Thread for parents whose DC didn't do so well on SATs

[NotMetExpectations]

Just wondered if anyone else out there wants to talk/whinge/swap coping strategies.

DS flunked reading. (A bit disappointing 'cos he'd been doing okay on the practice tests - but he's dyslexic and I think just got into a panic on the day).

I'm trying to focus on the plus points - I'm immensely proud of the work he put in over Easter working through practice tests (without any nagging from me!), he actually managed the pass mark - exactly the pass mark - in the SPAG test, his teacher says his reading is fine when he's not under time pressure, he'll get extra time on exams in secondary school. Mercifully DS doesn't seem too bothered.

Just thought other people might have some ideas for how to handle results, or need some cheering up (specially when you see those disingenuous "my child got 118,119, 117, is that good?" threads.)

Not this year but my dd got 105, 99, and 98. A year on she's thriving at high school.

Also her older sister who failed her maths sats paper in 2013 passed her Math's GSCE with a decent grade last year and is now doing A-levels.

It is not the be all and end all, and any decent high school will see through the results.

Hi, I will join and thank you HairyFloppins for that positive story.

Looking at my DD's results yesterday - all in 90's - and the Not Achieved Standard in bold letters made me cry (not in front of her).

I just hope her high school can help her, we have been underwhelmed with her primary but she has been in a class of kids with many different and complex needs so I know it is not easy for them.

Well done to your ds - he tried his best and that’s what is important. Sounds trite but it’s true - his SATs results don’t define him or his future. DD just scraped a pass and is finding it difficult with all her friends who have ‘exceeded’ but we’ve talked about the progress she has made since September and how she felt ready and confident for secondary even before her results came out. We’re choosing to look forward.

They were difficult tests this year. It’s just a number the whole thing is crazy really.

There are so many other ways to be gifted other than the ability to pass standardised tests.

Glad to talk to others in similar situations! Thanks so much for your post, HairyFloppins - that's really encouraging. And you're so right scrappy - I do think the single biggest achievement this year has actually been "trying" in the sense of saying "I have two weeks to work through this test book, so that's 2 tests a day" - and sticking to it (and even getting slightly ahead so he knew he'd get them out of the way before the Easter weekend).

Here's to all our children going to sensible secondaries which look at the whole child.

@NotMetExpectations

If the teacher thinks that he can work at the expected level when not under pressure she will feed that back to his new secondary school. DD2s primary teacher always tells us the new schools take more notice of what their primary teachers say about them than their SATs grades. They know how they did every day of y6, not just one test which they could have stuffed up in a panic.

Dd2 didn’t get quite the grades she was expected to get. She did pass them all, but they were lower than she is capable of. She just doesn’t test very well. Her teacher assessment is greater depth for all areas though and her teacher will send that to the secondary school along with her SATs grades. I’m not bothered. She’ll show then what she can do once she gets there.

Thanks, Ithink, that's reassuring to know. (My cat is also evil, btw!)

That reading paper was tough this year op and the mark scheme was ridiculously harsh. I had a fair few children who had been performing at the expected level (and that's what I told their high schools) but have come out with scaled scores of 96-99.

Honestly, this is going to sound so trite and smug but I wish my DD hadn't done that well in SATS.

She's 14 now and her benchmark grades are stupidly high. Stupidly. She hardly ever hits her benchmarks although she's doing ok/well. She finds it utterly demoralising.

My DS didn't do as well in SATS. He's still in fairly high sets in Secondary. He's just finished Y7 and his benchmark grades are much lower so he gets much better reports and is rewarded more!

we haven't had ours yet and I am assuming they will be ok going by the practice ones they did at school recently but I don't know yet.

I would say reassurance is key. Obviously we all want our children to do well but I would try and look at it that this will flag up where support is needed and as you say you know he is dyslexic and you know he will get extra time in secondary school. You know he CAN do it when he isn't in a flap and how many people get through all their school time without having a bad exam or two where frankly you just go blank - I wrote one of my degree exam questions on completely the wrong topid - I looked at the questions, couldn't remember anything to do with them but did randomly remember something in full detail that wasn't on the paper so I just occupied myself writing about that instead. Had it been one of the questions they said I would have done well, sadly it wasn't and I had to resit. I ended up with a 2:2 though so all was not lost as on a different day it all came together better.

We are in a tutoring area for 11+, I strongly suspect the ones who will get the best SATS results but who didn't get into grammar will end up going back to their more expected levels in secondary and some of the others who won't have shone this time will gradually work their way up. He has obviously got a very good work ethic and this will be what will affect his life in the future, not whether he could answer questions about a music box that didn't work or whatever the odd section was in the reading paper...

You should all be proud of your children for doing their best.

My son was disapplied from SATs - complex learning difficulties - but has just finished a second year at college and has a Saturday job in a local chain bakery. The ladies in the shop and the customers love him, but most of all, he's happy!

He always wanted to work in a shop - if he can find a full time job in retail I'll be the proudest mum in the world.

He has always done the best he could and that's what matters!

For some children primary school learning is not right for them.
My DD has a visual processing disorder, but no extra time in SATS ( old style). She just scrapped a level 3 in SPAG. She will enter year 11 next year and has 25% extra time and use of a lap top for GCSEs and is forecast an 8 for English language.
My nephew is autistic just finished year 7, after much backwards and forwards he was entered for SATS last year and unsurprisingly did not reached expected standard can't remember the numbers, but they were not great. A year later and secondary school has worked really well for him and in literacy and maths he is now at expected standard for the end of year 7.
I could go on, often the increased range of subjects, variety of teachers at secondary school is very positive for children who don't do well at primary school.

I was concerned that ds would do too well in his English SATS. He has dyslexia and the Primary school gave him a huge amount of support and he got 98. My concern was that this was not realistic and that secondary would not give him the right support and too high predictions.

However he is now just finishing year 8 and has done amazingly well. He is in a small class with a TA for English and was given booster lessons in Year 7. His predictions are just right (a bit of a challenge for English but for the other subjects appropriate).

I think the main problem with SATs is that they are too public and too high profile. If they were just another assessment to support teachers in planning work for the students then it would not matter.

We are lucky that our secondary school focuses on effort and attitude to learning,

Most schools use CAT tests to set children. They don't use language so much and they're intended to show what a child is capable of with the 'right' learning environment.

My dd got a 106 for maths, it’s her lowest score but I’m really proud of her because she struggles with maths and worked hard for that grade, it’s the attitude and work ethic that’s important and should be praised as much, or more than the actual scores imo.

98 is not a bad score. 106 is a fairly good score. Makes me :( that some MNers feel like < 110 is bad.

My son got bang on 100 on one - very very very proud! - in 90s and 80s on other two. I am happy and proud of his achievements. He worked hard in the run up, gave it best on the day, and has shown progress, so I can't ask for more. It's a shame the results are presented with the phrase 'not achieved standard'. It's very brutal and negative. Like many who didn't 'achieve the standard', he has dyslexia and dyscalculia. He has lots of talents and skills, they just don't come out in SATS! Hope everyone else's kids are not feeling too bruised by results. x

@lljkk yes, 106 is a pretty solid expected standard, my point was that until about spring half term she was underachieving in maths on the practice papers and she decided to do extra practice and that’s what should be praised, the OP should be proud of her son for his self-motivation, a good attitude to learning and ambition to do as well as you can is more important than the actual score. I’m more proud of my dd’s maths score than I am of her English scores because she worked hard for that “average” grade and it was entirely her own doing as I was telling her to do the best she can for herself but it really doesn’t matter as her secondary don’t pay attention to SATS anyway.

@ilovesushi and I agree with you, it’s very harsh wording, I don’t like that type of negative phrasing being used about children personally.

DS' school will send reports home on Wednesday. I'm dreading it as DS doesn't perform well under pressure...

Not got my dd's results yet but I suspect they won't be what she hoped for. She is dyslexic and found one of the reasoning (which she said was wordy) and the reading comprehension really hard. A shame as she was judged at 'the expected standard by her teacher'. As others have said-its the wording of the report that is hard for them. I am not sure I will show her the SATS print out if she hasn't met the 'required standard'. I never like it when the other children ask her what shes got just so they can say their results which they know will be higher. Still parents are no better I find!I wouldn't dream of asking people what their child's SATS, GCSE's or A level results were!

Primary education doesn't suit all, and the move to secondary can suddenly see your child flourish as they are in a more mature environment doing a much wider variety of subjects, rather than just endless literacy and numeracy which because of SATS turns year 6 into a year of hell and turns them off learning. No one takes any notice of SATS after the next few weeks.

Please don't worry about the SATs results. Secondary school is a whole new world of opportunity. SATs are soon forgotten. One of my children is in Year 7 and I couldn't tell you what he got for his SATs last year.

The SATs really just serve to rank the primary schools.

The word count for the reading test was significantly higher this year, yet the pass mark stayed the same. Reading went down nationally from 75% to 72%. Reading is also high on Ofsted's new inspection regime starting in September.

The cynical manipulation of children's grades to fit the latest political agenda never ceases to both amaze and disgust me.