Considering not letting my Y6 child sit SATS

[thehorseandhisboy]

My ds has recently been diagnosed with a visual processing disorder. He is having vision therapy, has prism glasses and there are a few adaptions that the school has put in place ie not copying from the board. The prognosis is that the therapy will hopefully help, but he'll have to find ways around his visual difficulties as time goes on.

Understanding that he isn't wired quite right in itself has done lots for his self-esteem. I pursued an Ed psych assessment when he went from being 'exceeding expectations' to 'behind expectations' in maths in a year, along with a number of other concerns. He brought home a stack of tests that he achieved very low marks in eg 8/50 throughout the year. His Ed psych report indicated extremely high scores in some areas, although an extremely low ie 1st percentile processing speed.

Since diagnosis, he has spoken much less about being stupid and has been much more engaged at school.

School are now in full SATS practice mode. He brought home a test today in which he scored 6/26. Although I'm very glad that he finished the test and kept plugging away, I'm really concerned about the effect that this repeated testing and achieving low scores is going to have on his already fragile self-confidence.

He was originally targeted for 'exceeding expectations' in maths and English because of his KS1 SATS results. Last week, his teacher said that he should 'get through' his SATS. This would be good enough for me tbh.

I'm concerned how psychologically damaging him 'not achieving expectation' in his SATS may be. Although I fully understand that children learn by making mistakes and need to learn to fail etc, I sort of feel that he's had enough of that already, and we need to focus on improving his vision as much as possible, working out what he needs adjusting to enable him to do as well and possible and, most importantly, to improve his self-esteem and self-confidence before secondary school.

He'll know what he gets in his SATS, will compare them to his friends etc. He will get extra time, although doesn't think that will help.

It crossed my mind today that I could just keep him off school during the tests. I don't think that's the 'right' thing to do, but in all honestly, I don't think letting him sit tests that his disability creates so many barriers to is either. Not because I care about how he does, but I do care very much about how he is in himself.

Can anyone help me frame this more positively at all?

I would sit the SATs tests. Firstly from the school's perspective at KS1 he met required level, so at KS2 from what you have said the school already recognise that he will not exceed expectations. So they will do, I would hope, everything they can to help him exceed their expectations, without putting undue pressure on him.
From your sons perspective, he has made strides forward since his visual difficulties were recognised. I would encourage him to take the tests saying that even taking the tests shows how much he has improved and how proud you are for him to be achieving this. If he gets the right encouragement from you and from school may be he might just surprise everybody with what he achieves. As long as nobody is putting undue pressure on him, I see this as a win/win situation for the future good of your son.

I hate that some schools make such a song and dance of Sat's which then projects onto the pupils and makes them anxious. Ours was just for the reputation of the school. Hopefully your dcs school isn't like that. I can totally see where you're coming from but also that your dc might feel the odd one out when he's already having sight difficulties that separate him from others. Sounds obvious but have you asked him how he feels about the Sat's? He may not be as concerned as you. If the school aren't the type that puts a lot of emphasis on them then the pressure might not be so bad. It depends how you and him handle the results really. If they're not so good and you make out that they're not that significant then it might help? One of my friends dcs went to a school where the dcs were given snacks and 'energy bars' on the day to help them. Built it up big time. Her dc was really worked up about it as a result. My friend cool as a cucumber said to her 'Why you worrying? It's not like you won't get a place at secondary school. You'll still go.' That suddenly clicked with her esp as some of the others were worried about getting into a private school and had to take a test to get in! (she wasn't taking it) Good luck whatever you decide.

A new head came in about a year ago and has made the SATS a full blown musical production, let alone a song and dance.

My other dc did them at the same school two years ago, and it was a completely different experience.

I do empathise with the pressures that schools are under, but the current regime is extreme.

If a new head has come in and changed the ethos re Sats, I suspect too many were underachieving and an Ofsted inspection is just around the corner. I’m never sure making a huge fuss is good for anyone but it might stop coasting and lack of progress if it now means something.

My DS still doesn't know his SATS results, he didn't open the envelope as it wasn't addressed to him and I don't plan to tell him what they were. We just asked that he did his best, and if he the result is irrelevant

that must be really difficult.

It's difficult to say what I would do in your shoes but what I am telling my DS (also y6) is that the sats are not a measure of him as an individual but of how well all the pupils do as a group compared to what might be "expected" of them. so all that matters is that each child tries their best, and it doesn't matter one jot what score they achieve when trying their best, be that 5/26 or 25/26 so long as that represents their best effort.

for your DS, if 6/26 is what he gets when he is trying his absolute best then that is a good score for him, given the extra difficulties his brain has with its wiring. maybe with therapy and treatment he will find ways to overcome those difficulties and then the "expected" standard for him will go up, but for now he is doing just fine.

If you want him to avoid SAT stress (at all other costs) then he needs to withdraw from school completely for next 4.5 months.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Just to add that my kids secondary includes SATs scores in every term report, showing the baseline (ie primary SATs results) and progress since then.

I would continue pushing. My ds1 did his SATs in the head teachers office 1:1 with a TA who he had spent the whole year working 50% of his time with to develop the skills needed to work effectively with a reader/scribe.

It was all in the schools best interest as it meant he got a much better score than if he had not had that level of support. It did make it a little difficult starting year 7 as his result did not really represent his independent working in English but it was useful in other ways as it means they have never underestimated him.

BubblesBuddy, you suspect incorrectly.

The new head brought in this regime when she started last January. The SATS results/progress went down slightly on the year before in 2019 (as is perfectly normal with different cohorts).

The school received an outstanding Ofsted in the spring of last year.

Would it work for him to have breaks throughout the tests. This is possible and easy for school to implement and from what you’ve described, could work well for him. Little bit of test, rest eyes, back to test. Rinse and repeat.

Have the school failed you? When did you first realise there were problems? He did SAT's in year 2. What did they say in yr 3, 4 and 5. Surely he was slipping behind then? Why didn't they implement support then?
Now in year 6 he's getting 6/26?

I'd still do the SAT's. If it doesn't crush him/make him unhappy/shatter his confidence further.

It shouldn't shatter his confidence. He can only do what he can do. Encourage him.

If you DO do the SAT's, then your'll have evidence, for persuading secondary of the support he'll need.

Have you a diagnosis? Have you seen the EP recently. Official meeting with Senco? Take a witness and ask for it to be documented. Follow up with an email, so you've got a osier trail. "Just to clarify..... record what was agreed".

You are going to have to toughen up quickly, and fight for your son!

OP get this thread moved to the SN section. We will support you. SN board is fabulous, with very very knowledgeable posters, who helped me, 8 years ago, when I was in a much worse situation than yours!!

Let them help you!!

JoGold thanks for your kind words and offer of email/phone. I do understand the rationale behind not letting children sit SATS, but I'm not sure whether that's going to be the best course of action for my ds. I will bear your kind offer in mind though.

Oblomov20 no, I don't think the school failed him. As I said, I had a few concerns in Y5 and then pursued a private educational psychologist assessment. His attainment only slipped during Y5, so there wasn't many markers for a possible SEN.

I've posted on the SEN board and have indeed found the posters there helpful and generous with their time.

I would DEFINATELY push to find out what adjustments can be made for him to take the stats.

Things such as larger font, clearer font, larger spacing should be easily accessible if it puts the child on a level playing field.
Likewise extra time, a reader or a scribe should not be one or the other. If hes able to write then imo he should at least have a reader and extra time as that again puts him on a level playing field.

While at university, I was able to have coloured paper, larger font, clearer font, extra time, etc etc so i really dont see why it should not be available for students at primary, and should be adjustments that follow throughout education.
As someone who only started making adjustments when I started at university and kept them throughout my professional career, I can hand on heart say I HATED school with a passion and only started to enjoy education once I realised what a difference adjustments could make in a exam.

It's ok to say "imo he should at least have a reader and extra time" but , whilst it is possible, it's not as simple as saying he deserves it ( or even that he needs it!) There are rules and procedures that the school will need to follow to put this in place-not least to show that this is normal classroom practice ( so reader/scribe and extra time for pretty much everything) Unless there is a 1;1 in place, this isn't always easy to evidence.
The first thing that needs to be done is for access arrangement tests to be undertaken to see which criteria are met. Some schools have a specialist teacher who does these, in some schools an Ed psych and in some the SENCO will carry them out. These tests will show what arrangements are allowed to be put in place, whether this is extra time, a reader and/or a scribe. Then the school will need to gather evidence that these arrangements are normal classroom practice and then they can be applied in the SATS tests.

Yes, that's my understanding.

He only received a diagnosis 3 months ago and has only been wearing glasses for a few weeks, so there isn't much to evidence of 'normal classroom' practice, and we're still finding out what he needs.

The Ed Psych recommended extra time in her report and the behavioual optometrist asked if I wanted any letters for school without me even asking.

I think realistically extra time and being in a room with someone prompting a number of children who find it harder to focus will be offered.

Have you /the school tried him with a reader? He might not need the extra time then. We have a few children with readers,Including for the mocks.

Unless he has his classwork read to him habitually as part of normal classroom practice, that would be maladministration. Same with your children.

SATS results aren't that big a deal for the individual. My DD's school explained them more as tests for the school, not the pupils and to be honest, did minimal prep as the Head doesn't like them.
Got the results in a sealed envelope and two years later I can't actually remember the results!

Depends on the secondary school - some use them to set children straight away.

Yes. I think they get used for sets, but that would happen anyway.
The child shouldn't think of them in terms of pass/fail though. It's a relative measure.