Is it normal for Y6 SATs to be so all-consuming?

[MerryMarigold]

So, ds1 is in Y6. Since Christmas all their homework has been past papers of some sort or another. They have now (since Monday) started their 'SATs programme' which runs until the SATs happen. I was in school for a Maths talk yesterday after school and all the desks have been changed from 'group formation' to rows. This is so they can sit tests constantly. Ds said quite matter-of-factly that they have 2-3 PER DAY! Is this really normal? Ds1 is a very anxious child, I am not sure it's going to be that good for him, but anyway, we are relaxed at home and perhaps it will make him less stressed for the actual SATs (not sure about that, but it's a theory).

I don't remember this level of revision for my A levels or GCSE's. The Head seems to say he doesn't agree with all the government testing, so why he is being so extreme about it?

Is this what all schools do or is ds's school just a bit OTT?

Unfortunately, my DCs' school is like this. SATs solidly from xmas (canceled swimming for the Y6s), teachers are now suggesting that before and after school revision takes priority over clubs the kids are already doing. One afternoon is not SATs. It is too much.

This doesn't come from the teachers though but from outside pressure -- the school is way below the national average from previous bad teaching (was in special measures) and the fact that there are high numbers of very poor students, recently arrived children who arrive in Y5/6 and don't speak English, children whose parents can't help them because they don't read and write English, children living with their families 5 to a room (I kid you not) who are then moved every six months... I could go on. How SATs are a fair measure of the school in these circumstances I do not know.

The school has now begun to address some of the background issues in earlier years, but they can't stop the high turnover of kids and the teachers can hardly solve the world's problems to increase their score. I feel for them.

Chaotica. we used to live in an area like that. They managed a good Ofsted, though I thought they were outstanding to be honest.

It makes me feel slightly better that there has been no suggestion of giving up any clubs. They don't get homework over the weekend, and get 1 paper to do per night Mon-Wed, then spelling on Thur. Ds forgot his homework on Mon and Tue, so last night he was trying to do all 3. He managed 2 and finished at 9.30pm.

the school is way below the national average from previous bad teaching (was in special measures) and the fact that there are high numbers of very poor students, recently arrived children who arrive in Y5/6 and don't speak English

The data from children who arrive in Y5/6 from non-English speaking countries isn't included in schools' percentages.

I've read various views on the importance of SATs results for dc. Some say secondary don't take any notice of them and some say they do. Either way, it is what it is.

Ds is in Y5 and I can feel the pressure starting to mount in this year group. I will help as much as I can at home to help him achieve a good result.

I'd be interested to hear from secondary teachers about SATs results. Surely they must count for something?

They're used to set GCSE targets for schools.

My DS is in year 6. It's not like you describe at all at his school!

I think it's a very general thing ie. a secondary school will be judged on how much progress its kids have made by comparing SATs and GCSEs. Clearly a child could get below average in Maths and then just 'grow up' a bit, have some tuition, work hard, and end up with an A* in Maths at GCSE. It would be a very bad school indeed that looked at a SAT result in Yr10 to decide what that child's GCSE target should be, without taking into consideration their last 3 years in the school and any progress made.

He only has one homework a week (plus spellings and reading) and is told to spend no more than 30 minutes on it.

Schools are set targets and have to meet them. There are plenty of poor secondary schools - more than primary schools.

I have a year 6 child and he's not reporting anything like this.

It really does depend on the school but also the level of parental support. Some schools don't have to work as hard to get the same results. That is a fact. This is due to attainment on entry being different and also in some schools children just don't get the support at home. By this I mean simple things like taking to the children and hearing them read. This has a huge impact. Yet parents will still look at league tables and judge schools on their results. Yes progress is looked at as well but this really isn't clear and schools are not ranked on progress. Let me give the example of a very well known sought after state school in central London which is often at the the top of the league tables. Yet I know of at least one year where the progress measure for that school was actually below average. Yet it sat at the top and parents judged it as being the best. Despite the fact it was getting high attaining children entering the school and they were leaving having made only adequate, if that progress. There are plenty of examples of this. Yet a struggling school in a deprived area, for instance, with many children with EAL and SEN where the children make outstanding progress can be floundering near the bottom and parents write it off. The league tables need to be much fairer. The ways schools are ranked purely in results is meaningless and an absolute nonsense.
Last year only 53% of pupils met the expected standard in all subjects. Is it any wonder some schools want to do everything they can to avoid that? Not just for the school itself and it's reputation but mostly for the children. Nearly half of year 6 children last year failed. You can dress that up all you like but children were branded failures no matter how teachers tried to tell them otherwise. They aren't foolish and they were completely demoralised no matter how many times they were told the system was at fault and not them. The current regime of testing and judgement is destroying education. Children's mental health issues are on the rise. I could cry for my own children and the education they could have had.
Parents really do need to take a stand- but not at the school. Some HT feel they have no choice because the results are so important. The system is failing our children yet nothing seems to be being done to stop it.

But to answer your question that does seem excessive! I'm wondering where the actual teaching of the curriculum is coming in. I'd go in and ask the teacher about what is happening and let them explain the rationale behind it.

The school data gives progress info so you can see what a school scores on progress. The information is very detailed and looks at PP Children, SEN children so it is a much fairer comparison than pure results.