SATS

[footpath]

Hello,

How can I make the week more pleasant for my dd? Should I encourage any revision or just focusing on relaxing?
I know they don't matter but the school puts on a fair bit of pressure.

We're going to have a normal weekend and if ds wants to have a practice on any papers or a few maths questions we'll do that. My dd missed her Sats due to Covid but I can say that her ability in year 6 at primary wasn't a great indication of her abilities now. She's doing really well in secondary - both academically but also socially and getting involved in school life. SATs are just a snapshot.

This is basically the perfect attitude to have.

We will be having a low key weekend… usual activities etc.

We will do a little bit of work… DS has a little list of a few areas he’d like to be more confident with. I think we will do about 90 minutes in total across the weekend looking at the things he’s identified if he still wants the help.

I think it’s good to go into an exam feeling prepared. Obviously getting all het up and stressed from doing loads of work is no good but a bit of prep doesn’t seem unreasonable.

Plenty go in stressed because they've done all they can to avoid preparing.

Everything will just stay totally normal here. DD hasn't done any of the extra sessions (which school cynically target at kids just on the boundaries to try and bump them up)- she has ASD and so we don't overdo it with homework and stress. She'll probably get one greater depth, one expected and maths is a bit borderline but I literally don't care how she does and neither does she.

The kids who get all wound up usually have parents or teachers who make it into a big deal, positively or negatively. It's for the school. That's it.

She's not going in for the special breakfasts either, she finds the presence of her classmates more stressful than not.

Interestingly her school seems to have ramped down the SATs stress in recent years, it obviously wasn't serving them well.

The funny thing is that everyone used to care a lot more about SATs a few years ago @Aichek - schools, parents, kids, tutors etc. We used to see way more posts on MN about it. This year I think I've seen about 5!

Since 2019, education has very much lost its momentum. Basically, fewer people can be bothered by it all and I see it in school every day - more absences, more late arrivals, more term-time holidays, more excuses for no homework and basically the parents see school as childcare.

Education standards are well below 2019. A lot of the kids in year 3 and below struggle to sit and behave in the classroom with reception being particularly juvenile. Again, the parents attitude is just apathy.

Governments can't be bothered with it either because the schools are all pretty much broke.

I know these things are cyclical and it'll switch back at some point but it's still kinda sad imo.

I definitely agree there's much lower positive engagement with schools, but i don't necessarily think SATs is a good indicator of that. I suspect the absence of them during covid and secondary schools subsequently being able to manage perfectly well without the data has shown parents that they are not, in fact, very important or even useful as anything except a measure of how well you do at sitting SATs. I'm massively invested in education (co-opted governor, used to work in schools policy) and I don't think they're worth making a big deal of!

Likewise the closure of schools during the pandemic and the poor treatment of children has really broken the social contract between parents and the state.

You're right there used to be some properly bonkers threads on here though.

You're right there used to be some properly bonkers threads on here though.

I think the MNs demographic has gotten older tbh & I'm not sure how many new mothers are attracted vs other social media. There really weren't that many threads about primary school allocations whereas I remember loads 5 plus years ago.

Ikwym, I guess I've always liked SATs because it's a climax of primary education - the final big test that everyone has to do.

There's always been a camaraderie amongst the pupils (even more so since the SATs breakfasts became a thing) despite it not really impacting the kinds long term. You can see it in them, they're all "in the trenches" together.

I guess I've also always liked the philosophy that kids from any background could do well - the exam room discriminates against nobody etc.

I think for the kids that camaraderie is still there but the connection and motivation from the parents has really fallen away. As you suggest, the social contract between schools, education, attainment and effort just isn't the same anymore.

It's a great shame because I can see that lack of care and weak attitude building with every year in the kids.

I think for the kids that camaraderie is still there but the connection and motivation from the parents has really fallen away. As you suggest, the social contract between schools, education, attainment and effort just isn't the same anymore.

Certainly where I am attainment and good education is still very much a key focus. People are actually obsessed by it!

@sherbsy private schools don't do SATS though and children who attend them presumably have a good end to Year 6 (probably a more relaxed one).

Possibly but they're generally much more academic and pushy throughout.

Regardless, we all need a target or we don't bother doing the work. Just look at the GCSE and A-level fallout since the pandemic.