Sats: What did you think of the tests?

If you are in year 6 at Primary school in England you probably did your Sats last week. How did you find them? Were they easier or more difficult than you expected?

Some headteachers have said they will be raising concerns over one particular paper which some said was much more difficult than previous tests

A teachers' union has gone further and criticised the tests themselves saying there are "better ways of assessing children".

A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson told BBC News the tests were "designed to be challenging".

Tell us in the comments what this year's Sats were like for you?

What are Sats for?

Tests for Keys Stage 2 and 6 have been around since the 1990s

Key stage assessments which are commonly known as Sats or Standard Attainment Tests were first introduced between 1991 and 1998.

They are taken by pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 of Primary school in English and Mathematics and are made up of six 45 minute papers.

The Department for Education website states that the main reason for the key stage 2 tests is "to measure school performance and to make sure individual pupils are being supported in the best way possible as they move into secondary school".

Some people argue that the tests put too much stress and pressure on children at a young age.

What has been said about this year's Sats?

One reading paper came under particular criticism this year.

A headteacher of a Primary School in Cheshire wrote a letter to her MP which she shared on social media calling for the tests to be "scrapped".

She said the children who were all "capable readers" were crying over the reading paper.

"This was the most challenging reading test I have seen in my 29 years as a teacher," she added.

Sarah Hannafin, from National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) said the union was "concerned" about the paper.

"The difficulty was beyond previous tests, leaving children upset and with even staff struggling to understand the questions."

The largest education union in the UK the NEU which represents teachers also criticised the tests saying it had been a difficult week for pupils and staff.

"This is not a system that is concerned about children and their learning. There are better ways of assessing pupils," Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union said.

A Department for Education spokesman said the Key Stage 2 assessments tests are developed by experts including teachers and tests are trialled with "hundreds of pupils over several years to ensure that all tests are appropriate".

Later when asked for a comment on the English reading paper, the DfE added that Sats had to be tough "in order to measure attainment across the ability range, including stretching the most able children".

Sats stress

Over the years many people have said the tests are too much stress for children.

Back in 2016 in a Newsround survey 87% of children aged 10 and 11 said they feel pressure to do well in their Standard Assessment Tests.

A few years ago one teacher wrote a letter to his class with a positive message. Mr Shaw in Chesterfield said: "The Sats do not assess all of what makes each of you special or unique."

The Department for Education website states that children shouldn't be made to feel any unnecessary pressure when doing the tests and it is up to the school to make sure they are prepared.

If you are in Year 6, how did you find this year's Sats tests? And if you have done Sats before what do you think of them? Let us know in the comments below.