SATS Results - a quick guide to the 2016 scores

SATS results are out - but were your child's results good or bad? How do you know? Here's a short guide to help you understand what you are reading on the results report.

Scaled scores

The scaled scores are the ones your school is most likely to focus on. These range from 80 to 120.

100 is "at the expected standard" so anything above is better. Whether you think anything under 100 is bad or not rather depends on how you were hoping your child would do.

"At the expected standard"

As nobody knew what the expected standard was, it is reasonable to assume that the government marked the papers first and then set the scaled score, so an average student was "at the expected standard". We would hope this will be refined in years to come! It is generally accepted that the scaled score of 100 (so "at the expected standard") is roughly equivalent to a 4b by the previous measure. The problem is that 99 is "below" the expected standard, although if your child had got a 4c instead of a 4b - you may well have been happy with that. Potentially, what would have been a low 4b or a 4c before is now simply "below the expected standard" - and no parent is going to be happy at the thought their child is below where they need to be.

"Almost half of primary pupils miss new standard"

This has been widely quoted. The BIG difference this year is that this is inevitable. Although it has never been said, it would be reasonable to assume that a score of 100 is an "average". By having an "average" as the "expected standard" - by definition around half of pupils will fall below that. If you are happy with your child's general level then I would encourage you not to worry if their SATS results are lower than you had hoped and focus on what is going to happen next.

Going into Year 7

Many parents are concerned as to how the results will affect their child's entry into secondary school. It is widely expected that SATS results will determine the initial stream that your child is placed into. Many schools, however, are expected to supplement this result with their own tests early in the Autumn Term. If you are worried that your child did worse than you had expected, then speak to their secondary school and see what can be done to ensure they are placed in the correct stream for their ability.

Praise for the kids

It has been a tough year for any Year 6 pupil. It has been tough on teachers too and the press have had to generate endless criticisms and headlines to sell their papers. Don't be pulled away from the facts about YOUR child. He or she has worked hard and should be praised, no matter what a piece of paper says. Take them out for the day over the summer as a direct reward for the work they have done - and start looking to GCSEs! After all, your child's SATS results will be irrelevant very soon, so don't worry.

By Sarah Marsh at MagiKats HQ

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