Year 6 and the ever-looming pressure of the KS2 SATs tests can be an incredibly stressful and anxiety-ridden period of time for our children. Here are some top tips from Lewis Peatroy (Assistant Headteacher) and Helen Lowbridge (Assistant Headteacher) at E-ACT Reedswood Academy and things they do to support their pupils to take it all in their stride and reach their full potential.
Balance
From the moment our children start their schooling journey at E-ACT Reedswood Academy, they are exposed to a full, balanced and well-rounded curriculum. Our children have a deep-rooted thirst for learning and are eager to learn more about their wider curriculum subjects. Balancing their preparation for SATs with the opportunities to learn about their interests in History, Geography, Music, PE and so much more really helps reduce that pressure – particularly in the build-up to SATs. Our children also have a huge range of enrichment opportunities to deepen their learning and enhance their engagement with their education. An example of this is our Year 6 residential trip to London which took place in 
February. The children got the opportunity to visit key London landmarks including a ride on the London Eye. They saw a West End Musical production of Matilda, visited the ‘Shrek Adventure’ experience and dined in some of London’s fabulous eateries such as Giraffe! This was truly a wonderful experience for our children and coupled with the educational benefits, it was a huge reward for their continued hard work.
Other enrichment opportunities include orienteering at Frank Chapman, a range of 
computing workshops delivered by local experts and sporting competitions and events. As an extra incentive for their post-SATs journey, the children get to visit Drayton Manor! The thrill-seekers can go on all of the rides whilst there are other opportunities to visit the 3D cinema experience and the zoo. Whether it is before, during or after SATs, our children always have something to engage with or look forward to and this really helps incentivise and relax them during an incredibly stressful period of time.
Preparation
We always try to instil the values of self-belief/belief in yourself, aspiration and perseverance. These values are key during the SATs period and these couldn’t be achieved without preparing our children for what is to come. Our Year 6 children begin school from 8 o’clock after the Christmas holidays and this added time really helps with coverage and engaging them with their learning. We conduct pre and post teaching to support and fill any gaps that have been identified. We use the National Tutoring Programme for targeted interventions to support children with any areas for development that they may have. We also try to promote the children’s independence and self-reflection and communicate with them about what they feel they might need additional support with.
In addition to these areas above we also get the school nurse to come into school and speak to the children about their feelings during the SATs period. They offer coping strategies to deal with that stress.
All of these factors play a huge part in helping our children to feel prepared and therefore a lot less stressed about their SATs tests.
Well-being
We try to support our children and really take into consideration their mental well-being during this time. Whilst we always maintain high expectations, we advise our children to ensure they balance their studies with time for relaxation with friends and family. Coupled with our PSHE curriculum, the children know they have lots of people they can talk to at school if they feel stressed, worried or anxious about the SATs or anything else. The children understand what their ‘mental health’ is and know different ways that they can regulate their well-being and emotions such as taking deep breaths, sitting in a quiet and safe place to calm down, talking to their friends/family and much more.
We make sure our children remember how fantastic they are and how proud we are of their hard work and determination. We remind our children to always try their best and that if they can look back on what they have done and know that they have done everything they could then they should be proud of themselves.
Good Luck to all of our Year 6 pupils across the trust. All of your hard work will pay off!
Article written by Lewis Peatroy (Assistant Headteacher) & Helen Lowbridge (Assistant Headteacher) at E-ACT Reedswood Academy.
