I’m sure I am not the only person who feels a mixture of relief and surprise that it is already March, and that we are only a few weeks away from the Easter break. Children are more than half way through the school year, and the summer term is just around the corner. For Year Two and Year Six teachers, the focus is very firmly on forthcoming formal assessment periods, and preparing your child for primary SATs (standardised assessment tests).
Year Two children in all UK state schools take Maths and English reading SATs in May, at a time decided by each individual school. This allow teachers to compare the performance of Year Two children in their own school with children across the country. Formal testing of young children has always been a controversial topic within education, and schools typically administer the assessments in small group situations where the children are unaware that they are being formally tested.
It is quite common for schools to avoid using the terms ‘test’ or ‘SATS’ with Year Two children to reduce anxiety, so as a parent it is important to keep the process as low key as possible. Most schools will offer information about the SATS, and how they approach them with the children. Neither of my children were even aware that they had taken their Year Two SATs, which I was very relieved about. As a parent, you might be reassured to hear that SATs for Year Two children are being phased out by 2023.
In 2020 Year Six children in all UK state schools will take English SATs on 11th and 12th May, and Maths SATS on 13th and 14th May. These tests are used a marker point for the government to judge the quality of education at a school. In addition, each child’s KS2 SATs result can be compared with their KS1 SATs result to determine the progress they have made, and to predict the likely outcomes for the child at KS3.
This all sounds incredibly important, and, as a parent of a Year Six child it can be easy to get caught up in the SATs hype, resulting in you feeling worried or even competitive about your child’s performance in SATs. As a teacher I have watched parents drawing up a revision timetable, filling the cupboards with brain food, and googling copies of SATS papers with the aim of their child achieving the best possible result in their SATs. Unfortunately, those children were incredibly anxious and so worked up by the whole process that they did far from their best.
So, what can parents do to support and prepare Year Six children for their SATs?
- Keep primary school SATS in perspective. Your child’s prospective employer is not going to ask about their Y6 SATs results! These tests are a snap shot of your child’s performance, and therefore don’t reflect the true picture of your child as a learner. Your child’s teacher also uses a wide range of evidence beyond SATS tests from everyday teaching situations to make assessments of your child’s progress and attainment by the end of the year. Teacher judgements are therefore far more useful to take into account when considering your child’s learning. Many high schools administer their own assessments once children enter Year Seven which inform their judgements about groupings in high school.
- Be the parent, not the teacher. Your child’s teacher is responsible for teaching your child, and spends many hours of the school day doing so. When your child is at home with you, they need some time to relax, rest and recharge. Head to the park, turn the radio on and dance to some favourite songs….anything that allows your child to switch off for a little while. Modelling work life balance is more important than ever, and will ensure your child takes a calm and balanced approach to the SATs.
- Point out the positives. When feeling overwhelmed or anxious, children commonly focus on what they find difficult or don’t know. Become your child’s cheerleading squad, shouting about what they are really good at, and what they do know (children aren’t always good at realising this for themselves). Make a list with your child (and teacher if it helps!) of the areas within the SATS tests that they feel really confident about and stick this somewhere visible (fridge door/notice board). For example Mohammed can multiply and divide numbers by 10 and 100 in his head, identify 3D shapes and explain their properties, can use speech punctuation accurately to add dialogue into writing, use joined handwriting consistently etc Keep referring to, and adding to this list as SATS get closer to boost your child’s confident and remind them of how much they can do.
- Make it fun. There are many home activities that support children’s SATs preparation, that do not involve SATS practice questions and worksheets. Involve your child in preparing a meal, talking about the timings needed to ensure everything is cooked at the right time, or the quantities that need to be weighed and measured. Encourage your child to help plan a trip out by looking at calendars, maps and timetables. Discuss the length of the journey, the cost of the tickets, and the timings involved. Look together at a newspaper article and talk about the features, how it is organised, and the style of the writing. Challenge your child to change the sentence they have just said into formal language for the queen, and then informal language for their friend on the playground. Play Scrabble, play Yahtzee, have a go at a suduko puzzle together…..
- The weekend before SATs week. Do not expect or encourage your child to cram. Ensure your child gets plenty of good food, sleep, and has lots of time to play, exercise and forget about the week ahead of them.
Student Navigator offers bespoke mentoring support for primary school children to develop positive learning behaviours and attitudes. Sessions are designed around the needs of the child to support them to develop strategies to cope with struggle, manage anxiety and build confidence to tackle the challenge of SATs. Call us on 07399 779 739 or email us at info@studentnavigator.co.uk to book a place for your child.