pet ... Yet another a mum was rushed into hospital after taking an overdose the night before SATs (really not sure how the school can plan for that)

[BaconAndAvocado]

I really wouldn't worry about SATs. They are of no benefit whatsoever to the children, only to the league tables and the school.