Thursday 7 May 2015

The SATs are coming....

If you have a child in year 6 of in English state primary school the playground jungle drums are probably beating to the rhythm of SATs tests to come....


Children who started Year 6 in September 2014 will be the last to take Key Stage 2 SATs in their current form before they are overhauled for summer 2016.

The idea of the SATs is to show what pupils have learnt and retained during the year....The tests help the teachers learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of what your child understands about a subject. Some secondary schools do base their year 7 sets on children's year 6 scores. Remember that sets can and do change throughout secondary school.

This time last year Becky was preparing to take her SAT's....The teachers were piling on the pressure which wasn't needed at all.....We stressed and worried about the tests...Well I did, Becky seemed to take it all in her stride....lol I think the biggest stress for her was having to be at school earlier than normal....She got a free breakfast so it wasn't all bad....She tried her best in the tests and that was all I asked for...

It is important that Children understand they are not going to 'pass' or 'fail' the test - it will just show what they have learned and what they can do.....

KS2 SATs will be held in the week beginning 11 May 2015....

The tests include:

English grammar, punctuation and spelling.
Paper 1 comprises 40 to 50 short-answer questions covering grammar, punctuation and vocabulary, taking 45 minutes; Paper 2 is a spelling test with 20 questions, taking approximately 15 minutes.

English reading.
One paper based on reading comprehension of three texts, with a total of 35 to 40 questions of increasing difficulty. Children are allowed one hour in total, including reading time.

Mathematics
Papers 1 and 2, each lasting 45 minutes, and Paper 3, a 20-minute mental maths test. Calculators are not permitted.

How you can help?

Don't get carried away....you can't fail a SATs test!

Make sure they get enough sleep and wake up early so they do not need to rush through having breakfast and getting ready...

Make sure they have breakfast. Bananas are always a good option...

Explain that SATs are a way of showing what they know. It is a chance to show off!

Don’t try and frighten them into revising. Stories about ending up in the bottom stream in their secondary school adds pressure and stress...

Try not to cause any extra stress....A little revision helps but SATs shouldn't replace play time...

Encourage them to ask the teacher if they are unsure about anything...


Give your child something to look forwards to after SATs such as a day out or a special treat...

Try not to worry!!

Good Luck!! 
 

2 comments :

  1. My 7 year old has SATS the week after the year six ones I know they're not exactly the same but they are similar I suppose so you have made me realise I'll just chill when I was young they were seen as tests I know that's changed but I guess you can get stuck in the mentality of test taking! X

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  2. A very helpful post, thank you. Our son is in year one and I am dreading all the tests that are to come in later years. You are right though, stressing them out definitely doesn't help. Hope Becky coped well with them :)

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