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SATs

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    littlemissylittlemissy Posts: 9,972 Supreme Poster
    Broken-Angel wrote: »
    Littlemissy, they still do the KS3 ones at my school :( and we have assesments every 6 weeks in every subjects (even when we only have some subjects once every two weeks!!)

    I thought they had been abolished. Is it the KS4 ones that are no longer there? Have to admit that I'm not too clued up on secondary stuff, though. I only teach primary and the rest is a bit foreign to me!
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    littlemissy wrote: »
    I thought they had been abolished. Is it the KS4 ones that are no longer there? Have to admit that I'm not too clued up on secondary stuff, though. I only teach primary and the rest is a bit foreign to me!

    SAT's are in year 2 and 6. They used to be in year 9 as well, but they got rid of them... but in my school we do them anyway :grump: Because the head is a bit obsessed with tests and they help us "prepare for GCSE's" x
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    AuroraAurora Posts: 11,722 An Original Mixlorian
    katralla wrote: »
    I didn't do them... Can't see the point in DD feeling under pressure for them. If not taking them meant being in bottom sets at high school Iw ould just keep her home and coach her through GCSEs, would be much quicker than the 50million hours a day they waste at school learning how to sit down, shut up, and do what everyone else does.

    I know the class teacher isn't keen on them as I asked her about them at parent teacher meeting last, and I asked last year. I will speak to the head. If need by I can always withdraw her from school for a bit, and then re-register her, or something.
    I've always found bottom set to the most supportive but if you don't do sat's you get put in set 4-5 not the bottom 6, I used to be in set 6 then 4 now 1 since I moved school and that wasfor English, You should just let your child take them but tell them not to worry x
    Sats are Im-port-ant
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Confused by your responses tbh, dd finished state primary school at the end of year four. Since than has been pissing around leaning fauck all as far as I can tell. In state system is suposed to move up to high school in year eight. Will the SATs matter then? No idea what the point of them is. As far as I'm aware the only exams that matter for career and higher ed options are GSCE and A2 exams, all of which I can coach DD through myself or use tutors for. Really not sure what the fuck these SAT things are for, sound like bullshit gov cunting want shit to me and so... we ain't doing it, end of.

    I'm really just wondering how to withdraw from them without fuss. I'm willing to make fuss, move school, home tutor, private school, blah blah blagh, just ain't feeling these SAT things. When I was a lass I took exams all the time, loved them - they told me how ace I was. Coz DD ain't used to them they seem like pressure to her, and that's all I'm trying to avoid for a 10yr old...

    Ta fo all the opinions though. My first port of call will be the headteacher now, will let you know what thay say...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Angel_Abi wrote: »
    I've always found bottom set to the most supportive but if you don't do sat's you get put in set 4-5 not the bottom 6, I used to be in set 6 then 4 now 1 since I moved school and that wasfor English, You should just let your child take them but tell them not to worry x
    Sats are Im-port-ant

    Not all schools have 6 sets... and what the standards for top set in one school could be a lower set in another school.

    And, Katralla, aren't the SAT's at the end of year 6? Couldn't you home educate your child through the summer term, and then re join them into a school at year 7?

    I know this has nothing to do with me, but I was just thinking, have you asked your child what they want? Because they will get a lot of questions from their friends about why they didn't do the tests etc. So, if you are going to pull them out of SAT's, make sure they know the reason :)
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Angel_Abi wrote: »
    I've always found bottom set to the most supportive but if you don't do sat's you get put in set 4-5 not the bottom 6, I used to be in set 6 then 4 now 1 since I moved school and that wasfor English, You should just let your child take them but tell them not to worry x
    Sats are Im-port-ant

    They're only important for the school, imo. Even if you do get put into a bottom set, there's nothing to stop you changing sets - I did.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah, I asked her, she doesn't want to do them. She's def well into level 5s now so I don't need her to take a test to check where she fits with the rest of the world- she's clever enough, it'll do.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Ah, faire enough :) Good luck with the Headteacher! x
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I never saw the problem with SAT tests from primary and secondary. I just did them, never felt pressured or anything. Now I look back though I do think it was a waste of time. We could have been doing what they are now, by preparing you for GCSE's earlier, and letting you do an optional college course during your secondary education without having to leave, then join college seperatly. It was GCSE's and A-Levels or BTEC, then uni afterwards, but you would still leave school with an extra qualification.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Whether SATs pressure a child or not completely depend (imo) on how they are delivered and the attitude towards them the school and the parents take. Regularly well delivered tests and exams can be good for children, their parents and teachers. For the kids because it means they get used to the concept and don't see doing tests and exams as a big deal or something to be frightened of. For the parents in a similar way to their kids, and they get a reasonable benchmark of how their child is doing (and also hopefully get used to their kids doing tests as not being a big deal and something to stress a child about) and for the teacher as one of many ways to see how a child is doing, and to help prepare them for doing formal exams later in their education.

    This does all assume that they are delivered in a sensible way with a sensible attitude - which is rarely the case for SATs because they're used for league tables so all schools want is the best performance on a level basis to make them look better.

    Katralla, part of the confusion in this thread is the variation in systems between different schools, and also the difference in age of transfer between schools in different regions.

    A lot of areas have primary schools from Reception - Year 6, thus Yr 6 SATs are what some secondary schools in those areas use for initially 'set'ing pupils when they move to secondary schools.

    Secondary schools in those areas then go from Yr 7 - Yr 11, with or without a 6th form on the top.

    Other areas, have primary from Reception up to I think Yr 4, then middle school from Yr 5 - Yr 8, then high school Yr 9 - Yr 11, with or without 6th form on top.

    I get the impression you're from one of the Yr 5 move areas, in which case the potential use of SATs for sets is irrelevent because your child won't be moving school at the end or Yr 6.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    i dont see the problem with them, although I dont think children should feel pressured at that age, but thats down to how the school and the parents handle it
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Scary Monster wrote: »
    This does all assume that they are delivered in a sensible way with a sensible attitude - which is rarely the case for SATs because they're used for league tables so all schools want is the best performance on a level basis to make them look better.

    I agree. When I did my SATs for Year 9, the teachers were basically going on like they're the most important thing ever.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    What are SATs used for? Putting people in sets? Entry to grammar schools? Do grammar schools still exist?
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    They're doing practise tests this week. I think it's wasting DDs time, when she should be learning something new, not learning how to pass irrelevant tests. Have a telephone app booked with the head of year tomorrow morning so, we'll see what they say...
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Don't forget there is a certain value in learning to get used to doing exams, like you said, you did them all the time and loved them. And they are key later on in education - and like with many things, if you can get used to them young then generally you can reduce the fear around them as long as approach with the right attitude.

    One way to achieve this could be to do the practise ones and not the real ones.
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    Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    but learning how to pass tests and cope under pressure is a good skill to have too, no?
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