Preparation for KS2 tests, what is normal?

[CaptainHarville]

DS is in year 6 at a school that always does brilliantly at the KS2 tests. Of the 55 children in his year all bar maybe one or two will meet the standard. The school devotes 90 minutes of morning lessons to literacy and they have an hour and 20 minutes of maths daily. Homework is KS2 question books (£10.75) 2-4 pages for literacy and 2-4 pages maths plus spellings and reading. Alongside this they run intervention after school or before school.

The tests are run in small groups with large numbers of staff in with the students encouraging them and where it's permitted reading questions to them.

I was wondering if the above is standard for most primary schools? or if this is very much teaching to the test?

Does it explain why their results are so amazing?

In answer to your last question "yes".

In terms of what's normal (based on MN threads last year when my DD was in y6) - your school is at the top range of over pushy, but schools vary all the way down to mostly sticking to normal (i.e. similar to y5) timetable most of the year and just introducing some revision sessions in the few weeks leading up to the SATS (DD's school).

I think it's a shame (and I've started posting it on choosing school threads where appropriate) that parents don't realise that sending their DC to the school that gets much better results might well mean that they spend the whole of Y6 in a SATS factory.

Our school is similar OP - half the day concentrating on SATS type work and the remainder on other areas. It does get outstanding SATS results and those children are very well equipped when they get to secondary school, most ending up in top sets.

Homework is also around SATS - 2/3 pages each of maths and English. On the whole (and there are some caveats) it strikes me this is just a solid maths and English curriculum and they need to know this stuff. Perhaps if they took away the word 'SATS' and just ran the lessons then there wouldn't be so much fuss.

DD1 has just been through it and seemed quite happy, DD2 is just starting and has moaned a bit that SATS is already starting but again I think that is the mistake of called it SATS prep rather than just calling it learning!

The tests are run in small groups with large numbers of staff in with the students encouraging them and where it's permitted reading questions to them.

I get the impression that this is something that schools vary on, as the rules get 'interpreted' differently.
So where does encouraging stop and helping begin?
Where does reading the questions just help overcome poorer literacy stop and reading emphasising key words, and thus helping, begin?

The tests are run in small groups with large numbers of staff in with the students encouraging them and where it's permitted reading questions to them.

That sounds dodgy to me, except for very few children who have a recognised SEN.

And even if it isn't intended to be, it can very easily become leading. You know, child says "is it X" and teacher gives a smile or raises eyebrows. If I sit down with on one of my children I can lead them through the whole exercise without them realising by small smiles and emphasis on words, or leaving my finger on a key word etc.

I agree that getting secure maths skills is really important. My DS is dyslexic and I'm less bothered about SpaG and I know he can read. I'm just worried he's going to be bored and also feel under pressure and it's only the second week of year 6!

I wasn't too pleased about the fact that all students might have some of the questions read to them and all students might have someone encouraging them. DS will no doubt qualify for this sort of support later in his school life. But if all students get it at KS2 then it means he's not getting any additional support which his SEN status should get him.

I also worry about the support because my own experience running controlled assessments for science is that at time some SEN students get too much support from their TA. A* on coursework and D in the exam makes you wonder about where it stopped being support and became help.

I feel I didn't answer your question properly in my first response. No one at our school has the papers read to them in last year's SATs, but I don't believe there were any SEN children either. That part does sound pretty dodgy to me.

DD has just finished Yr6.

Homework was fairly low-key. Parents were able to order workbooks via the school if they wanted them, but there was no hard sell.

They held a few booster lessons the week before the tests but those were entirely voluntary. You could choose to go to some, none, or all.

The tests themselves were taken in the assembly hall with all the children there at the same time. The only exceptions were those with recognised SEN, who were in a separate room.

As far as I know there was no interaction during the test itself, other than the reading of instructions at the very beginning (eg where to write your name/number) and the usual reminders about how much time was left.

There was no encouragement and certainly no reading out the questions. Again the exception to the reading out would have been those children with SEN who had been assessed as needing that level of help.

Your school sounds very different to ours!

Hello, year 6 teacher here.

The focus on English and Maths up until lunch is fairly standard and in fact something I think all years should do as these skills need to be prioriitised. Our daily English sessions also include spelling, grammar and guided reading so it's not as if they have ages on one task.

With regards to the small groups and reading out, it is a bit dodgy. Children must qualify for a reader to have ALL question read to them - this is fine beforehand and I can't remember exactly the criteria but it's is based on a few things, one of which is reading speed.

Any child can have any question read to them if they raise their hand and ask. We train our children to do this if they are confused as sometimes it helps to hear it. However there are strict rules about how questions have to be read e.g. No emphasis on certain words etc. It's like a script. We run training on this for all adults who will be in the room to ensure a fair test.

We do all this and get high results whilst keeping all afternoons free for PE, art, history etc. We run two residentials and do a huge Christmas performance. It doesn't need to be a year from hell for the kids to get good results!

Sorry should say this is done beforehand not this is fine beforehand

DD has just gone into year 7. When she was in year 6 (and also when her brother was two years before), there was nothing about SATS until at least after Christmas and more like February half term. Homework was the same all year round pretty much. No out of school booster classes.
Don't know what happened wrt questions being read out for the children but I think the majority were in "exam conditions" in the classroom and those who needed extra support in another room.
SATS results are v good there and I'm glad there wasn't a year round focus on SATS.

DS1 has just started secondary. His school had an awful Ofsted report, the 2016 SATs results were bad, particularly KS1. KS2 results weren't great either. They did run non-compulsory after school boosters, but there was pressure to attend. From October until the week before the SATs it was all just about the SATs really. They even put on some boosters during the Easter Break!

The KS2 2017 results aren't all that compared to 2016 tbh. Some small improvements, but also some slightly worse and still below national average as a whole. KS1 did improve vastly, but I have no idea on what they did there.

DS1 was automatically entitled to extra time as he had a statement/EHCP but we said no as we felt it would be a hindrance to him. He was not keen on tests and being given longer would have stressed him out more. Ditto for being done in a room to himself with a member of staff. He did really well during SATs week, head down, got on with it and not a murmur of complaint.

DS2 is now in Yr6 and there's a lot of focus on SATs already. I think when Ofsted find out the results weren't all that again, it will have implications (they are under monitoring), so I am expecting much of the same this year.