SATS 2009 papers what's the effing point?

[Falseacacia]

DD's primary school has been working them hard doing loads of SATS practice papers, SATS homework etc etc. We got an email from the Head Teacher last week saying they would be boycotting SATS. DD now has to sit a full week of the papers from last year - this will count towards the assessment that the teachers are doing instead of SATS. Problem is that the papers are readily available free to download off the internet and a good proportion of kids have used them for practice. The school seems to have deliberately stressed out the kids as much as possible, then gives them worthless exams to stress them out more. Why is the school doing this? Just to prove a point? Should I go down there and smash the head teacher's face in - I fucking feel like it. By the way the school and the LEA just love the league tables because they do well in them.

Exactly - I think the teacher was trying to convince the kids not to go looking for the answers. They have also been doing the CGP ones for homework. No doubt all will be revealed later....

Sorry Lizzipads didn't see your post. Yes I am looking for an apology and most of all assurance as to how the kids are actually being assessed. The Head seems to have the attitude that he is answerable to no-one .

In dd's school the only reason the children wanted to do them was because the head had been given regular assemblies telling them that this exam was vital to their futures. Which is obviously not true. Employers do not look at KS2 SATS results, universities do not base their admissions on them.

Dd and her bf were both off during SATS week with suspected glandular fever. Dd's friend got totally stressed out at the thought of missing this important exam and was relieved when school sent round a TA to help her do it at home. But why would she have stressed about it if she had not been told that this exam was important to her?

"Governors also have a duty to report to parents" Do they? In 3 years we've barely heard a peep from the Governors, in fact I'd only recognise 2 of them - what information should they be reporting to parents?

I don't understand why she made which year's papers they were doing public knowledge anyway - since kids are unlikely to be able to memorise the last 15 years' worth of papers by heart, the best way is surely not to tell them.

Well it is blindingly obvious if they have "SATS 2009" plastered all over them...

If you have done a paper before whether recently or not it gives an obvious advantage - I think your score would improve without having to memorise the answers.

I assume that the proper SATS have the same strict criteria as other exams - i.e. the packaged papers weren't opened until shortly before the exam.

How would they know before they sat them? I honestly can't believe it's such an issue; no one is bothered at our school (we did 2007 papers this week).
8 out of 12 schools in our 'wedge' boycotted, and all used past papers so that a)Y6 children could do what they had been working towards/have a SAT breakfast club, etc
b)the tests could contribute towards teacher assessment, in line with KS1 assessment procedures - where, incidentally, it is statutory to use 'past papers' (a choice between 2007 and 2009).

According to the heads of the 8 schools, not one parent has complained about the boycott.

I do think you have grounds to be cross about the very late notice though, falsacacia.

Heavymetalglamourrockstar: Our school (VA) is legally required to report to parents annually. Some of that would be about the governing body, its constitution, terms of office etc. Other information will be at the GB's discretion, but would include information about what the Governors had been doing. We publish meeting agendas and minutes on the school website and a periodic parent survey. A number of the letters reminding parents of policies (eg on absence) would also be sent from the GB rather than the Head.

As lon as it's transparent, it probably doesn't need to be a formal report.

Our school (not VA) sends out a report to parents each year.

For the record the school have taken my complaint seriously, and the kids were given an unseen maths paper yesterday. It was not a paper produced in the last few years as the kids did the papers up to 2008 for practice in school.

Still have no idea how it could possibly be unseen.

And what a ridiculous amount of past papers!

I echo "what a ridiculous number of past papers" ...