When does hot housing for Sats usually start in state primary (year 6)

[hothousingforsats]

Anyone know when hot housing for Sats starts in state primary schools?

I don't agree with them and think it is such a shame part of year 6 is wasted cramming for these. His school got their best ever Sats scores last year and it seems to have set them on a path of wanting to maintain their top position amongst local schools at any cost.

I've decided to remove my DS from school for these (this would be next year) and I will home educate once the hot housing starts until he starts secondary school. He's likely to get his first choice secondary school, but even his second and third choices do their own banding tests so Sats are irrelevant.

I would hope he would be learning new stuff for the Autumn term and they don't start this early. Do they? Would they start in the Spring term or is it not until after Easter?

I thought I'd use the time between now and then to plan some really cool educational trips away (ones we can't afford during the school holidays). Booking in advance will be far cheaper, so I'd be grateful to anyone who can tell me roughly when they stop learning and start cramming!

I don't think SATs are detrimental I just don't think they are a particularly good use of time, and before I wave him off the secondary (where he won't be skipping any school) he's quite keen to focus on things that interest him (spend more time doing music and sport) and go to a few places he's learned about in history/geography. `He asked me if we would ever have time to do these...

The annual year 6 trip is at the start of the year and he already hates the yearly whole school end of term play.

This isn't about exam avoidance (he's actually done several out of school already), but he's a bright kid and already finds school slow and boring.

I didn't want to drip feed but think I've given too much information.

I'm not seeking opinions or validation, just information.

It's not just SATs in Y6. They will likely have a residential trip, play, leavers assembly. Bearing in mind if they are 'hot housing' especially with reading comprehension and maths they will be teaching them what they need for Secondary.

Your DS will already be being tested, there are data drops in every year group.

Schools should still be teaching the whole curriculum not just concentrating on SATs in Y6

Many children bond over the SATs experience. They will have done the work for them. DS used to just talk about the snacks and treats they had in SATs week, the tests were just a minor inconvenience!

Better for him, or better for you?

I’d suggest you try and ask parents in Y6 (or Y7) who’ve gone through this at your specific school. The experience will be different everywhere.

From our experience there was a lot of talk about this amongst parents prior to Y6, but the reality amongst the kids was different. There was no ‘hothousing’ - if you don’t want your kid to do any of the extra practices / homework then fine; you get out what you put in. But my DC had a LOT of fun at school in Y6; many precious memories made. I don’t think SATs are even remembered once they’ve left!

Ok well that was the information about our particular experience in the school my child went to

DS is in year 7 and has a full set of exams straight after the Easter holidays pretty much in all subjects. I think they introduced this quite recently. Talking to a lot of the teachers they claim that phones have resulted in kids losing focus and especially the Covid year kids who got iPhones quite early during year 6 and secondary school transition.
I think some teachers do think it is best to get them used to exam technique early and then just keep doing it every year so that by the time they do their GCSEs it is actually less of a deal, rather than a massive thing.

@hothousingforsats how are your DS's social skills? is this more for you than him, saying you want to spend more time with him?

How does you child feel about being taken out of school??
He will miss out on any fun year 6 stuff, leavers activities etc etc. Does he not
mind?
In our school there is no ‘hot housing’ at all. We continue working through the curriculum in all subjects with new learning happening ups to at least Easter if not beyond. Then a week or two of practice and revision and then back to a full curriculum after the tests. We offer 1 after school booster club and some homework will be sats prep. That’s about it.
All the work they’ve done over the last 5 years has built towards being ready for these tests.
Take him out if that’s what you want but I wouldn’t do it for the reasons you give.
and please make sure it’s what he wants.

Well since he has been at the same school since nursery and wouldn't be leaving until half way through year 6, I'd say it's pretty clear I don't think that. Why do you think spending time pursing your own interests, with your family, would be better spent doing yet more "communal peer group experiences" of dubious value and zero interest?

So you want to remove him from school for a year so he doesn’t have the pressures of SATs. Then send him to secondary school. I think you are underestimating how Y6 can help prepare a child for Y7

Have you considered what your son might want op? Parenting is about meeting their needs, not your own.

In that case you really need to ask your school what their plan is. No one on MN can tell you when your kid’s school will start revision/consolidation for SATS. You will only get opinions because we don’t have access to the information you want.

You have 13 weeks holiday every year to do extra sports, music , trips to places he has learned about in school. Plus weekends.

Bright children who are self motivated don’t get bored at school if they are encouraged to think outside the box. Maybe you chose the wrong school for him, or maybe he doesn’t understand yet how to extend himself and push himself to learn at a deeper level.

@hothousingforsats what out of school exams has he done?

What - putting on plays, going on the residential, having leaving parties is a waste of time? Okaaaaay….

You started out giving SATs as the reason to home school him, and now it's more about trips away. So it seems like you are more asking - at what point can I take my child out to travel and use SATs as my reason.

To answer your question, at our school the SAts practice runs from autumn term onwards in terms of consolidation of learning and a drip drip of homework focused on them. The real focus probably starts after Easter - they are still doing plenty of other stuff at this stage.

And then of course it's all done before half term. Would you bring your child back to school once SATs are over, for the final few weeks of primary school?

It's a long time between end of SATs and the start of year 7. Most leaning is lost by then. Two family members are secondary school teachers. They both say year 7 is a settling in year - as pupils with different abilities come from many different schools and it's a big jump up from primary that can't be prepared for.

I hardly think a term and a half out of school is going to be detrimental since it is spent cramming for sats followed by rehearsing for a school play and he will attend any transition day at secondary school.

DC2 is in Y6. They did mocks in January (but had not covered all the material at that point so were told not to panic) and then again a couple of weeks ago.

Intervention sessions for low achievers started in January they do one session after school a week.

They are still covering various topics, they're on WWI at the moment I think, and it isn't all SATS based it is just skills that will help with the exams.

After SATS (which are mid May) they down tools and do loads of fun stuff, trip to Legoland etc. So to be honest you're looking at 3 months max of school being a bit shit.

This seems to be all about you not your DS

and this seems to be you just wanting an argument. Not biting.

Because as an adult he will be living in the real world, so will need to learn how to deal with people he isn’t related to, to listen to them, accept that they have different ideas which might be better ideas than he has, or might not be.

Children are like dogs in some respects, if you don’t get them socialised early enough with other children dogs then they can become aggressive, which no one wants, or timid, which holds them back.

Hmm.

my kids are a lot older now but a big part of growing into an independent adult is the transition from doing things with your family as a child to starting to do things without your family.

there’s a reason schools do a lot of trips and it’s at least partly to get tweens/teens to be able to operate socially without their parents around.

your child is at just the age where scouts/guides/cadets etc start encouraging them to do things without mummy or daddy and get out of their comfort zone and start experiencing the wider world and learning how to interact with adults who aren’t either their parents or their teacher.

most primary schools do quite a lot of work on independence in year 6 - they’ll get the year sixes to start eg volunteering with the younger years or being playground monitors (running games with the younger children), they’ll do bikeabilitu and start working on travelling independently ready for secondary school.

yes, travelling the world is good. Travel broadens the mind. But year six really is the start of developing independence and there are quite a lot of things that would be a pity to miss.

Thanks to those who have responded to the actual question.

To everyone else, thank you for raising your point but rest assured I have already through it all though, know what my DS want to do (because he has told me) and am happy with my decision.

Does secondary school admission depend on feeder schools?

I’ve found year 6 a good preparation for year 7. Sats is only a small part of an important year.
I believe there is plenty of time in the summer holidays to spend time with your child before the start of secondary school.