SATs (Yr 6) are more important than I realised - honestly, did you coach?

[LightShinesInTheDarkness]

Prompted by posts elsewhere on the board, I actually rang the secondary school my DD will be going to in Sept, to ask how important the SATs results are in 'streaming' the kids when they start in September.

It turns out that, along with the teacher assessments and CAT (?) they are important.

I asked the Yr7 tutor the direct question about whether I should coach my child so they get the best results possible, or whether I should leave the school to do it, so the results are a reasonable reflection of what she is capable of without additional help, but he said it is a matter of personal choice.

Have gone from being quite relaxed to now a bit flummoxed.

Please don't coach! I say this as a secondary school English teacher. In my humble opinion SATS are of no importance to anyone other than the government. The idea of coaching a child for SATS sickens me. I think that SATS are anti education!

Don't worry about SATS influencing setting, most schools don't set until after the first half term in secondary school anyway. By that time your child's new teachers will have a very good measure of their ability. CATS do play a part in setting but only if the results seem to contradict a child's class room performance. All these forms of assessment provide a basis for discussion amongst teachers and if a child needs to move sets, either up or down, this will happen in any good school.

It is important to remember that in most schools children will be able to access all areas of an English curriculum, regardless of the set they are in.