a few weeks before the sats you were forced to do unnecessary revision, straight hours doing shakespeare, doing endless mock exams. extra maths classes and extended science periods.
but after you get your above-average results, you're finally in year 10 - and now this is the year where you concentrate on your gcses; as if the sats have never existed.
what's the point of doing them, where they only put you in sets for gcses (BUT for only three subjects)? i mean, why do the sats? the only true reason why thousands of pupils every year are doing the sats is because the government forced schools to do so - and if schools do well, they have the top-of-the-country recognition.
do you think is time we end the sats? and most importantly - what the flip is the point of the useless tests?
sorry for rambling on, i just want to hear our views on this matter.
That's about it-to hep setting. Well, really, they show the government how schools are doing in relation to the average levels that an X year old pupil is meant to gain.
It is definitely time to end the SATs/NCT's..far too much pressure on pupils and teachers alike and a waste of an academic year in tirelessly preparing for them. It's likely they'll be abolished in a few years, as schools are generally not fans of these tests either.
Oh, and for English in particular, I really think it mars the perception of Shakespeare-studying just two key scenes is rubbish; tiresome and dull overkill.
Sure, scrap SATs, what's the point if all they do is predict how a student might perform in their GCSE exams? But then why not do away with GCSEs? Afterall, they're just an indication of how well a student might perform at A level standard. Secondary school is not about learning, its about being taught how to pass exams, a bit like driving lessons: you're not taught how to drive, you're taught how to pass the test.
You say they're just unnecessary stress, but without SATs, there would be no preparation for the GCSE exams, making them twice as stressful because you dont have the faintest idea what exams are all about. SATs are not set for fun, they give an indication of the level of understanding of individual pupils on a given subject. If a pupil in a class is quiet, seems to get on with work and never need help, they might be struggling more than anyone in that class, but because they don't draw attention to themselves, their difficulties may go completely unnoticed until they are 16 and they fail their GCSEs. If they sit the SATs at 14 and get 444, the problem is clear and they can be helped.
Just because kids don't like sitting exams doesn't mean they are useless and should be gotten rid of.
In terms of actual usefulness, they really are worth bugger all. With Year 9 SATS though, they come the year before GCSEs start and so could be good preparation for the copious amounts of exams that students will take.
I agree that they could be seen as preparation for GCSE's to some extent, but the fact that pupils do not gain anything from the SAT's (e.g. a qualification) and that teachers are run ragged by the damn things, as well as very inconsistent and inaccurate marking standards (plus many other issues I will not go into) make me really dislike them. There are plenty of things that are done in schools to prepare pupils for the GCSE's, not only during KS3, but also throughout the GCSE period.
but after you get your above-average results, you're finally in year 10 - and now this is the year where you concentrate on your gcses; as if the sats have never existed.
And when you start A-levels, you're GCSEs will mean nothing and when you start a degree, your A-levels will mean nothing...
I never did year 9 sats...just year 6 and year 2..
I think year 9 are good as they are simple exam pratice...but year 6 and 2 sats are a waste of time
I did them in year 6 and 9 but not in year 2 (as they didn't exist then). They didn't come in until I was in year five. We did have more informal testing in english, maths and science (with levels akin to the SATs) but not as part of national testing.
They were brought in because the Major government needed to look like they were doing something (and to further encourage the use of league tables).
Thats why Wales abolished them. They do seem pretty pointless though. I had to do them in Primary School, but my school didn't take them seriously, thank goodness. So I didn't have to revise at all or anything [my school was far more worried about us passing the school entrance exams that most private secondary schools set for prospective pupils in yr6]. I still got 23 in Yr2 & a 445 in Yr6 though. And I never had to do them in yr9, still had to do Shakespeare though =[
Secondary school is not about learning, its about being taught how to pass exams, a bit like driving lessons: you're not taught how to drive, you're taught how to pass the test.
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Exactly, and that's why its bad.
If year 9 SATs were scrapped, then yes its less preparation for GCSEs but OH WELL. I'm sure they could cope, seeing as by September year 10 SATs are completely forgotten anyway.
I think that age 7 and 11 SATs should be scraped because apart from ranking schools and the occasional setting (although i dont think many schools do this) they are pretty useless.
The SATs just force docus onto maths science and english and mean that other subjects are ignored.
Especialy for 7 year olds, its just silly, they shouldnt be put under that kind of pressure, british children are way to tested.
don't know about you, but in our school we had year 10 progress tests in january, then end of years, then mocks in year 11, then finally the real ones.
all of those exams were treated like gcses (same disqualification rules, etc).
sats are clearly not important outside of the government wanting to rate the schools (and it is a poor way to do it, in my opinion).
ever been asked for your sats grades on a job application form?
and who here has ever bothered putting them on a CV?
and i'm just guessing here, as i've only just finished year 11, but i doubt unis ask for them on an application form or want you to mention them in your PS.
don't know about you, but in our school we had year 10 progress tests in january, then end of years, then mocks in year 11, then finally the real ones.
all of those exams were treated like gcses (same disqualification rules, etc).
sats are clearly not important outside of the government wanting to rate the schools (and it is a poor way to do it, in my opinion).
ever been asked for your sats grades on a job application form?
and who here has ever bothered putting them on a CV?
and i'm just guessing here, as i've only just finished year 11, but i doubt unis ask for them on an application form or want you to mention them in your PS.
You aren't expected to put Sats on your Uni application form. Otherwise it would be a big problem for all those in Wales & the Independant schools which have opted out of them. Even on Job applications you generally only put English & Maths GCSE's. I didn't do them in yr9 [school opted out] and at the end of yr11 its only proved to be a bit awkward once, at an interview for a state sixth form college, the interviewee didn't seem aware that many independant schools don't do SATs.
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