KS2 SATS & handling the pressure

susancs

My youngest child is also doing her KS2 SATS soon and like others have said I tell her not to worry as they are only for the school to show they have taught her well and no-one has ever looked back and said I wish I had done better in my SATS like they sometimes do for other exams. I personally don't do SATs practice papers or revision for SATs at weekends as my child gets too much of that in school in my opinion. I have told her just to do her best on the day and I will be proud of her. I took the same approach with my now 15 year old when she did KS2 SATs and she got high KS2 SATs results (but we were not bothered as already knew they were without any real value to her).

The SATS are usually not taken into account in secondary schools as they use their own internal assessments to put the children into different sets. In fact for English in KS3 they look for different skills than the KS2 SATs test for, so often to start with children in KS3 go down a sub level grade from their SATs results. In my experience the good secondary schools place little reliance or value on the KS2 SATs and don't even look at them. The only value I can see in SATs is the exam format gets children used to answering questions in a time controlled environment. There is a small piece of research showing that children who achieved good grades in SATs go on to achieve 5 GCSE exams grade A-C, but all that proves is that the child has received a good all round education in primary school that gave them a good basis for Secondary School. In Secondary school children in the first year, settle in and are often moved up and down academic groups, based on their performance at that time and SATs have no bearing on this.

Hezzawithkids

Totally agree that the SATS are not about the child's abilities but about school league tables. DS decided for himself that he wanted to do the practice papers at home and we were just suporting him in that. We've decided that he's not going to any this weekend anyway (the last one before the tests start) even if he asks.

He's a bright kid (I would say that wouldn't I ) and the message I need to get though to him now is to relax and look forward to the rest of the school year beyond next week - they have lots of end of year fun stuff planned so that's his reward for working so hard!

JC9297

To be honest I would be worried about him being a bad loser and crying and sulking if things don't go his way, this is undesirable in a 4 year old - totally unacceptable in an 11 year old.

Being competitive and a perfectionist do not excuse behaving in that way and you need to tell him so and not stand for it. If that is your idea of tough love then, yes it is time for tough love.

the_pink_panther_2

patchwork_cat wrote: »

You need to tell your children that SATs are not to test the child, but the teachers. the teachers will try and put the pressure on because they want to look good, but you make it clear to teh kids that it doesn't matter. Which it really doesn't. If he is a perfectionist then he is inevitably setting himself up for disappointment, as no one is perfect! he needs to learn that he can't win everything and be the best in everything. He needs to get used to pressure and learn to cope as soon it will be the norm at high school.

Yes time for some tough love, you win some you lose some!

Erm... I'm a teacher. KS3/4/5 maths. I can honestly and genuinely say I want the kids to do well for themselves and not to make me look good!

lika_86

Who cares? They're SATS, they count for nothing and it's not like you get a percentage grade anyway. Forget the practice, get him enrolled in a sports team to toughen him up and don't pander to the sulks.

From reading your post it sounds like your son succeeding is a big deal to you, whether you realise it or not, you're probably adding pressure. It makes me thankful that however much I wanted to do well at school so I could do what I wanted to, my mum couldn't have cared less about how I did as long as I was happy.

angelsmomma

I took my son out of school to home educate him at the end of January.

A couple of weeks ago his old school telephoned me and asked me if I would bring him in to the school to sit the SATs. I told her he would not be going to secondary school so saw no reason for him to take them.

They only want him to do this because my son is above average and it will make them look good, I doubt very much that we would have been invited had he been below average.

meritaten

so - he spends his weekends doing SATs papers. which you mark for him. NO pressure there then!
he doesnt feel pressure at school - only at home - doesnt that tell you something hun?
perhaps you ought to back off at home - let the school handle the SATs? at the end of the day - no-one ever went to their grave wishing they had done better in their SATs!

laurel7172

I would be worried most about his behaviour, because it isn't normal for an eleven year old to sulk and cry over a maths paper and be unable to handle losing a game. Even if the teachers at secondary school are prepared to tolerate that level of immaturity, I can guarantee the other children won't.

Tough love from you...or just tough from his peer group. Your call, I'm afraid. Throw out the papers and thrash him at Monopoly instead.