Education: The Dreaded SATS – A Child’s and Parent’s Nightmare!

It’s that time of year again. Everyone across the UK seems to be stressed about it. The head teacher wants good scores for the national league tables. The teachers want to show how good they are. And the children – well, they have been told again and again how important these tests are, so they are desperate to do well, and terrified that they might do poorly.

There are a few children who love tests and exams, but most of them would be very glad to never face one again. Some of these even stress out to such a degree that their whole lives feel the effects. The parents suffer too, so how can you help?

Actually the SATS were created to assess schools and not students. The British government wanted to know two things: how well are children doing as a whole, and how well is each school performing? In hopes of finding these answers, children are tested when they are 7 in order to get a baseline score. When they reach 11, they are tested again. The difference between both scores is supposed to show how much the children have learned in the four years. This score is called the “value added”. The goal is to enhance the educational level of eleven year olds, and SATS give that measurement.

In actuality, the SATS don’t really relate to individual children. The scores aren’t used in the secondary schools to plan how and what they teach. Instead they do an assessment of each child. The levels (scores) are extremely broad and don’t tell how well your child is performing. Eleven year olds are expected to score at level 4, but that doesn’t tell you if they are at the high or low end of the spectrum. Usually by then, you the parent know how your child is doing in comparison to his classmates. The teachers should of course be aware of this as well. As you can see, the SAT scores won’t affect an individual child’s education.

By now you are probably wondering what to tell your child if she’s worrying about the SATS. Make it clear to her that it’s the school being tested, not her. Whatever her level, it won’t really matter. Tell her to just do the best that she can, but don’t coerce her in any way to study or practice for it. She’ll have plenty of tests in her life that will make a difference in her life.

If reassurance is not enough, then it is time for a visit to the teacher. Explain your concerns to him and discuss how the SATS are being approached in the classroom. Together you should be able to work out a way to support your child better.

Finally, remember that if you have any concerns about how well your child is progressing in school, do talk to the teacher, or possibly the Special Educational Needs Coordinator (the SENCO) or head teacher. Do not just sit at home worrying.

Worried about your child struggling in school? Concerned about children with special needs? Read more of Dr. Noel Swanson’s parenting tips and articles, and get a FREE gift, at his parenting advice website, and check out his acclaimed GOOD CHILD Guide and free newsletter. Online Parenting Class

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