SATs test appeal

[Clearinguptheclutter]

Hi, wondering if anyone in the know can help. My son is disappointed with his reading sats scores. He got excellent scores in Spag and Maths but only 108 in reading despite getting 113 in his mock and the teacher apparently expecting 115+.
I've told him he's done really well etc and am playing it all down. But it turns out that the teacher has already appealed as she has 'found some extra marks in his paper'.
Just wondering if you can reassure me that a. it really doesn't matter (I think it does to the school though, hence the appeal) and b. what the chances of getting the score revised are?

I have no idea what the chance of the mark changing is, but I can confirm that it really doesn't matter. I can't even remember what my DC's SATS scores are (youngest in Year 13).

Secondary school will use them for progress trackers, so I would make a point of ignoring those, but actually not sure they are useful on an individual level in any case at all ...

At dd secondary only maths matters as used for setting.

Dd did sats last year and only ogt 110 when should havebeen much higher, it was a surprise but the paper that year was unusally hard and longer and she didnt finish the last q.

It honestly doesn't matter, but as a previous SATs marker I did work one summer as an appeals marker and genuinely felt like I'd sold my soul to the devil. Whereas as a marker we were encouraged to give marks wherever possible, as an appeals marker the opposite was true and it was incredibly hard to get mark changes passed by those in charge!

blimey. thanks for the heads up!

It will matter to the school as obviously the more children through as greater depth the better it looks for them. For your child though it’ll make no difference. Most high schools use their own assessments if they want to group in sets and won’t look at SATs

Reading was very difficult this year and everybody complains. Spag was easy this year. Maths also wasn't bad at all.

Secondary school will use them for progress trackers, so I would make a point of ignoring those, but actually not sure they are useful on an individual level in any case at all ..

And the secondary schools actially love to boast how much improvement the kids made.

I think the boundaries for reading was a bit higher this year. Scores at ds school was also a few points lower than expected.

At 108 your child isn't likely to be near a boundary. 115 is the greater depth score. They were a comfortable expected score. That's a very good thing. A few marks won't make a difference.

My ds should have got greater depth the year he did it (had always been from Y2) but scored a little lower. He's doing A level English now - made no difference! I think it gives sats too much importance if you start considering an appeal especially when he's got a decent mark.

Not true, my daughters scores were 110 reading and 112 spag, both of which were greater depth.

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/scaled-scores-for-2024-key-stage-2-sats-announced/

110
They will have needed either 2 or 3 more marks which is unlikely but not impossible. There were many more successful appeals when the papers were marked as a whole.

SATs aren't qualifications. They mean very little. Dont bother

It really makes no difference at all - why does he even know the actual scores rather than being told that he's done really well??

Good to hear. I wouldn’t have been that bothered but ds is and the teacher has started the appeal process.

his teacher gave them all their individual scores.

As with another parent I just replied to, these marks are really quite impressive and you and your child really shouldn't worry about anything. I'd be very proud!

The reading was more tricky. My DD has been getting 120 in mocks for reading. She scored 114 in her reading and 115 in SPAG.

I just told her she'd done well anyway and despite only getting them on Friday she's forgotten all about them now. I wouldn't make a big deal about the appeal at all to your DS. Just let it play out.

You might be thinking of KS1 tests where 115 was the ceiling? Either way, it’s incorrect, as other posters have pointed out.

I am! It’s just the teacher making a fuss

Teachers always like to get a few more over the boundary to a higher score, which is normally 110 at KS2. Schools get percentages reported and Ofsted can see them.
To get from 108 to 110 is only a difference of 2 or 3 marks on the reading paper, so well worth checking. The paper will be remarked over the summer.
Will make very little difference to your child, and secondary school will probably never get to know until it is too late.

Results don’t matter as long as it’s enough for next step- as I’ve told mine throughout school. So with SATS - don’t matter at all. A good lesson for your son.

too late for what?

Some secondary schools use SATs grades for year 7 sets and target grades for GCSE. If so, I don't think they will receive any changed grades in time to affect this.
However, they probably won't take any notice of a boundary, so they may set their own, e.g. they might target 108+ for a level 8 or whatever.

Thanks I don’t think ours does, certainly not for setting in y7
but if it changes I suppose no harm in emailing the school myself and making them aware.