Level 6 in SATs

[VickySS]

Does anyone know what percentage of children have achieved (historically) level 6 at key stage 2 in Maths?

[Feenie]

Please correct me if I am wrong but though people say L6 was re introduced last year, i think this is not exactly correct. 10 years ago, it was possible to sit L6 but I seem to recall that the children were actually sitting Key Stage 3 papers rather than age appropriate papers ( maybe more relevant in English than Maths)

No, I'm sorry, that's incorrect - they were KS2 Level 6 papers, and they stopped in 2001.

[Slipshodsibyl]

Thanks. Do you know why they were originally stopped and would you share your opinion about the re-introduction please?

[bigbuttons]

The deputy and class teacher of my daughter's school, tried to frighten the year 6 half to death by telling them the sats were so important that the results would stay on their 'paperwork' when they applied for jobs as adults! I was bloody livid.

[Feenie]

I don't know why they were stopped, but I do know that teacher assessment at level 6 continued.

I think I have shared my opinion re introduction already - this time they are definitely being misused, and no wonder secondary teachers are pissed off! I suspect that is probably why they disappeared in the first place.

[BooksandaCuppa]

It quite clearly said all over the DoE website that they are for children 'already working consistently at level 6' and not for level 5 kids to just have a 'go' at.

Last year at ds's primary they stuck to that and no-one did them, despite his little group of higher achievers being all level 5b/a all year in English and maths. This year I think half the year are doing them. I feel sorry for any of those kids who'll go to secondary and find out they're not really level 6 - especially in reading.

The texts studied at secondary are so much more sophisticated - and the fact that you have to write an essay not just answer a few questions means that in the case of English, at least, a primary level 5 or 6 is really not the same as a secondary one.

[Tingalingle]

Ah. Wish I'd known that before agreeing that DD could have a bash at it.

[breadandbutterfly]

Oh well,at my dd's primary lots of the kids - a third? half? are doing L6 -though I don't think all are expected to pass. I expect dd to pass Maths and the SPAG one but would be very surprised if she passed the Reading one (as would she). But she seems quite happy to have a go.

The downside of the L6s is that the year 6s have had to do much more work this year. The upside is that...they've had to do much more work this year. My elder dd (who would easily have passed at L6 in year 6) spent most of year 6 pretty bored, as the highest level then was L5 at primary. She had already done L6 equivalent maths for 11+ practice, so would have liked to have done L6-type work in class and to have her abilities 'recognised'. There have always been plenty of children who are above L5 in primary school - don't see anything wrong in them being stretched.

In the case of my dd2 currently in year 6, she has had to work quite hard to try to reach L6 standards but can see how she's progressed. I don't think children should feel forced to do L6 - but if they are happy to have the extra work, then it needn't be bad. All the practice for L6 tests has also helped the kids get used to exams so they're no big deal; also quite a useful thing.

[PastSellByDate]

Very interesting thread - was just having a peak as DD1 will be facing SATs next year.

Just curious how senior schools/ grammar schools handle primary SATs scores upon entry?

If this has already been discussed at length on the secondary feed then please just direct me to the discussion.

thanks.

[lljkk]

Probably been discussed widely :).
90% of secondaries set their own cognitive ability tests (CATs) to implement streaming & setting. They don't trust y6 SATs very much although SATs are usually used to set KS3 & GCSE targets, also sometimes consulted for streaming when the CAT results aren't definitive. hth.

[chickensaladagain]

Dd is doing all the level 6s but she started the year on level 6 and has done no extra other than the normal class extension work she has been doing since reception I love dd's primary

Out of 55 year 6, 3 are doing level 6 literacy and 8 are doing maths which seems appropriate

The school down the road have entered a third of the year 6 for both and have been doing extra classes, lunch time sessions etc and came home this weekend with a pile of practise paper -yet locally it's seen as the better school and is over subscribed every year!

[poppydoppy]

DS year 5 is working at level 6. I think its quite normal in private schools.

[lljkk]

Not in the private school DS attended, lol. He was barely scraping L5c at end of y6 and was considered the very top ability pupil.

[QuintessentialOHara]

so that was it.

DS did sit his Level 6 Maths papers today, and is now a nervous wreck. I knew it. He would have been happy as lark not sitting it and being confident of his mark. He now is really worried. I think they are too young for this type of worry. But, I have cooked his favourite dinner, and the brownies are in the oven so will have them for pudding with vanilla ice cream. Not that this will make up for him now worrying. He said 15 of the 20 were "really easy" but sure he has 5 incorrect answers.

[Feenie]

My elder dd (who would easily have passed at L6 in year 6) spent most of year 6 pretty bored, as the highest level then was L5 at primary.

No it wasn't. There has never been a ceiling on KS2 teacher assessment, and level 6 was referred to in the statutory documents every year that the test was not in existence.

Your dd's school chose not to teach level 6 and to cap your dd's attainment, which is appalling.

[Secondme]

DD did it last year and said the English was a lot harder than the Maths. To practice they had done 1999 and 1998 Maths papers which were really hard but the actual paper was easy (according to DD). I think the reading questions required a lot more thinking but apparently they were easier than the reading test she did at the private school exam. I never knew they only restarted last year. At DD's school lots of people did Maths. About 12 and I'm pretty sure more than half got it. 5 of those people did level six English and 3 got l6 writing and 2 got l6 reading. dd and one other got 3 l6.

[Feenie]

DD's school didn't offer the option of Level 6 until last year. Loads and loads of children were getting high Level 5s, but couldn't go any further.

Then they weren't following statutory advice. Was that their only excuse then - that they just 'couldn't'

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

No, feenie, it only came in last year, didn't it?

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

I mean, a teacher could say 'that child is working at level 6', but the actual SATS papers for them to sit weren't there until last summer, surely?

[Feenie]

Tests reappeared last year - but the guidance has consistently referred to teacher assessment at level 6 every single year.

We teacher assessed a couple every now and again, usually in reading. It isn't fair to cap the attainment of, say, a Y5 child working at a 5A at the end of Year 5. They are as entitled to make progress as anyone else.

[Feenie]

Tests and teacher assessment supposedly have equal weighting, TheOriginalSteamingNit.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Sure, but i suppose the 'new' test last year was when the whole level 6 thing became a lot more visible, that's all.

[Feenie]

Maybe to parents, yes.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Which is of course what most of us are, so that makes sense