Cinnamon Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Cleo had her S.A.T.S results yesterday. Some of you may remeber that we said that if she did very well she could have her own flock of Bantams. Well,she got 5 in everything,which is above the nationally expected standard Isn't it amazing what the incentive of your own flock of mini hens can do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 A great big well done to Cleo that is fantastic..............Bribery always seems to work, i bet you are both looking forward to having some new chooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Well done to Cleo - what a great incentive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 That's really good, well done We had yr 9 S.A.T.S here too karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 What a clever girl! Well done to her for working so hard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 well done Cleo - though if she gets a flock of bantams for her SATS - what will she expect for her GCSEs?? a couple of pigs? A herd of sheep? - and what if she goes to university and graduates - that'd be a smallholding!! Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Well done Cleo, that's great news. Seb got his Science & Maths results last week, but has apparently been told that his English probably won't be in until August because that's been externally marked. He's year 9, and has done exceptionally well so far. No flocks of bantams here I'm afraid though, but he will get a small financial reward. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Well done Cleo! My daughter (DD3) also got level 5s throughout, so we're really proud of her. We WON'T be getting any bantams though. I haven't had the full Year 9 results yet, though DD2 said she came 2nd in her class - 136/150 - in Science. That's good because she's hoping to be invited to take triple science next year. I just heard of a boy in year 3 who got a good report. His father is giving him £100 as a reward! I'm wondering where that one is heading! £1000 for his GCSEs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeramaSilly Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Well done Cleo!!!! Sophie x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Thanks all. I will show Cleo this thread when she comes back from celebrating with her pals Right,so thats the year 6 SATS done for us,....year 9's next year for Devon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 My oldest has just done his year 9 SATS - and I remember when both boys did their year 6 SATS, my youngest has her year 6 SATS next year At no time did any of them feel under pressure - in fact we didn't realise Hywel was taking his year 9 SATS until they had started and he came home and told us he'd had them... and yet there are kids in our town who are literally sick with worry because of the pressure put on them. (sometimes by the school and sometimes by the parents) Having gone through it a few times I am more convinced than ever that they offer no tangible benefit to the child at all and only serve the interests of the school and its position in some league table. after year 6, the teachers report is (I believe) far more valuable than the SATS results for any given child, given that it is based on a whole year of observation rather than a one-day snapshot under strange conditions... I think our kids are tested almost to destruction nowadays - for very little gain... Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Actually,I agree with you Phil. We told the School that we thought Devon had been under too much pressure during her year 6 SATS (pep talk fron Head etc etc), & this year they noticeable toned the whole thing down which was great. Cleos' teacher is Welsh,& the Welsh Assembly voted SATS out a while ago,so I think that helped. If we could have withdrawn her,or if it was a matter of choice we would not have choosen for her to take them So,we decided to make it as lighthearted as possible for her,& to make it her "special week" She choose every supper that week,all her favourites,& got extra privileges like swimming trips & so forth. The Bantams came under this (& we would have got them whatever the outcome of her tests!) Cleo really enjoyed the exam week at school,as she was made to feel special.They had a donut break every afternoon & a post SATS party at School too The one thing I would say is that we never really thought of Cleo as being particulalry academic,especially in her English subjects. She is as bright as a button,but more hands on & practical. So the SATS results have really shown to us that she CAN buckle down & do good (very good) work when she tries Tellingly,the Teacher underestimated her too,assesing that she would get a 4 in Maths & English,when she actuallt achieved a 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 OK Teacher hat on here. Phil and Sarah, you have made it sound like schools and teachers are to blame for SATs and agree with them. I can assure you SATs serve no interest to schools whatsoever Phil, unless you count the naivity of parents who read league tables. I challenge you to find any primary school in the land and any teacher in one who thinks SATs are a good thing. They are simply something foisted upon us by the government as a means of benchmarking schools. League tables stink and do not show the true picture of any school. The pressure put onto staff by OfSTED and LEAs to increase SATs percentages is outrageous and so, of course, as a result, this is inevitably passed onto the poor children who have to endure it. Being measured by how many children we manage to get to s"Ooops, word censored!"e a Level 4, no matter what kind of stress or method is put upon a child is disgusting. What is also appalling is when a school which doesn't meet its (unreasonable) targets, gets hauled over the coals because of it. I would just like to clarify: There is NO financial incentive involved in getting high results. Just an unbelievable pressure to get square pegs fitting into round holes, so that the cries of "useless school" are held in abeyance for another year. If Cleo enjoyed her SATs, then you did very well with her. I wish more parents didn't get stressed about them. My school always fails abysmally because we have a unit for children with severe learning difficulties, and so our averages always look appalling. This is never taken into account though, so anybody reading our results in a league table would see us as one of the worst in Wiltshire, which simply isn't true.... (By the way Sarah, in your last post you said Cleo got a 6 for English, its impossible at KS2, I think you meant a 5). Rant over. Oh, and next year, parents are going to be asked to boycot KS2 SATs by the teaching unions. It will be interesting to see how many have the courage to do so, and then we'll really see whether its the schools or parents who want them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 OK, point taken I do know its the Government who are responsible for the SATS & I apologise if my last post was not clear on that point. I also know that Schools must be under huge pressure to have the children do well. I am VERY anti league tables However when Devon had her year 6 SATS 2 years ago,the head gave a "how this is the most important thing in your life" speech,which to be honest frightened the beejeebers out of her. I spoke to her teacher (the Welsh one) who agreed it was a bit to much & it was thankfully toned down for this years exams. I guess she (the Head) is under pressure from the Government,but ,as the schools results have shown,not passing this pressure onto the children has had a positive effect They have all done really well this year. I would boycott them if it were an option (as I said in my last post),& I will be very interested to see what happens next year. I also apologise for the typo...................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 OK Teacher hat on here. Phil and Sarah, you have made it sound like schools and teachers are to blame for SATs and agree with them. I can assure you SATs serve no interest to schools whatsoever Phil, unless you count the naivity of parents who read league tables. (Do teachers still have teacher-hats?? ) sorry Annie - badly worded on my part! The teachers have no choice in the matter - it was sloppy on my part. I did NOT mean to blame the teachers!! I challenge you to find any primary school in the land and any teacher in one who thinks SATs are a good thing. They are simply something foisted upon us by the government as a means of benchmarking schools.League tables stink and do not show the true picture of any school. The pressure put onto staff by OfSTED and LEAs to increase SATs percentages is outrageous and so, of course, as a result, this is inevitably passed onto the poor children who have to endure it. I couldn't agree more - but I can name at least two junior schools within spitting distance of my house who - given that they have to do them - DO put enormous pressure on the kids to do well in SATS. Maybe the fault lies with the governers - and probably the buck has to stop with the head for how a school handles SATS - but believe me - I know children who are physically sick because of the pressure they have been put under by the school...because the school is competing for prestige with other schools in the area... whatever part teachers play in that is a matter of judgement. (it ought to be said that in this area far more pressure is put on the children by competitive parents - and the schools my children went to were at pains to try to tone down the pressure that some parents exerted on their children.) Being measured by how many children we manage to get to s"Ooops, word censored!"e a Level 4, no matter what kind of stress or method is put upon a child is disgusting. What is also appalling is when a school which doesn't meet its (unreasonable) targets, gets hauled over the coals because of it.I would just like to clarify: There is NO financial incentive involved in getting high results. Just an unbelievable pressure to get square pegs fitting into round holes, so that the cries of "useless school" are held in abeyance for another year. I don't think I said there was financial pressure - merely that there is pressure for a school to get its pupils to "perform" well in SATS (which you have described better than I could) - that's what I was referring to when I said "benefit" in relation to schools. Rant over. rant away Annie - it's fantastic! Oh, and next year, parents are going to be asked to boycot KS2 SATs by the teaching unions. It will be interesting to see how many have the courage to do so, and then we'll really see whether its the schools or parents who want them! we will seriously consider it for Carys if the propsal is put to us - I'd much rather she spent year six doing something constructive!! I didn't mean to say that schools wanted them - but a subtly different point - that now schools have them (and I speak for the schools I know here where I live) - some schools ARE entering into a competitive mode with other local schools - and this leads to the school putting pressure on the children to perform... - I'd agree with you, though, when you suggest that parents must bear the greater burden of blame for pressure - but I think with most parents it is simply ignorance about what SATS are - and if they are told by the school that their child is about to sit important exams/tests - they will (naturally) want their child to do well - and some will go over the top because they want their little johnny to do better than little sally next door.... Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Blimey...I must have sounded teacher like to elicit such a response: Sorry guys: Wasn't telling you off....! So, I can carry on ranting now?? I just loathe the SATs. Had a girl self harming herself this year rather than sit them because her brother got level 5's and she thought she wouldn't. What I hate most is the complacency of parents who know they have intelligent children who rather smugly state, "oh, no, we wouldn't DREAM of putting pressure on dear...(insert name here)", knowing full well that they don't have to, whilst the caring parents of poor "Miss Just Below Average and Always Struggling" know that their child is going to be made to feel like a failure at the tender age of 11 and that they are going to have to do some major pick up surgery after the bloomin' things are sent home. I'm all for home truths, but how many of my parents' generation felt doomed just because they failed the 11+..... so what do we do?..... hey! Lets reintroduce it, but call it SATs! Anyway, here's something to ponder......why is it that "Level 4" at KS2 is said to be "Average", but yet the government demands 85% of our children to be above it........ Am I missing something here? Hey, you lot: 3 weeks to the summer hoildays! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 2 weeks for us -& one of those is cirriculum enrichment week Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Oh goodness.... I have sports day (don't start me on that ), parents' open evening, end of year production, Leaver's church service, Leaver's Disco, Summer fete, New staff induction, Swimming gala, oh, yes, and the small matter of a staff party (56 signed up to come so far ), hosted here next Friday night, for which I have prepared nothing. Can you tell I'm stressed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 I agree with pretty much all that you've just said about SATS, and I can't abide them. Our old primary school put the children under ridiculous pressure to achieve results... I'm afraid that I told mine to do exactly what they liked, didn't make them revise and told them that in front of their class teachers, but I was considered an oddity since I refused to privately tutor them for the 11+, firmly believing that if they couldn't get through it on their own abilities there was no way I wanted them struggling at the bottom of a grammar school class..... in the way that several of Seb's mates are doing right now I did feel slightly differently about the year 9 ones though, I thought that they might have some value in terms of getting him used to revision etc, however that seems to have backfired spectacularly, he's done very well, and now seems to have developed the arrogance of one who believes it'll all come without effort. If he's still behaving like this come year 11 we'll be witnessing some major upsets. Also because his science result was very good he's been allocated triple science, and I have major reservations about that. Quite honestly I'd prefer he took 8 GCSE's and achieved good results in all of them, rather than the 12 or 13 he's currently looking at, and spreading himself too thinly. I'll be having a meeting with his tutors in September and I'll be expressing my concerns then. Oh, and watching like a hawk Daughter's school has amazed me though, she's a year younger but sat her science SATs this time too, but there was zero pressure and when I spoke to her science teacher she said that they didn't give two hoots about SATs, it was just another hurdle to be jumped. She expects the vast majority to achieve level 5 and that'll do. They're just trying to make it easier for the girls to achieve more and better science GCSE's by starting coursework a year earlier. I'm no educationalist, and don't I'm sure fully understand the ramifications of that attitude, but it sounds healthier to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Bravo for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 What I hate most is the complacency of parents who know they have intelligent children who rather smugly state, "oh, no, we wouldn't DREAM of putting pressure on dear...(insert name here)", knowing full well that they don't have to, whilst the caring parents of poor "Miss Just Below Average and Always Struggling" know that their child is going to be made to feel like a failure at the tender age of 11 and that they are going to have to do some major pick up surgery after the bloomin' things are sent home. Anyway, here's something to ponder......why is it that "Level 4" at KS2 is said to be "Average", but yet the government demands 85% of our children to be above it........ Am I missing something here? Annie, I have intelligent children who have sailed through primary school with no effort and no problems. I hope I'm not smug! I certainly don't discuss things with other parents. But I am always grateful that my children do very well and I don't have to deal with the disappointment (not my disappointment!) of a child who has done his/her very best and then feels he/she has failed. And I am eternally grateful that my children have never needed help with reading, spelling, maths etc. In our schools, and I suspect many others, that means they require the help of non-teachers who don't really know what they are doing. Why are the specialist, highly-trained teachers reserved for children who already can? Level 4: I thought this was the level that most year 6s could be expected to achieve, a modal average perhaps rather than a mean average. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnieP Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Ginette, I am sure you would never be smug! I just cannot bear the comparisons which go on between parents over their children. I am sure it is only natural, and not being a parent myself, have no experience of the need to "compare" my child with the next, but it has gone mad, with even pre-school children having "P Scales" alotted to them on entry to nursery! It reminds me of a comedy sketch I heard recently, where mums were boasting about when their child was potty trained, at what age they spoke their first word, how many musical instruments they can play, how far they can swim, how tall they are etc... It had me crying with laughter because unfortunately, it just seemed so real! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted July 8, 2006 Author Share Posted July 8, 2006 Oh Dear. I do hope you don't all think I am being smug by posting about Cleos achievement on here It was just so unexpected. We really didn't think she would get straight 5's ,& we are just so proud of her......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Having read all of the above posts and being involved in education for nearly 10 years myself i have the following to quote 'The question should not be how intelligent is the child but how many ways is the child intelligent' Each and every one of us (including pupils in school) is special and totally unique and that in my opinion the pendulum is starting to swing back towards an education system which it more aware of multiple intelligences and the emotional literacy of its students and thus the pressure on students in future years should be a positive one taking into account the above quote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theherd123 Posted July 8, 2006 Share Posted July 8, 2006 Oh Dear. I do hope you don't all think I am being smug by posting about Cleos achievement on here It was just so unexpected. We really didn't think she would get straight 5's ,& we are just so proud of her......... I'm sure that this is not the case at all Cinnamon. Well Done Cleo you are obviously a bright young thing and your parents are bursting with pride for you - and so they should be. I hope the day never arrives that we cannot shout successes from the rooftops for it will be a very sad day indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
