the dreaded

[elaine1]

sats! Lordy lordy, both my kids have sats all this week, Tom , AS, and daughter ellie who is 11 and has some difficulties mainly with english and spelling work.

 

The atmosphere was tense to say the least this morning, i could hear tom prowling about the house at 3 this morning, he finally settled down at 4 and then had to get up at 7, so he wasntin the best of moods.

 

Plus it was teaming it down with rain this morning and both walk, so they would have to sit with wet trousers during an exam, what joy!!!!!

 

wish them, and us! luck.

 

[Bullet]

Good luck

[BuntyB]

It's interesting that I hear parents saying that their kids are panicking about SATS. Occassionally I speak to parents from other schools who roll their eyes and sayabout one of my children 'How are they coping with SATS?'

 

Well, we must be really unusual in that despite having brought up 3 step-kids and five of my own, we've all been through them, but apart from the fact that other parents mention them, we are all completely oblivious!

If I ask my kids, they do say 'Oh yes, we did some different worksheets today' but it's as laid back as that. Perhaps it's the school, I don't know but I really don't think the kids need that kind of pressure anyway.

 

The SATS should be an indicator of the teacher's ability to teach and a record of learning. Kids shouldn't be cramming for them and I think I would have words with the school if they are putting pressure on kids to 'perform'.

 

what's everyone else's experience?

[Zemanski]

Com is more stressed by the build up than the SATs themselves. He does't like the changes and really resents all the pep talks about exams deciding his future (this is a lot worse in high school).

 

He quite likes the tests themselves - nice quite room, no distractions, no interaction, knows exactly what he's supposed to be doing, no teacher expecting him to listen to him spout from the front of the classroom at the same time as copying from the board .........

 

Zemanski

[CarerQuie]

My son is being pressurised about the wretched things and he's likely to exceed expectations.

 

They even brought a letter home saying that in the unlikely event of illness,they still expect the children to attend.

 

I think that it's outrageous.xx

[Suze]

Both my dd and ds (asd).......have sats this week.Daughter not bothered at all.........son..........well..............a scowl so deep it must have hurt was fixed to his face this morning .

[DaisyProudfoot]

Personally I think it's disgraceful that children should be put through all the stress for the sake of the school's league table position.

 

Our schools' attitudes (both primary and high) have always been that SATs are SATs and just part and parcel of the normal school day so there no pressure on the kids. And the schools my kids go to have some of the highest reputations in Newcastle.

[Paula]

My Nt daughter didnt give a toss about year 9 sats.She never even bothered reviseing and although some may not agree i didnt push her and just said oh sod it do yer best and ###### to sats.

 

I think if folks had this attitude teens wouldnt get as stressed out.

 

School is such a short part of there life and one they should be enjoying.It should be about freinds boys and haveing a laugh.I also dont witter on about homework or uniforms sod it i say.You can always do resits or a college course when you get older and are more willing to knuckle down.

[Bagpuss]

My two eldest both sat SAT's last year. Year 6 and Year 2. Both of them really didn't get too stressed about it to be honest. We told them to just do their best and left it at that. They didn't see it as a huge thing. I think the school take it so seriously because it gives an overall reflection of how all the children are doing. We did get letters from school though, suggesting that any planned hols etc should be taken outside of that week, and if children were off it would reflect on their over all performance. The other importance placed on them by school, re the Yr 6 SAT's were that their grade would determine which groups they were placed into at Secondary School.

 

Take care,

 

Debs

[LKS]

Last year when my AS ds was in year 6 I made quite a point of telling him not to worry about SATs, how they weren't really important etc. You should have seen the HT's face when ds turned round and said he hadn't really bothered in them Our primary school have tests for every year at this time. Q.C.A or some such rubbish. No-one told me my dd would be taking these last year and she freaked when she went into the class cos the desks had been moved about and it was all different

[justamom]

My dd is also doing her SATS this week and she has been very nervous. I woke up early on monday morning to make her bacon and eggs - she was grateful that i made the effort but was too nervous to eat...

 

i told her not to worry about the exams and to do her best, thats all we can ask of her and if the results are fantastic she still did her best!!!

[Viper]

My NT DD is dong yr 6 SAT's this week and she was dreading it. Not because she is worried. She says it is just soooo boring. Sitting in silence all day for a week is just too much.

 

At one point I had all three of my girls doing SAT's, one each in years 3,6 and 9. None of them gave a sh*t, I always tell them, it's a test on the teacher not the child. That seems to do the trick.

[KarenT]

J is doing KS1 SATS at the moment. School held a parents' meeting last month and told us that the children wouldn't be aware that they were doing anything different, they'd keep it really low-key so as not to distress them and not pressurise them. Yet J has notes in his workbooks (which I saw at the last parents' evening) telling him to 'remember ascenders and descenders if you want to get Level 3' dating back to January. He's also been aware of what grades other children are expected to achieve, which I think is out of order.

 

Parents were given a timetable of tests which was emblazoned with the heading NOT TO BE SHARED WITH CHILDREN - it was so that we'd know what was happening when and could be prepared for any after-effects. However, after Easter holiday J was really anxious about going in to school because he knew he had the long writing task - apparently the teacher had told them all on the Friday. It turns out that far from playing down the tests as they'd promised the parents, the school is actually telling the children far more than most parents would have told them in the first place. I despair.

 

On the whole, though, I think SATS is one of the reasons J has been so much more settled in school since January. He's enjoying the format, the instant feedback and the continual proving of his ability. I'm not looking forward to how it will be afterwards though, they're getting the Y2 kids to put on a play 'as a treat for their hard work' and J will be horrified.

 

Karen

x

[BuntyB]

, they're getting the Y2 kids to put on a play 'as a treat for their hard work' and J will be horrified.

 

Oh yes- treats ! This is slightly off the topic, but my son had done so well at school, he and other 'star pupils' were picked out to be in a special assembly which all the parents were invited to. The reward was to go on stage to receive certificates

 

Guess who won't try too hard next year

[Zemanski]

Ah - treats

 

Y7 'reward' trip

 

to a theme park

 

4 very hot airless noisy buses filled with smelly faceless almost teenagers

 

visiting a place designed to bombard the senses - crowds, smells (Com has an aversion to meat), noise, lights, rides designed to throw your vestibular system into panic..................

 

The head was most upset when I complained that, while it may have been a learning experience, it certainly wasn't a treat!

 

Com was convinced for ages that if he put any effort into school at all he'd have to go again

 

Zemanski

[CarerQuie]

Ours get to have a water fight on Friday afternoon.xx

[lancelot]

the 'treats' apsect reminded me of this from years back... I was preparing our NT son (4) for his pre-school booster, and AS son (6) chipped in, 'It's really awful: first they jab your arm, and then they MAKE YOU EAT SMARTIES!"