School did not tell parents when children sat KS1 SATs

[lottytheladybird]

I found that that DS's school purposely did not tell parents when the children sat the SATs, and they also did not tell the children. I was told that they purposely did not tell the parents as they didn't want the parents worrying the children. I feel that I had the right to know when my child was going to sit these tests and that my opportunity to have a chat with my son regarding these tests were taken from me.

I then asked if parents would be informed of the results. DS's teacher said they were just to inform her and asked me why I wanted them. Considering they've made my DS do these tests, I'd like the results.

What are your thoughts? Did your school tell you when your child did thier KS1 SATs? Have they shared the results with you? I'd really like to find out if it's normal for what's happened at my DS' s school to happen other schools.

My DD is in year 1 and I hope they do this approach with her next year. I let the school get on with things - they know what they are doing and will let me know if there is a problem / something I need to do. I would be impressed with such a low key approach. I am no fan of KS1 SATS anyway.

I know our school gives parents a rough idea when they are but I don't think they say the exact day. I would certainly not be talking to my DD about it beforehand.

We were told that they were happening in May, but that they wouldn't be telling the children it was a test. Which I was relieved about as my daughter is a right little stresshead and she would have been in bits. We got the results with her end of year report. Her school has an "outstanding" OFSTED rating, and expect the children to do their best and I trust their judgement that this was the best approach for such little children.

You can ask for your child's school record, formally, in writing. This would include results of any formal assessments. Under the Data Protection act the school has to oblige.

No, I didn't know which days the SATs were on. Did your DS mention taking tests to you when he did? If he didn't then that's a good sign as he wouldn't have seen them as tests IYSWIM.

It does come across as you taking it very personally ('taken from me') when it is standard practice and not aimed at depriving you of any rights.

I would have wanted to have a chat about it with my DS because I'm his mother and care about what he's doing at school.

You don't need to know about the tests. You can support your child in school by being involved. Go and volunteer. Become a governer. Help out at playtime. The Sats are more for the school than the children. Honourable though your intentions are, I think you could channel your enthusiasm in a much more productive direction.

My yr2 didn't even realise he'd done them. Very low key from the school and rightly so.

Ms Adorabelle - I do volunteer at my DS's school.

Talking to your ds and telling him not to worry would have the opposite effect - why tell someone not to worry if they weren't worried in the first place?

Our school was vague about the tests and I'm glad.

The only reason I knew when they where was because the change of routine for the "quizzes" upset ds who is autistic so the teacher let me know which would be when. I am pretty sure he was the only child in the cohort to even realise though! Parents where given no notification because we didn't need it!

The laid back approach is the sensible approach like others have said.

You're being disingenuous OP

You obviously care about the sats and think they're important. They are 100% not.

If the school didn't tell you they were going to introduce your kid to a guinea pig and then did would you come on and say 'I wanted to tell him not to be worried about Guinea pigs'?

Thereby confirming that there's something to be worried about when it comes to guinea pigs?

No? Thought not.

"SATs week" was on the calendar published at the beginning of the year, but otherwise you wouldn't know it was happening. No homework, discussions, letters home etc. Just done quietly. I'm pretty sure DD didn't notice.

I'm happy with that arrangement. I don't know if school are planning to share results with parents and even if they did I wouldn't understand them

I talk to my DS as much as possible about what's going on at school, as my DS has autism and needs to know what's happening.

After the Easter holidays, he would come home and have a meltdown most days and this lasted for quite a few weeks. Before the Easter holidays, meltdowns were not a regular occurrence, nor are they now. Now I'm wondering if they were linked to the SATs. So, perhaps, in my case, a conversation about what was happening in school could have helped my DS.

Unfortunately from personal experience that casual, no-pressure approach was turned on its head for our primary's KS2 SATs. Parents and teachers seem to lose the lot when it comes to the poor Y6s.

The thing is, even by having what I'm sure would have been a supportive chat from you to your DS shows him that the SATs are outside the norm. It wouldn't be pressure per se from you at all - but it might have a negative impact. Your school did the right thing.

Results: I can see where they are coming from - KS1 results are mainly used to beat KS2 teachers round the head with (cynical ) and there is no actual need for you to know them as they just inform Teacher Assessment, which is a much more accurate assessment of your child's abilities, but actually, I would be dying to know them myself as a parent.

Sirzy - It's great that your DS's school noticed your son was getting upset because of the changes.

I kept telling my DS's TA that he was having meltdowns at home, but not once were the SATs mentioned to me.

Surely you spoke to school to ask if they where aware of anything that could be triggering it then?

But you said you knew they did sats so surely that crossed your mind?

Sirzy - Yes, I did ask if they knew what might have been causing my DS's meltdowns. No, they did not mention SATs. I didn't know the SATs were taken May, so it didn't cross my mind. I asked school about them today, as I thought it was getting a bit late in the year now and so wondered when the SATs would take place. I was surprised to have been told that they'd been taken.

As a teacher whose class recently took the SATs I would have to say they sound like they've done a wonderful job! The tests are to help inform teacher assessment for the end of year level, nothing more. They are not reported to your borough council or anywhere, the teacher assessments are. All you need to know is if your child is working towards the expected standard, at the expected standard or above it. Which I'm sure will be reported in your end of year report.
What do you need the test results for? Know a lot about raw scores and the SATs do you?

Perfect approach from the school. Infant children shouldn't be aware of the tests at all. It's so unnecessary and puts them under pressure that is just wrong at their age.

I kept telling my DS's TA that he was having meltdowns at home, but not once were the SATs mentioned to me.
Seriously it won't be because of the SATs. They won't have been doing anything stressy related to them. Honestly ks1 sats are a blink of an eye and as pp have said, it is really better to play it down and not tell parents because they so often do start to pass stress to the children. I've taught yr 2 and done SATs. The kids really had no idea they were doing anything different. They get the booklets to work through but they're not stressy.

ToDuk - It's not the SATs themselves that would have affected my son, but the changes.

Sounds like my class. I had parents thank me later for the low key approach because they'd been horrified by other local schools' ridiculous over the top cramming etc.

The tests formed a tiny bit of my assessment that will be reported to parents and the LEA. I was also moderated by the LEA and it's no exaggeration to say that the tests were about 1/50th of the evidence I had to produce. They are that insignificant. Seriously.

At the beginning of the school year a diary dates letter goes home to parents of Year 2 and Year 6 asking them not to arrange holidays or appointments (where possible) during May.
Another letter is sent out at the end of Spring term reminding them that May is SATS month. Year 6 parents are told exactly which week, but Year 2 are not told explicitly. So it is not sprung on parents, but they know roughly when.

Absolutely the right thing to do but no matter how many times you hear this OP you're still going to insist you should've been told. Consider the possibility that the school knows best.