15th May 2023

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

Every year when I reflect on the KS2 SATs week which took place last week there are so many reasons to feel proud of HPS.

Our children amazed and delighted me every single day of a week that is a huge test of, not only their knowledge and skills in English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling, Reading and Mathematics, but also their ability to persevere and show resilience. Giving 100% every single day isn't easy but their attitude and the desire to succeed that they showed was most definitely exemplary!

A @one-hour test is only a snapshot into what a child can do and never a fair representation of what a child has achieved during their time in a primary school but sadly that is what we are expected to do.

I want to thank Mrs McMullen who masterminds the whole process to perfection and the Year 6 staff team whose commitment to enable every child to feel ready to take the tests is just wonderful. Timing is everything and we believe that the final year in primary school shouldn't be dominated by SATs and so we never begin test preparation until the Spring term and slowly build up all the additional support and test awareness including strategies needed for how to approach each paper. This is so effective in making sure the children don't feel overwhelmed and switch off by the time we reach May. Keeping an eye on their mental health and wellbeing is so important to us and every child has a staff buddy to encourage and support them throughout the year.

This year, the tests have been particularly challenging, especially the Reading test and our children have needed to dig as deep as they can. But when the going gets tough the tough get going! Well done Year 6.