Children are worrying about SATs tests

After my friend retired she was called back as a supply teacher to help some of the less able y6 pupils with their SATS (which have since been abolished here).

So extra funding was available for that - now, if it was to boost the school's ratings then that is questionable - but if it helps those children to achieve a good level of numeracy and literacy then I think that is a good thing.
Indeed, if the aim was to boost the school's ratings but it did help those children then the end result was good.

I have someone to help me in the house at the moment due to a physical problem and she has 6 year old twins. She told me on Wednesday that they are doing SATS this week. Their school has obviously handled it really well as neither child is in the least bothered about it. She said they both said "Oh we're doing tests this week Mum" as they might have said "We're painting pictures of ducks this week, Mum".

It seems that their teacher has been careful to keep it all low key and the children are un-stressed and taking it in their stride. Seems to me that's the way it should be.

DGD was really happy as they were given nice new pencils, rubbers, stationery etc!

Hope she does OK [anxiousgranny]

The church primary school my DC first attended (pre SATS) had an excellent reputation. DD1 did ok, but by the time. DD2 and DS were there things were sliding badly - but the school's reputation was still high. We moved them to the state junior school which had a mediocre reputation but the teachers were making such an effort and they thrived. All the children from there did well.

Am I right in thinking that SATS were originally meant to assess the quality of education in schools and give parents up to date and accurate assessment?

Previously, failing schools were hidden - only word of mouth and rumour highlighting supposidly bad ones - I think the concept was right, but it all seems to have got horribly out of hand.

Schools accumulate progress data all the time aside from the SATs which I think are unneccessary.

I have zero experience of SATS but well remember tests throughout my school years. I guess it all depends on how well it is handled by teachers?

There is some research somewhere that shows that teachers assessment of children, based on their work in class, matches the outcome of SAT tests very closely. Not surprising at all as teachers do actually know what they are doing and what the expectations are.

Currently schools are moving from the current system of 'levels' e.g. L2b is currently the average expected level a child should be at at the end of Year Two.
Schools are being asked to assess children against a set of statements and say if a child is at/below/above the expected standard. The tests will probably revert to raw scores. Good schools do not put pressure on children but sadly the punitive approach to schools who do not get sufficient children to the expected level is driving some schools to teach to tests and simply get kids to jump through hoops..not my view of what education should be.

Indeed not penstemmon - that is not what education should be about. The ongoing awareness of teachers with regard to their pupils is a normal part of the job and professionalism.

As a fomer PrImary School Teacher, I can see no value in SATS tests, apart from to the glory, or otherwise, of the schools concerned.
I couldn't believe what the Mum of a SATS taking child told me about how his school was dictating to parents . The school forbade any extra curricular activities that week, dictated the time that children should be in bed, and sent home a list of revision time -to be verified by the parent! No wonder many children have become very stressed about these educationally meaningless tests.
Thank goodness I'm retired!

Afterthought! On local radio two days ago a Conservative MP from our area was supporting SATS but when asked two SATS questions he couldn't answer either of them, and thought that a verb in the given sentence was a preposition! Back to school for him!!

MY GS did his SATs this week and we saw him last weekend at a cottage we had rented in the Yorkshire Dales. We went for a big walk on Saturday and he was as happy as a lark looking forward to the post SATs party today. By the way he is no genius just an ordinary little boy.

I thank goodness that I am retired too, trendygran, you hope that parents ignored it all and made it no different from normal.

My DGS1 (6 yrs old) did the KS1 SATS this week. He told his mum that the question the last question on the maths paper was really difficult. When asked what it was he sai 'What is half of 550? 'what did you put Elliott?' '60' When she asked what half of 50 was he gave the correct answer, when she asked what 1/2 100 was he gave the correct answer...

I had to think about that! I must ask how my youngest GS (7) got on with his SATS. And GS1 with his Y6 SATs. Countdown does wonders for my mental arithmetic!

I am a recently retired 'Teaching Headteacher' and am deeply saddened by what has happened in education in recent years. I wanted to hear happy children who were excited in their learning and proud of their individual achievements rather than which specific level they had attained.
More time is spent teaching to tests than teaching children the joy of learning.
I have worked in many schools where 'cheating' happens constantly in order to 'tip' a child over into the next level. Sadly I can understand why some teachers do this as they feel so pressured to produce results which appear to indicate achievement.
And the result? Universities often despair at the current low levels of spelling, grammar and syntax.
I am so glad that I was able to benefit from a happy, varied and well-rounded primary school education in the 1950s.

India Knight has a great article about it in the Sunday Times today.
I agree with Valbeasixties- I had a great time at primary school in 1950s- fun, relaxed and a great education. It would be in special measures today!

Today DS told me that GS1(Y6) had taken his SATs revision book, shot it with his air rifle and burnt it in the garden incinerator. That's telling them.

I wish I could believe that SATs had anything to do with producing a well educated child with a broad range of knowledge.

One of DD's friends taught in a London primary school. It was always praised by Ofsted but she said it was the worst school she'd worked in and any problem children were told to stay at home if the inspectors were coming. Another school she worked at was judged to be poor, yet the children thoroughly enjoyed their time their and the staff were happy teaching them.I don't think any of my favourite teachers would cut it today.

Love the notion of annodomini's year 6 grandsons response to his SATs revision book - go that boy.

I think both the primary and junior high schools I attended would have be in special measures these days.

The primary school taught me to read, write and calculate. We didn't have a playing field so rarely did PE (instant fail now because of 2+ hours requirement). Mornings were spent learning and afternoons were used for art and playing. Not planned structured learning play... just children playing in the home corner or building stuff. We didn't have a lot of equipment. The teacher used this time to teach reading.

I went to an experimental junior high. It was the first year of the comprehensive system. We were taught in a school that had been a secondary modern the previous year and the staff used all the facilities to give us a range of learning experiences that Year 5 and 6 children never get these days. I did woodwork, metalwork, technical drawing, masses of music, needlework, cooking as well as more academic subjects. The only subjects we did every day were maths and English although sometimes we had general knowledge quizzes because the teachers thought we needed a breadth of knowledge. The teachers found out what talents the children had such as music or sport. I was musical and it was encouraged and nurtured. A friend was artistic so was given extra time with the Art teacher. We had a biology lab with real animals in it. No health and safety issues. If you got bitten (like I did by a crazed hamster) then it was your own fault and you simply rinsed the blood off under the tap lol.

Neither school would have passed safeguarding guidelines. I didn't do a formal test in the three years I was at junior high. But I received a broad education which put in place the skills I needed to learn and continue learning through my life.

My 11 year old DGS didn't seem at all bothered about the SATs, but he was really pleased that he lost a tooth in the middle of one of the tests and was allowed to miss the hated gymnastics afterwards. There must be some genetic predisposition as the only thing I hated more than gym was country dancing.

Our 7 year old son complained that the tests went on for too long. He said last week was boring. IMO a bored child is unlikely to perform to the his/her potential.

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Go away and stop peddling your parasitic product. Didn't you notice that SATs for 7 year-olds have been cancelled anyway?

Not only that LisandraHeusleynegq clearly can't differentiate between the spelling of practise as a verb and practice as a noun. Doesn't inspire confidence.