Let Our Kids be Kids - 3 May 2016: Primary School Kids to strike against SATS

[Maharani]

Heads must decide how to record ‘protest’ pupil absences on May 3

I'm going to speak to my school about it this afternoon. Imagine if the council fined parents keeping their children off! I for one would not pay.

 

[Greebo]

I'm going to speak to my school about it this afternoon. Imagine if the council fined parents keeping their children off! I for one would not pay.

Psychic Greebo predicts an epidemic of 24 hour tummy bugs.

 

[Thora]

Using words which don't exist is part of the Y1 tests werv did last year, he had to work out which ones were words and which were nonsense

Hence the bizarre situation of walking into a Y1/2 class to see children being 'taught' words that don't exist... Christ, saying to a Y4/5 yo ,'is 'glerg' a real word?' 'Erm in my limited experience of all the words there are, can I say possibly?'

I was in an SEN lecture the other week looking at reading assessments and this stuff came up. There was a rationale behind it, but I can't remember (concisely) what it was, not really my area at all.

The children are told which words are real and which are nonsense, they don't have to guess/work it out. They don't have to be taught or learn any words that don't exist either.

The idea of using fake words is that they are going to be words that the child won't recognise. If you want to find out if a 6yo knows what sound igh represents, you can do that by asking them to read "kighl" because asking them to read "night" might just tell you they recognise the word night.

 

[Sweet FA]

The children are told which words are real and which are nonsense, they don't have to guess/work it out. They don't have to be taught or learn any words that don't exist either.

The idea of using fake words is that they are going to be words that the child won't recognise. If you want to find out if a 6yo knows what sound igh represents, you can do that by asking them to read "kighl" because asking them to read "night" might just tell you they recognise the word night.

I know what's supposed to happen & why

I also know what happens in practice (in some schools, ime etc); displays with nonsense words on, children sounding out made up words. If you want to find out if a 6yo knows what sound igh represents, you could give them unfamiliar but real words containing that trigraph. Expansion of vocabulary & diagnostic all in one hit.

 

[Thora]

Much easier to use a fake word than try to find enough real words that no child will have come across before.

 

[Sweet FA]

Much easier to use a fake word

That's good then. As long as children can decode the shit out of everything, score highly on decoding tests then they'll be ace decoders. If they can't decode 'kighl' but can only recognise the word 'night' then what the fuck are they thinking?

I'm being facetious; I think you're in the business (?) so you know what works. Like anything though, it can be a very blunt instrument. I know children who've come out of KS1, know their sounds & appear to read fairly fluently but have very little understanding of what they're reading.

 

[Thora]

Well yes, all it is checking is phonic knowledge/decoding skills. It isn't a reading test. I don't see any problem with nonsense words though.

 

[Thora]

I think the issue people have with the phonics check is that results are reported and it is used to assess schools' performance. Yet the detail that gets complained about is nonsense words, which seems completely irrelevant to me. Teachers screen children's phonics knowledge regularly from the beginning of Reception.

 

[Sweet FA]

It's not the only issue people have with the phonics check or phonics teaching generally.

 

[clicker]

Teenager is doing GCSE sociology at the moment and has just told me that UK children are already the 'most tested in Europe'.

 

[Sweet FA]

Yes, we score 10/10 for testing our children. This means we're the best or something.

 

[Thora]

I'm going to speak to my school about it this afternoon. Imagine if the council fined parents keeping their children off! I for one would not pay.

In my LA you only get fined if you have more than 8 half days off in a 12 week period.

 

[killer b]

Psychic Greebo predicts an epidemic of 24 hour tummy bugs.

Doesn't that go against the whole point of the protest? A strike is a strike.

 

[Maharani]

Together we are stronger

 

[Maharani]

Together we are stronger

The typo is a bit but I hear her.

 

[eoin_k]

Doesn't that go against the whole point of the protest? A strike is a strike.

If enough families took such action it would send a clear enough message, whether or not some of them pulled a mass sickie rather than making their actions more accountable/explicit. The people behind the campaign have had the sense to provide sample letters for people to express support for the campaign if they decide not to participate, as well as ones to explain their actions to the school if they decide to do so. Anything that builds momentum has to be a good thing since it is starting from close to zero.

 

[gaijingirl]

This is where I fall down on the whole issue - he's already sat the tests ... taking him out on Tuesday doesn't seem as effective as him missing the actual SATS (but we/the kids don't get told when they will be)

If you think the year 2 SATS are bad you should see what's coming up in year 6. Also, this protest is not just about year 2 SATS anyway.

 

[Mr.Bishie]

The SATS boycott is definitely gathering pace in Brighton! More schools telling the Labour council to fuck off - you will not fine us 60 quid for our children's non attendance!

 

[gaijingirl]

In my LA you only get fined if you have more than 8 half days off in a 12 week period.

Maharani similarly for us it's 8 or more within the previous ten week period. This is not just "days off" though - it's specifically unauthorised absences. I think that the school may not record Tuesday absences in this way.

 

[gaijingirl]

The SATS boycott is definitely gathering pace in Brighton! More schools telling the Labour council to fuck off - you will not fine us 60 quid for our children's non-attendance!

Schools aren't served penalty notices - parents/guardians are served them and not for a single day (2 session)'s absence. Also penalties are handed out for "unauthorised absences" - not sickness or other authorised reasons. So no one should be fined for Tuesday's strike unless is is the latest in a string of unauthorised absences in a specific period of time (10 or 12 weeks or so).

Good that it's gathering pace in Brighton. It's the front page story in The Times tomorrow morning so there is definitely momentum.

 

[Thora]

I hadn't really thought about whether to do this or not, I had assumed it was just for Year 2 children. I am 99.9% sure no other parent at my kid's school will 'strike' though, or likely has even heard/thought about it.

 

[gaijingirl]

I think there will not be lots of people striking - most people have to work on that day and so I think the impact will be small - probably the government don't give a shit. However, there is a sense that momentum is growing around this issue and to quote Ghandi.. 'You may never know what results come of your actions, but if you do nothing, there will be no results.' I just feel, personally, that I don't want to just let them get away with all these plans without putting up a bit of a fight.

 

[gaijingirl]

I was also balloted today by NUT to strike.

 

[wiskey]

If you think the year 2 SATS are bad you should see what's coming up in year 6. Also, this protest is not just about year 2 SATS anyway.

I realise that, but the Y2 ones are the ones affecting us

 

[gaijingirl]

I realise that, but the Y2 ones are the ones affecting us

All these other issues will affect you too. My children are in year 1 and nursery, but will both go on to year 2 and eventually year 6.

However, I know that you know this - so I think we must be talking at cross-purposes. So I'm confused now ... and tired.

 

[Cloo]

What a good idea - but I wonder if childcare issues will mean poor uptake.

That was my first thought... I heard of it yesterday, but just thought 'A month's notice would have been better for that!' in terms of childcare. No way I can do it as (like all Jewish schools) we've just finished our holidays and the 3rd is our first day back, with us already having used lots of days off and childcare favours!

 

[wiskey]

Did a straw poll on my FB group (all Y2 parents)- most people aren't going to get involved, no childcare mainly, followed by no belief it will do anything, followed by 'nobody else is doing it'.

However having read all the LOKBK info I'm becoming more inclined to keep werv off.

 

[ska invita]

Which is why I think some unified action by parents ans teachers together which leaves the kids out of it is the best way forward.

The fact teachers unions didn't flinch over uni fees , both in 2010 and when labour brought them in makes me feel the chances of them acting over anything other than pay is highly unlikely.

 

[spanglechick]

The fact teachers unions didn't flinch over uni fees , both in 2010 and when labour brought them in makes me feel the chances of them acting over anything other than pay is highly unlikely.

What should we have done?

 

[trashpony]

Did a straw poll on my FB group (all Y2 parents)- most people aren't going to get involved, no childcare mainly, followed by no belief it will do anything, followed by 'nobody else is doing it'.

However having read all the LOKBK info I'm becoming more inclined to keep werv off.

I've announced on fb that I'm keeping E off and why. One of my friends (who's a trained teacher and works as a TA at his school) has 'liked' the post but dunno if she's keeping her kids off (her youngest is in yr 2).