Yr 6 SATS Support the Teachers?

[lupino]

Im just wondering, now that the teachers are going to ballot on boycotting the SATS, whether and how we can support them? There seem to be rational arguments both for and against SATS but, in my view, the teachers are best placed to judge what is best for our children - when they are not being pressurised by the powers that be to produce quantifiable results. So - lets give the people best placed to judge some real clout by backing them up. The question then becomes how best do we do this?

I just read the NUT document linked by a pp to see what it had to say about the PREVENT strategy and it was entirely about its implementation in education.

All teachers in schools have recently or will shortly be receiving PREVENT training so it seems entirely relevant that the NUT are concerned about this.

My yr 6 ds1 knows that SATS are no big deal for us. His school have spent almost all of yr 6 coaching then for SATS and are doing yoga and light breakfast before the exams. Why? Children will only be stressed by them if they are told it is a big deal. SATS should test student progress and are a measure of teaching quality. Most secondary schools ime take the results with a large pinch of salt and do their own tests shortly after entry anyway.

it seems entirely relevant that the NUT are concerned about this.

I don't disagree. But it does somewhat detract from the other messages that the NUT, and the education profession as a whole, are trying to get across to the wider public.

If the foundation of the Education system is being threatened, then surely all efforts should be put into defending it?
If resources are expended on fighting a wide range of other issues as well, it undermines the message that there is a crisis of unprecedented proportions.

PrettyBrightFireflies seriously, your issue with the NUT is that they are complaining about too many problems related to the education system in this country. Of course you express no anger at the people who have caused those problems. Bit odd really.

Perhaps you can explain which of the points in that document you think should be shelved and why. Granted you have identified two which you think are completely irrelevant to the NUT, so out of the others, which one(s) should they be championing through?

noblegiraffe - ...the PREVENT strategy and it was entirely about its implementation in education .... it seems entirely relevant that the NUT are concerned about this.

PrettyBrightFireflies I don't disagree

Erm, I think your previous post suggest you do disagree, actually:

PrettyBrightFireflies What qualifies NUT members to vote on ... national security?

Do your know ds have to sit the days or can you opt out of them taking these pointless exams

Parents should boycott SATS. Mine did not do them and are fine. Friends children complained that yr6 was boring because just focused on SATS. How is that useful?!

trying you've misunderstood me. I don't think the NUT should shelve any of its motions if they are all equally important to its members.

However, that contradicts the message from the sector that it is in crisis and fighting for survival.

Willow & Frack - I intend to boycott as a parent of a child due to sit these stupidly useless tests.

trying you've misunderstood me. I don't think the NUT should shelve any of its motions if they are all equally important to its members.

flies, the misunderstanding stems from your comment that states:

If the Executive are being asked to spread themselves and resources ¬so thin to address all of those different issues, then it's less likely they'll succeed in making changes in any of them, surely?

I find it odd that you think:

flies - However, that contradicts the message from the sector that it is in crisis and fighting for survival.

Really? so the NUT have succinctly identified quite a number of issues that the state education sector in this country is facing, in one consolidated document, and you think it dilutes their message that there is a crisis.

You do realise that one of the many complaints teachers have is the frequency of change in the state educations sector. Evidently you feel this message is just too confusing for people to understand?

trying - I don't think the NUT should shelve any of its motions if they are all equally important to its members.

Only the ones that you feel are nothing to do with them - flies - what qualifies NUT members to vote on immigration and national security?

Interestingly that document you provided a link to makes it clear that there is a very obvious relevance in both these areas to the state education sector.

Asking what qualifies teachers to comment in no way implies that I think the motions should be shelved.

It's entirely up to the Union membership what they want their executive to act on.

But, teachers have criticised ministers for commenting and making decisions on professions they are not qualified in.

And, teachers are shouting for their voices to be heard about a crisis in their profession.
If the crisis is so bad then why not ask their executive to focus on that rather than get involved in issues that other unions are leading on?

Shipwrecked They have been studying new NC since start y5

Oh, silly me, my bad

I've been in secondary teaching long enough to remember a time when it was considered good practice to develop an prepare new materials for a course, starting five years before the changes was due to come in, so that everyone knew what they were preparing for long enough to do a proper job of it.

Now we seem to be ok with little or no real preparation?

Frankly I think the unions should have piped up before instead of simply focusing on their own pay and conditions.

You're saying that you've only heard about this crisis in education now?

Remember how teachers hated Michael Gove? Did you ever ask why?

Unions are only allowed to take industrial action over pay and conditions, so how the changes affect teachers.

I don't think they had too much choice over this year's SATs tests, washed. They were always a farce from their introduction, but it didn't become apparent how much of a farce until very recently.

Expecting that being taught 2 years of a 7 year curriculum that has significant changes to the previous one was always rubbish. The fuck ups they've made on top of that are making it worse.

If they DfE had any sense of putting children first, they would have put their hands up months ago, appologised for the mess they have made and cancelled this years already. Then they could have slowed down and take the time to get it right next year. Instead they are playing politics, because another U-turn at this point would be a PR disaster.

Washed if you think the tests are a farce then you are free to write to your MP complaining about them.

Oh, and don't vote Tory.

This year's year 6 have been shat on from a great height.

I'm not sure the test boycott is anything other than a PR attempt by the NUT. I don't think they have a handle on all the issues. A boycott of next year's SATs to make a point about issues with this year's does seem a bit pointless. Particularly when the test is less of an issue than the TA and there doesn't seem to be a boycott of that.

But I'm not sure what the answer is at this stage. I don't think anyone does.