Would you prepare your Yr6 child for the upcoming SATS?

[Catriona100]

I had no intention of it but DH strongly suggested it at the weekend (meaning he wants me to tutor DS for them, rather than do it himself).

I can't see the point because:-
DS is due to get either level 5s and 6s anyway. His handwriting could do with improvment, but that's all really.
We hope/ expect that he'll get into the excellent local comprehensive and the SATS results are only one factor in how they decide to stream the children. Plus if the secondary school make mistakes when streaming the children, they'll try to fix them by the half-term anyway.
He is already getting lots of SATS practice at school (too much IMO) and he's coping well.

So what would you do?

[Catriona100]

Just to explain where DH is coming from... we have friends with children the same age as DS and they have all been sending their children to tutors to prepare for entrance exams. All the children are bright, but if I am honest, DS is probably not as far on as the others now because he hasn't done much essay writing etc this last year as they have.

[piggywigwig]

I'm in pretty much the same situation as you - DD already had 5A's at the beginning of YR6, will be sitting the Level 6 SATS (teacher expects her to get 6's). With luck and a fair wind, looking at the score she got on her 11+, she should be able to gain a place at a superselective GS. So, the quesion is, will I tutor her for the SATS? Nah
She does extra work at home - her own choice but it isn't SATS-related

[OmgATalkingOnion]

No I wouldn't. My dd is yr 6 and I'm very low key to the point of uninterested in SATS.

She'll do her best as she always does in school, that's all I expect from her. The senior school she'll go to make their own decisions about what sets the pupils go in to.

[Elibean]

If you know it won't make any difference to which school he gets into, and he's expected to do so well anyway, then no. I wouldn't

[Ruprekt]

No I am not doing anything with him.

We are playing it down. Told him he just has to do his best and that is all he can do.

No stress, no pressure. School are cool about it too.

[Iwantacampervan]

I would not tutor for SATs - if you are worried about handwriting then maybe practise especially if his 0s look like 6s etc in maths as he could lose marks. otherwise, I wouldn't worry as school is likely to be doing enough and he will be fed up with it all.

[DottyDot]

definitely not. I didn't know when they were until someone else asked me about it last week - I think it's May but I could be wrong. Don't want to know. Ds is going to the local very good comp and is doing fine at school so that's enough for me.

[Frikadellen]

No I wont be and I haven't with my older 2 dd's to me SATS are meant to be about what they are able to do from school work. If I tutor them to do more we are not giving a fair picture.

[harryhausen]

If your ds is doing really well anyway and he's hopefully going to the good comp then no I wouldn't.

People get wrapped up in tutoring if they have the option of a grammar school or a scholarship etc for an independent. We don't have any GS near us, so if my dc's carry on doing well I wouldn't tutor. If they were struggling a bit then I would - to get into the better streams at the comp.

[mankyscotslass]

I'm not doing anything with my DS, apart from remind him to take his time and read the questions properly.

[xmasissodepressing]

I didnt last year, if his school is anything like my DD's was, then he'll do plenty of preparation there. Saying that though, one parent employed a private tutor to prepare him for the sats. Not sure why as he went to the local comp!

[ReallyTired]

I found that the SATs year has been nothing but practice papers, revision and very little learning. I have sent my son to a tutor so he can do some real learning and I specifically told the tutor NOT to do SATs work. My son is having a ball learning about maths topics which aren't on the national curriculum and doing some creative writing that is fun. Hopefully he is getting some of the breath that some schools miss out by teaching to the test.

Why have I sent my son to a tutor? I am planning on sending my son to a comprehensive that does not use primary SATs for streaming. My son is very stressed and anxious and I can't afford private councelling. My hope is that having someone outside school and the family will help my son's mental welbeing.

xmasissodepressing prehaps the parent at your dd's school had her reasons for using a tutor.

[pointythings]

My DD1 did SATs last year, we have no grammar schools so she is at the local comprehensive, which is very good. No tutoring here, and she did very well, L6 in everything. School notoriously tough on internal assessment too, so there has been no dip in her levels in Yr7, they are continuing to rise.

I can understand tutoring if going for superselective grammars (though I would not put DD through it), but for KS2 SATS? No way.

[Sparklingbrook]

I'm not doing anything. DS2 is at a Middle school and don't go to High School til Year 8.

[Tommy]

if your school is anything like ours, you own't need to. As far as I can gather, DS1 has been "practising for SATS" since September

[Sparklingbrook]

Actually Tommy DS2 appears to have been doing past SATS maths papers for weeks for homework actually.

[Sparklingbrook]

Blimey lots of 'actuallys', but you know what I mean Tommy.

[Arisbottle]

No.

[EllenJaneisstillnotmyname]

I told my DS1 and DS2 to try to put a comma sandwich into their long or short writing task, eg Jill, who was very brave/tall/lazy, etc. That's as much tutoring as they got from me! And DS3, who is in Y6, (see what I did there?) will be doing the SPAG test rather than the long and short writing tests, so he's not even getting that much advice. I know they'll be doing lots of assessed writing during lessons, though.

[auntpetunia]

God No, am not going to put any pressure on DD, think school are already doing that. Despite having older DS this is the first time with SAT'S as DSs year they where boycotted So Will be interested to see how this goes.

[OldBeanbagz]

No SATS preperation here as i'd rather do fun things with my DD and my DH agrees with me. In fact he's even less interested in exams than i am.

No worries about them from DD either as she did some of the papers last year (in Y5) and sailed through them.

[purpleroses]

No.

If he's bright, the biggest problem he's likely to be having this year is utter boredom due to excess SAT revision. All the secondaries I'm aware of do their own setting anyway, and don't do it on SATS alone (if at all).

If you want to give him some extra help at home, I'd focus on the handwriting. My DS is bright, and in Y8 now, and poor handwriting is still holding him back :(

[Startail]

And if you make your DS practice hand writing they will hate you and it will still be totally illegible 38 years later

Seriously, I'd only tutor for SATs for a DC who just risks missing level 5 if you don't.

DD1 would have had an easier time at senior school if she hasn't had to work her way up from the wrong maths set. I don't think she learnt anything in Y7.

Due to those 'lovely people from OFSTED', who had a go at the school, DD2 was pushed far harder and sailed into set 1.

Stupid thing is, that when it comes to real understanding DD1 is almost certainly the better mathematician.

[ReallyTired]

I think that its too late to sort out poor handwriting by the age of eight. There are things you can do in the early years to drastically improve writing, but they really need to be done in year 1 at the latest. The brain goes through phases of development and the optimium time to develop visual perception is when they are little. I feel that earlier help needs to be given to children who struggle with hand writing in reception.

Startail well done to your dd1 for working her way up from the wrong maths set. It sounds like OFSTED were right to bollock the school for not pushing the children hard enough. My son's school had a similar bolloxing last year. The teaching of maths has been dire and many people at my son's school are sending their children to a tutor for that reason. The tutor is making a difference because there is innate potential.

I think if you are using a tutor you have to clear about what you want to achieve (and realistic). A tutor is not going to be able to take a level 3 child to level 5. However if there is a specific reason why a child is not achieving their potential then a tutor can make a dramatic difference. (Ie. an EAL child or a child who has missed a lot of schooling or experienced glue ear when little.)

I have a friend who paid for her foster child to go to a tutor and he learnt to read in a term at the age of seven. The little boy in question is now achieving in line with his peers and off the special needs register.

Care needs to be taken in selecting a tutor as many failed teachers become tutors. The best way of finding a good tutor is by recommendation.

Thankfully it appears the secondary schools are sensible in using a mixture of indicators in setting the children. Tests like CATS give a level playing field.

[Startail]

Yes, DD1 has worked hard.
The school only partly deserved to be in trouble. It's a small school, a small number of borderline DCs going the wrong way made a huge difference to the results.

DD1 is dyslexic, tables, telling the time and rapid metal maths are not her thing, algebra she likes.

DD2's cohort were pushed far harder, but the top group was probably the best one in many years. I think they could have had more fun and still got their marks.