Key Stage 1 SATs in 2023
This year the Department for Education has fallen under scrutiny once again for the difficulties of a selection of their KS1 SATs tests.
Reading Paper
Above all other SATs, the Reading Paper for May 2023 has received the highest number of complaints from both parents and teachers due to its increased difficulty.
Since the flurry of complaints, the DfE have released a statement claiming that they are confident that the paper was of appropriate difficulty for the level it is intended for. This statement was followed by the declaration that they would no longer be looking into complaints regarding this matter.
The paper saw extracts of text from the book “The Rise of the Wolves” which has a reading age of 13, despite the paper being for pupils of ages 10 and 11.
The Future of KS1 SATs
By now, everyone should be aware that this will be the last compulsory year of the KS1 SATs. However, what does this mean moving forward?
As of 2024, it will be at the discretion of the school as to whether they will be continuing to host KS1 SATs within their school. Meaning that should the school decide to continue, parents will not have a say as to whether or not their child will be subjected to SATs.
Currently, the divide between those who are choosing to continue SATs and those that are abolishing them is fairly even.
Those schools that have made the decision to cease SATs after the 2023 season are primarily focusing on the reduction of stress and maintaining the mental welfare of those students. However, those that are continuing to uphold the SATs tradition are looking at them in a more academic approach, with the idea being that they can use the results to assess the progress of pupils and ensure that there need to be no adjustments made within the school. Both sides of the argument have valid reasons.
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For more information, please contact the team today.