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Marking sats homework.

27 replies

MegCleary · 05/02/2018 20:55

DD is in year 6 and they are gearing up for sats. She is down to do advanced maths and English and her teacher gives them 4 pages of maths and English homework a week in a sats prep book and then parents mark it.

I find this strange and hard. Strange as I don't think it's looked at after we mark it, and she can get a fair bit wrong. After marking I go back through what she gets wrong with her get her to do it again and write down how many attempts it takes her to get it.
I also find it hard as I think English is so subjective, even with the answers in the back! As for me racking my brain to get the maths techniques I have to match hers is nigh on killing me.

What happens in other schools?
I think if they glance at the books she may look like she's coping with it, but I have no idea if she is.

OP posts:
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user789653241 · 05/02/2018 20:59

Down for advanced maths and English sounds wrong, since there is only one kind of tests for everyone I believe. (Not like extra lv6 test for able in old NC)

SavoyCabbage · 05/02/2018 21:06

A week! My dd has to to four pages in her own time every day. It’s a pain in the arse. I don’t think it’s strange that nobody at the school is looking at the homework. The teachers just won’t have time.

The school have shown them how to mark their own or each other’s work, using the answer booklet. I’m looking at it occasionally but not every piece.

MegCleary · 05/02/2018 21:12

I'll double check thanks.

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Starlight2345 · 05/02/2018 22:09

My son does them when he wants..

He takes reading comprehension in for marking.. however at year 6 if they are struggling they should approach the teacher.

RubyJack · 05/02/2018 22:12

No advanced papers.
She is probably expected to achieve "Greater Depth".

PerspicaciaTick · 05/02/2018 22:15

Don't encourage the school in this madness. If they want good sats results then they need to be teaching the children properly in school time, not relying on parents to cover the school's failings.

BrendansDanceShoes · 05/02/2018 22:17

CGP do different level practice book, one of which is 'advanced' However, the SATS papers are the same for all. There will be questions towards the end of each paper that will only be answered correctly by those kids with a better grasp of the maths. These are the types of questions covered in the 'advanced' practice booklet.

brilliotic · 05/02/2018 23:53

Weighing the pig repeatedly won't fatten it. Apart from familiarising the kids with the test format, doing 'practice tests' over and over again is fairly pointless, unless it is used for teaching of some kind. E.g. for teaching exam technique, or for determining weaknesses in order to then address those specifically.

Sounds like your school is just weighing the pigs testing the kids, and leaving the actual teaching to engaged parents.

I suspect our school may be similar in this regard. Dreading Y6 for this reason already... though it is still several years away.

MegCleary · 06/02/2018 16:34

These are the books she does, so must be as mentioned up thread the advanced practice books. Sigh. All new to this system and not sure what to do.

Marking sats homework.
Marking sats homework.
OP posts:
Coconut0il · 06/02/2018 21:31

I'm a TA in Year 6. We use those books. 4/5 children out of the class use the advanced books, they are just a bit more challenging. I mark the homework and let the teacher know how children got on.
Does anyone look at it? It would be helpful to me if parents marked it Grin but I'd still look at it to see if there were any areas that needed to be worked on.

MegCleary · 06/02/2018 22:05

I don’t think anyone looks at it at all.

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PerspicaciaTick · 07/02/2018 07:27

If the school don't care enough to look at it and give feedback then I would focus on doing something more enjoyable instead.

PSTeacher91 · 13/02/2018 16:28

We use these books for our students as well - the point of you marking at home etc is for the child to let the teacher know if they are really struggling with something. (Especially if it's something already covered in school.)

If there are particular aspects that the child is struggling with, they can let the teacher know so intervention/additional support can be organised - the teacher doesn't need to know what they are getting right, it's more important to know if there is something that needs to be focused on specifically.

tl;dr - ask child to let the teacher know if there is something they are getting wrong every time.

Feenie · 13/02/2018 16:52

We use these books for our students as well - the point of you marking at home etc is for the child to let the teacher know if they are really struggling with something. (Especially if it's something already covered in school.)

If there are particular aspects that the child is struggling with, they can let the teacher know so intervention/additional support can be organised - the teacher doesn't need to know what they are getting right, it's more important to know if there is something that needs to be focused on specifically.

Hmm Really?! I don't think parents should be routinely telling ME what their child cannot do. That's my job, and I should already know that.

PSTeacher91 · 13/02/2018 17:56

Really?! I don't think parents should be routinely telling ME what their child cannot do. That's my job, and I should already know that.

Yes, because leading up to SATs you cannot recap every single thing for every single child. There may be one child in a class who struggles with equivalent fractions, or can't remember how to convert mixed numbers correctly. Having children use revision guides to inform your intervention is the most efficient way to identify small, easily correctable misconceptions.

ideally, it'd be the children themselves marking their revision guides and telling the teacher, not the teacher.

PSTeacher91 · 13/02/2018 17:58

Sorry for the double post.

I 100% agree with you, Feenie, when it comes to basically any other learning - but SATs revision is different and is basically the only time this applies.

GreenTulips · 13/02/2018 18:04

You want to look at how kids struggle in high school because of the over inflated SATS scores

The whole thing does them no good

Feenie · 13/02/2018 18:06

Doesn't apply in my Y6 classroom - and I don't send home those books.

user789653241 · 13/02/2018 18:36

I think it's extremely lazy teaching. OP says she is down for advanced level(meaning on track to get GDS?), then she also states dd gets fair bit wrong. And they don't even look at it. Almost like expecting parents to help fill in the gaps she has(and I think it's easily possible with able child), to achieve greater depth without teaching/helping her properly.

Feenie · 13/02/2018 18:40

And it I'd had to do this last year for my ds, I would have been incredulous - on top of my own class! I don't think so.

handmademitlove · 14/02/2018 16:23

My DS school use these books. They are set a chapter each week, alternating maths and literacy. Then one afternoon a week they go through the homework in groups with a teacher for discussion on method and answers..

EsmeMargaretNoteSpelling · 15/02/2018 14:03

My year 6s are still finishing the maths curriculum. I don’t start revision until the month before. Far too much pressure put upon the children otherwise. I’m not allowed to send extra work home either.

MegCleary · 18/02/2018 15:07

@irvineoneohone I think that’s a concern I have that I am helping to much. Marking and then going through again to check understanding. I do write how many attempts questions take but I just think no one give a crap.

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user789653241 · 18/02/2018 17:42

OP, I think it's great you are actually helping. She will benefit from you going though with her.
But really, it's a teachers job. And if she gets GDS, it will be her teacher who may get a credit without doing anything.

neverstraightforward · 26/02/2018 06:36

What's GDS?

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