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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

KS 1 Year 2 SATS approaching - parent evening next week !

79 replies

alisonmc · 01/03/2007 10:44

Hi all, I'm new to this board but would like to gather some thoughts from those who are interested. My DS is currently a YR 2 pupil and will be doing his KS1 SATS in May this year. He is a G&T child and have been told since reception his is a more able child and have received above average reports for his two years schooling. Nothing to worry about I hear you say - but the other day I was having a conversation with DS teacher who said she has marked him as a 2B which is average for year 2. I have been a teacher myself in the past and have been doing practice SATS papers with him since before half term and he consistently gets 2A in both English and Maths and when he does the level 3 papers he passes these too. I am confused with his teachers grading - we have parents evening next week - what do you think my approach should be - I don't want to come across as a pushy parent, but I do want my DS to be recognised for his efforts correctly. Any advice would be great.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

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OrlandoTheMarmaladeCat · 01/03/2007 17:57

and I've just realised (I'm obviously slow today) that I should have typed 'hear hear' !! Perhaps I should be doing some homework myself??

Berrie · 01/03/2007 18:08

and I missed a 'can' and...gasp...a capital letter! 2a for me then!

OrlandoTheMarmaladeCat · 01/03/2007 18:11

Double homework tonight then Berrie!

Berrie · 01/03/2007 18:17

Oh dear, do you think she'll be back? She did say she wanted to gather some thoughts!

OrlandoTheMarmaladeCat · 01/03/2007 18:27

Actually I'm feeling a bit guilty about being sarcastic. But I really am stunned by the OP!

Sorry Alisonmc - sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and all that - but there are some valid points on here, and perhaps being an ex-teacher means that your perspective is a little different?

Berrie · 01/03/2007 18:37

Sorry about the eyeroll too Alisonmc, feeling guilty as well. Hope you don't desert Mumsnet

DimpledThighs · 01/03/2007 18:41

I read the original post as...
'I have been told my ds is G&T and above average but he is expected to attain a 2B (average) in his SATS'

my response is:
'mixed messages about your son's attainment - why not ask for clarification at parents evening.'

If alisonmac wants to do sats papers at home and work with her son that's up to her - I would ratehr someone did that than had no idea what the school was doing at all. I surprised at the lynching she has had TBH

Berrie · 01/03/2007 19:05

Sorry you think it's a lynching Dimpled. I don't think it's wrong to work with her child at home, just that she is wasting her time because she is misguided in what she believes to be important.

DimpledThighs · 01/03/2007 19:08

berrie - yes I agree that the SATS focus is a bit much lynching was a strong word but I do think her intentions are good and the messages she has received are confusing. It would make me question the school too.

MorocconOil · 01/03/2007 19:08

At our meeting about year 2 SATS yesterday, after being run through the mechanics of it all, we were told it is very soon to be phased out. Made me wonder what we were all doing there, and why they are still putting little children through these tests. They also had 'revision' texts for sale which I am ashamed to say we all dutifully bought. Probably won't get around to looking at them with DS as he hates that kind of thing.

Berrie · 01/03/2007 19:18

Oh God, I didn't realise they did revision texts for KS1 but of course they do! (I'm a KS2 teacher) At the end of the day the SATS test the school. The teachers will have been making assessments of the children throughout the year and the new teacher will also make new assesments so not particularly useful to the teachers or the child really.
I think the real problem is the gifted and talented label...

ironingqueen · 01/03/2007 19:20

Is it once G and T, always G and T? Because early promise doesn't always turn out to be achieved later on.

Berrie · 01/03/2007 19:20

I should say that they AIM to test the school... it's an entirely different argument to discuss whether they do that, for which I am way too tired!

DimpledThighs · 01/03/2007 19:22

have run a mile from the whole G&T bollocks myself - other parents have asked if I have thought about pushing to get ds7 G&Ted but I don't see the point.

Berrie · 01/03/2007 19:26

D'you know, I don't know much about the gifted and talented stuff but the whole level thing is a nonsense. I have taught extremely bright, intelligent, interesting, charismatic, fabulous children who can barely get more than a level 2A for writing at year 6 (usually boys) I speak to their parents at parents evening and tell them the truth about the writing thing 'on paper' but it's obvious these children are going to get on in life, that they are very bright and I say so!

Berrie · 01/03/2007 19:30

But then maybe I am just a crap teacher who is not equipping these talented children with the tools they need in life to get on...who knows, I was dedicated to doing my best with a large class of children with diverse needs which brings us back to the OP. So yes support your child but change your focus...

DimpledThighs · 01/03/2007 19:36

reading between the lines I imagine you are an accomplished teacher.

Berrie · 01/03/2007 19:42

Thankyou there's nothing like mumsnet for a bit of a boost!

DrMarthaMcMoo · 01/03/2007 19:43

I was a bit worried about Year 2 SATS too. I didn't want ds1 to feel there was any pressure on him at all - in fact, I didn't want him to know what a test was at 6. It wouldn't have occurred to me in a million years to do practice papers with him. Yes, encourage him - talk to him, take him to museums, get him great books to read, take him to art galleries, take him to the park...but, as someone whose son now gets hours of homework which eats into our time as a family at the weekends and in the evenings, don't waste your weekends doing 'revision'.

BarefootDancer · 01/03/2007 20:21

Being cynical, is it not to the school's advantage if the children get poor results in y2 Sats and good results in the next set of sats - so they can show good added-value scores to the government 'spectors?
I think that the teachers should be left to get on with teaching the children without having to assess them every 5 minutes.
Good teachers know the children's abilities without all this. It only creates stress and angst.

Chocolate1000 · 01/03/2007 20:24

My daughter's SATS are this year as well but I am not worried about them (she is, poor little mite) as she has a reading age of 7 year, 9 months, which is more than a year older than her current age. I have worked with her using those 'I can... ' books since she was in nursery as I feel that she was neglected in nursery by her teachers, she has made great strides in literacy and numeracy (hearing a five-year old lisp 'literacy hour' is something else thanks in no small part to her fabby year one teacher and yes, I was one of those mothers who read to her babies from birth or indeed before birth if you count the lectures I attended at university whilst I was pregnant.

These exams only measure..... the teachers ability to teach..... (which I have assisted them with our homework as part of my Mummy duties) it won't go on their CVs and it certainly won't be relevant to their careers. RELAXXXXXXXXXXXXXx

Berrie · 01/03/2007 20:36

No no noooo, sorry Chocolate1000, I can't leave that, they don't test the teacher's ability to teach. There are sooooooo many other factors. Believe me , I have worked with crap crap crap teachers and the yearly test results don't show this - believe me it would make things easier in a way, if they did! I am a very good teacher, I would love my classes results to reflect my 'ability to teach' but it is so much more complicated than that.

Chocolate1000 · 01/03/2007 22:19

Ok sorry Berrie, I got that one wrong then. I think the whole idea of SATs is wrong somehow and the idea of coaching children to sit them is definitely wrong IMHO. I'd rather they spent the time learning things for their own sake rather than for the sake of passing exams. How do they assess children who have poor exam technique btw? Or the child who spends time day-dreaming rather than getting on with the task in hand? I only ask from curiosity - not having a dig at anyone here

lemonysnickett · 01/03/2007 23:29

When do you stop or start coaching your children to pass these tests....at whatever age..people say there is no point in coaching as if you do they struggle later..however unfortunately the reality is today we are all experts at coaching..we have to be in order to compete..private schools ..prep schools coach for entrance tests..schools want children who have been coached as it shows the dedication of the child and parent..why are there so many practice papers available? To get your child into grammar school most people have to coach or prep their chidren somehow..not to, puts them at such a disadvantage..I came back from parents evening today and was told my daughter is level 3 for num. and lit...although in big picture this is a drop in the ocean i felt quite pleased about this. I have not coached her myself but i can completely understand parents that want their children to do the best they can..someone mentioned their child has hours of homework..my daughter gets 1 piece of homework a week...no spellings(much to my dismay)and has had anumber of teachers this term. It is all relative and given all of this I feel it would be my duty to give her some help so that she can fulfill her potential.
There is nothing wrong with learning.

RosaLuxembourg · 01/03/2007 23:43

My DD1 got a 2A in her KS1 Maths SATs. About a third of her class got a 3 and we naturally assumed she was weaker at maths than at literacy in which she got a 3. Now she is in year five and one of the top three or four in her year group - she does some of her maths with the year 6 class. We are proud of how well she is doing at school, but I can't see how coaching her through practice papers would have made any difference, what she has achieved has been through her own effort and ability. I can't see any point in focusing on the outcome of one particular test like this if a child is generally producing work of a good standard.

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