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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

Y6 SAT booster classes

75 replies

Kinsorino · 17/03/2018 14:32

It's seems to be fairly common for schools round here to run extra maths and english classes before or after school in the run up to year 6 SATs.

I just wondered how people felt about these, I'm particular the extra pressure it puts on 10/11 year olds and extra work for the teachers who run them.

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Itmakesthereaderreadon · 18/03/2018 12:48

I'd rather they focused on teaching kids to think for themselves an and write accurately. Sick and tired of yr 7s with 5 or 6 in SAts who can do neither. How the fuck can they achieve such high marks, then drop so dramatically by September?

Feenie · 18/03/2018 12:55

Because many schools have a culture of 'SATs are over, let's do nice things'. You may well be seeing children who haven't written a word since May. Definitely happened at ds's school.

UsernameMum · 18/03/2018 12:57

Thanks Feenie!

megletthesecond · 18/03/2018 12:58

The DC's school runs voluntary maths SATS booster classes three times a week. Open to all abilities. DS happily goes along, his maths has improved and he's nudging the greater depth level now.

Habanero · 18/03/2018 13:07

I honestly don’t understand these schools doing SATs cramming. Surely they’ve had the kids for 7 years. Perhaps if they’d spread this effort over the 7 years the children would be less stressed and better grounded in the basics needed for secondary.

Tomorrowillbeachicken · 18/03/2018 13:12

It’s because our school has not done well in the last two years in English.

CotswoldStrife · 18/03/2018 13:17

Interestingly, at DD's school, the maths interventions for those working at greater depth are in school time but the 1 to 1 sessions for those needing extra practice are after school.

I refused to let DD do the after school ones.

Lulahsmumma · 18/03/2018 15:08

Absolutely. The pressure on all children to achieve is having a massive impact on mental health. The booster groups ideally help them achieve at a higher level, this can cause extra pressure. Its hard to know what to do for the best.

Booster groups may be optional in some schools but not all. We all want to the best for our children no matter how old they are. My year 1 child has been sent home revision papers and websites to look at for her phonics screening test after Easter. All parents were asked to attend a meeting about it. The extra work, booster classes and revision sessions start from the beginning of their education.

With all the cuts in education I think that all these additional booster groups will become the norm for all children of all ages. In all schools.

The next few months of school for our children is going to be stressful for them and us weather it's sats, mocks or GCSEs I wish them all best. 🤞

user789653241 · 18/03/2018 18:33

Cotswold, I assume it's because those working at greater depth needs minimal input from the teacher, so the teacher can do it during school time while teaching whole class. 1-1 session needs to be after school because if the teacher was only teaching 1 child, rest of class cannot be taught.

CotswoldStrife · 18/03/2018 19:12

Yes irvine but they could run those groups out of school time as well! I don't think the teachers are doing it for free out of school time.

Feenie · 18/03/2018 19:38

Of course they're doing it for free - other than their normal salary. They don't get paid any more for booster groups outside normal school hours. The ones running stupid Easter groups might (more fool them).

Vixnixtrix1981 · 19/03/2018 15:47

My DS's school did SATS work during class. No homework, no extra revision classes. The school did better than they expected and were pleased with their results. DS didn't change, didn't feel any pressure etc and just carried on merrily as normal.

CotswoldStrife · 19/03/2018 17:29

It's not the Year 6 teachers that teach the 1 to 1 in our school.

user789653241 · 19/03/2018 18:22

Cotswold, why does it have to be yr6 teacher in particular? I think if it's 1 to 1 session, it's not really pressured teaching only for SATs , but more of helping individual child with their weakness. Nothing like numbers of children given worksheet/test to complete, and checked by the teacher in the end. It can be catered to suit child's needs.
To me, declining a chance to get 1 to 1 teaching by a qualified teacher is a waste of great opportunity, unless you can give your child same thing.
Some people pay excess of £30 for an hour for private tutor.
If your dc is struggling, and you can't give the support, I would take it. It's nothing to do with school's performance, more to do with your child getting help to achieve expected standard needed for secondary.

CotswoldStrife · 19/03/2018 19:43

It doesn't have to be the Year 6 teachers IMO to do the 1to1, just that I still doubt they are doing it free of charge because it's not their pupils as the teachers are from a completely different years and the school get funding for it.

I think identifying a group of pupils, having a talk and handing them a letter is pressure - they were made well aware it was extra practice for SATs. There are weekly tests and mock exams. It makes Year 6 pretty miserable for some of them and it's not the all-round education I was hoping for.

Feenie · 19/03/2018 20:33

Teachers from different year groups don't get paid for running interventions for children in other classes!

Feenie · 19/03/2018 20:38

Get funding for what, anyway? Booster groups aren't externally funded, unless they're for pupil premium children.

More likely the Maths/English leader is running the group.

user789653241 · 19/03/2018 20:38

It may depend on each school, but I've seen the secondary teacher warning those who didn't get expected level at yr6 sats may not get support for GCSE, since they only needs to perform minimum for school to meet their target. So, Sats results is important for less able, imo.
But it is really up to you to decide. Getting 1 to 1 support is a privilege, imo.

Twofishfingers · 20/03/2018 09:18

At our local secondary school, children will be streamed in maths according to their Sats results (although this is reviewed every term and they re-arrange the streams).

Itscoldoutside01 · 20/03/2018 09:29

Our school runs a 'voluntary but we need you to be there' after school SATS club and because of where we live it is not feasible to pick other DD up and return to school an hour later. The alternative would be waiting in a cold car with a baby for an hour- so I have to pay for her to go to after school club. This makes me extremely cross. Of course, it is 'voluntary' but they are made to feel that they will be massively disadvantaged if they don't go.

CotswoldStrife · 20/03/2018 10:08

That's what the letter said - the school had funding (they did give a name and it wasn't pupil premium) for 1 to 1 tuition. My child is not pupil premium or below the standard (average really) and I'd say the same for the majority of the others that were given the letter. Which was easy to tell, because they were standing in a group talking to the teacher after they'd let all the others go

The 1 to 1 tuition is with a teacher from a different year group after school. I don't know how many teachers are doing it, our letter had a named teacher on who is neither the maths lead, English lead or from the same year group. I assume the teacher is getting some of the funding because the children are not being paid to do it.

I'm still happy that she didn't do it Although to be fair, she has a long history of not performing at her best in tests so I'm quite prepared for the results not to reflect her work during the year and the pressure that the tuition sessions would have added would have been detrimental IMO. She is happy to practice at home and does. She does lots of extra-curricular examinations and does far better in them than at school tbh!

lougle · 20/03/2018 20:48

I've spoken to DD2's HT and have been very reassured. She is doing badly, but the maths skills are there. She just can't do tests, which is what I'm seeing at home, too. I'm ok with that. It's not ideal for her (or school), but I'm glad that she's testing very badly rather than not able to do the maths that the tests are testing. It explains why I can go through a topic, she answers the questions beautifully, then she scores 0 for that question type in the test.

Doryismyname · 21/03/2018 14:59

I really don’t mind DD doing homework and she also has a morning a week for SATS boosters sessions. She would actually be more stressed if she was missing out. What does annoy me is that as soon as SATs are over the level of work falls off a cliff so that by the time they start Y7 they have been out of learning for months and all the good stuff they have learned is forgotten. It would be better if they could actually keep learning until July, although at a more relaxed pace.

netflixandpill · 21/03/2018 16:02

my daughter enjoys them! she goes saturday school for a month too and she says it's brilliant fun as well as getting that extra help in areas she struggles.
all our boosters are voluntary and no pressure to attend so i guess it's up to the child.

she has done her mocks and went from being expected to just about pass to getting second highest marks on her whole year.

Needmorehands · 21/03/2018 16:29

Our school had a parents' meeting about SATs. I am opposed to SATs in general and think it is a poor way to test schools, and the pressure schools therefore place on pupils is unacceptable. I was not impressed that they basically said that each afternoon would be spent on revision - for over 2 months! I was highly amused to realise bump is due in SATs week (genuinely not a deliberate sabotage plot!) And I was more than a little concerned when school sent home a letter about after school 'SAT club' - surprisingly - more revision! My favourite quote ever - 'SAT club is not compulsory but all children are expected to attend either Tuesday or Thursday afternoons.

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