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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Y6 SATS - will you or won't you?

43 replies

PrettyCandles · 04/05/2010 14:48

Will you be supporting your headteacher and withdrawing your dc from the SATS, or will you support Ed Balls and have them sit the SATS?

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JustBlameSue · 04/05/2010 14:50

Mine doesn't do them until next year, but I would certainly be withdrawing from the tests.

mumto2andnomore · 04/05/2010 14:52

My DDs school is still doing them, dont agree with them but at this stage after all the boring revision and studying I think they may as well do them and hopefully drop them next year.

gingertoo · 04/05/2010 14:53

We had a letter last week saying that our headteacher was supporting the boycott and would not be administering the KS2 SATs.
I fully support her decision to do this and hope that this action leads to change in the way children are assessed at KS2.

Feenie · 04/05/2010 14:54

If you're talking about the boycott, it isn't a case of parents withdrawing children to support the headteachers. If the headteachers take part, then the tests simply won't be administered; no need to withdraw your child.

In fact, you would be hampering your headteacher due to attendance issues, which is another stick used to beat school management with!

MumInBeds · 04/05/2010 14:57

My ds will be doing them, his school have agreed to do them and in this case I support them in doing so. The children due to take these tests have worked very hard for them and it would be a real kick in the teeth to them to be told all that was for nothing.

I hate the league tables and the role of (the tests commonly known as) SATs within them, particularly the narrow fields they examine but it is too late in the day to change that for this year.

I think regular assessment is needed but it needs to be wider and as a separate thing to league tables, if tables are needed at all.

Original poster

PrettyCandles · 04/05/2010 14:58

And if your headteacher is going ahead with the tests, would you refuse to allow your dc to sit them? Whether by taking them out of school or by letting them go to school but specifiying that you don't want them to sit the SATS. Given that the vast majority of headteachers don't approve of the SATS.

OP posts:

CheeryCherry · 04/05/2010 14:59

Our school boycotting...good on them says I! Now the Y6's can learn some real lessons now.

mollymax · 04/05/2010 15:01

We had a letter from school last week to say the SATS are going ahead. I also don't agree with them but the children have worked so hard towards them, that it would be mixed messages to them to withdraw. IYSWIM. Our school have put a fair amount of pressure on the children as they always get good results
and the new head wants that to continue.

releasethehounds · 04/05/2010 15:02

My children's school is going ahead with the SATS, and although I don't value the results particularly, DD1 has been working really hard so I think it would be a shame at this stage not to sit them.

Feenie · 04/05/2010 15:03

"by letting them go to school but specifiying that you don't want them to sit the SATS"

Again, this isn't possible - headteachers (unless they have the legal protection from this year's boycott) have a duty to ensure all children working at a level 3 or above sit the tests - they can't allow children to sit out on their parents' say so.

From ARA 2010:
"
'6.7 What if parents, carers or guardians do not agree with the school's decision about whether their child should participate in the tests?
Some parents, carers or guardians may ask a headteacher not to enter their child for the tests. Schools should not agree to this simply because parents, carers or guardians are opposed to assessment or feel that their child would find national curriculum assessments stressful."

Feenie · 04/05/2010 15:08

To all the posters who think it would be a shame not to sit the tests - most schools taking part in the boycott are sitting a past paper and either marking it internally or sharing moderation with other schools, since they understand that the lateness of the boycott affects children.

The legality of the action means that a boycott has to be within 4 weeks of the vote, so it can't be next year, unfortunately.

releasethehounds · 04/05/2010 15:13

My other DD is in Y1 so I'm hoping SATS are well out of the way by then!

gingertoo · 04/05/2010 15:13

Feenie Yes, that is what is happening in our school. The children will sit past papers which will be marked / moderated within the family of schools.
We have been informed that our children will then be given a 'Level' based on teacher assessment and the result of these timed tests...

Original poster

PrettyCandles · 04/05/2010 16:05

I quite understand that the children have worked towards the tests and are aware of the tests (unlike in Y2), so it would be disrespectful both of their efforts and towards their teachers to withdraw them. I hadn't thought about it from that perspective.

My ds1 is in Y4. We seriously considered withdrawing him from the Y2 SATS, but decided in the end it would be pointless as he would still have been learning to the test for the preceding weeks.

I sincerely hope we won't have to think about this in two years time.

What's the Conservative position on SATS?

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veritythebrave · 04/05/2010 16:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

mattellie · 04/05/2010 16:17

DD sat these last year and since the secondary school she has gone to used the results as a main criterion for setting, which they did from the start of the autumn term, we encouraged her to do as well as possible.

DS?s school, on the other hand, told us quite frankly that they took no notice of SATs whatsoever ? in that case I can?t see much merit in them (to the children at least).

Feenie · 04/05/2010 16:18

Verity, that is really awful practice. Your poor dd!

Conservative position on SATs - they talk about an 'overhaul' for KS2 testing and 'rigour' in the test system, plus a reading test for all 6 year olds.

mrz · 04/05/2010 16:34

We still don't know if we are or we aren't

Original poster

PrettyCandles · 04/05/2010 16:44

Ds knew that they were working on particular workbooks, but didn't think of it as any sort of test. If anything he enjoyed it! He wasn't stressed at all because the school did not appear to place any particular importance on these workbooks. Unlike some I have heard of, where the children were told repeatedly that it was very important and that they must do their best.

OP posts:

GrimmaTheNome · 04/05/2010 16:48

I brought up the subject of the boycotts with DD last week - asked what she'd think if SATs were cancelled. DD is a rather quiet child, always excellent conduct at school, somewhat shy... so I wasn't anticipating her answer "Well, I know our school is doing them, just as well because if our headmaster cancelled them I would STORM into his office and HIT HIM!!"

She'd be gutted if they were cancelled - its not that they've been doing nothing but SATs work at her school, they seem to have been doing all sorts of other stuff too. She is looking forward to them!

So no, I won't be withdrawing DD, it'd be more than my life was worth!

gingertoo · 04/05/2010 18:33

It's great that your DD feels like that Grimma but sadly so many kids don't. Some children work themselves up into such a state about SATs that they don't perform as well as they could which is a real shame...

My son, initially, was a little disappointed that he would not be sitting the 2010 SATs tests as he too has been working really hard all year but he is really really pleased that the level that he is going to be given at the end of YR6 will now take into account all of the hard work that he has been doing all year and will not just be based on his peformance next week..

thehillsarealive · 04/05/2010 18:39

My DD is in yr2 and they refer to them as a quiz in her year, no pressure on them at all.

DS in yr5 is sitting SATs this week and he knows it, he also knows that come 11+ time next year the results from his SATs at the moment will be considered if he doesnt pass the 11+.

We are not putting any pressure on the children at all, I think they have more than enough as it is. I dont remember doing all of this when we were at school. (back in the 'olden' days)

PestoMonster · 04/05/2010 18:50

Our school is boycotting them, but the children will be sitting unseen SATS papers from a previous year instead.

Madsometimes · 05/05/2010 10:19

Our school is still doing them.

I think both Tories and Labour are thinking about moving SATs to the beginning of Y7, but not sure how that will work in practice.

islandofsodor · 05/05/2010 10:28

Well they sit CATS at year 7 in most schools and those tests ar emore accurate in setting ability groups so I guess it is possible.

I chose an independent school who doesn't do SATS for my children other wise I would withdraw them. Our local primary where dneice goes is one of the few in the city taking the SATS ( a few schools in special measures are doing them as they need the date to show they are improving for OFSTED.)

Dnecies school ahs always seemd to me to be very pushy with reams and reams of homework from the word go, they made a big deal of it in Year 2 even calling parents in for a meeting about the Yr 2 SATS etc etc so I am not surprised they are doing them.

I have no doubt the schools results will be good, but are the children being given a full, quality all round education?

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