CATS tests in secondary school

[WRINKLYOLDPERSON]

My DS has just taken CATS tests at his school. He has just started in year 7. Whilst chatting to one of his friends who has gone to the local grammar school he mentioned he had done these. The friend said he has not taken CATS, do Grammar schools not take them? (They are similar to the SATS but I think the results are used for the childs education rather than like SATS which the school use to make themselves look good!!)

[inkyfingers]

CATs are used to set/stream pupils in an all-ability school. They often take SATs scores into account, but so many primaries teach to the test during year 6 that it isn't much help to the secondary schools. Grammars do this via entry 11+ exam so won't need to set pupils on ability. Hope your DS has done well.

[WRINKLYOLDPERSON]

Actually inky that makes perfect sense, thanks.

[seeker]

It might make sense but iit's not true I'm afraid. Grammar schools do CATS tests - they are used for all sorts of target setting. And grammar schools do have sets.

[WRINKLYOLDPERSON]

Perhaps they do them at a different time. Perhaps as Inky says they base them on the 11+ results to start with. At DS school there will be children who failed the 11+, children who did not take it and children who passed but did not want to go to grammar. Therefore a very very mixed range of abilities and I suppose without CATS it would be impossible to stream them. I know that the SATS at DS's primary school were taken very seriously for the sake of the school's reputation unfortunately and they practised them a lot. Making the results a complete farce. They also practise the 11+ a lot and I feel strongly that some that passed simply did not deserve the place at Grammar school, having seen some of the spelling efforts on facebook, I think I may be right!

[choccyp1g]

How similar are the CATS tests to the 11+ ?
Are they supposed to measure innate abilities and aptitudes?

[WRINKLYOLDPERSON]

According to my DS they are practically the same. Verbal and Non Verbal. He says it was easier! This may be because he is another year older and wiser

[bruffin]

There is also a quantative reasoning (maths) test for CATS

[inkyfingers]

Seeker - I'm sure it will depend on different GS. Our local doesn't set because it believes in competition - fair enough. But sets for KS4 subjects. I imagine by that time the field widens especially in maths and English.

[bigscarymum]

Our GS does CATs in the first week of year 7. These are used to set end of KS3 targets. They are set in maths from year 8 and science & ? English from year 9.

[noblegiraffe]

My school does CATs at the start of Y7. I don't know what they use them for... certainly not to set in maths as we do that at half term based on a couple of tests!

[jgbmum]

We were told that CATS help to identify what levels/grades students should achieve so if they start to under-achieve it will be picked up very early.

They are also used to identify G&T/NAGTY (as was) - not sure if these programmes still run as DS is in 6th form now so it was 6 years ago that he took these tests.