Teacher sets fun 'homework' for Year 6 pupils to relieve stress ahead of SATs

A primary school teacher preparing her class for the upcoming SATs has found a novel way to relieve the pressure by setting an unusual set of 'homework' tasks.

Mrs Thom, who works at Bucklebury Primary in Reading in Berkshire, made a list of fun things for her Year 6 pupils to take their minds off the exams, and it has proved popular on social media.

The list was posted on Twitter by the school and on the Early Years Foundation Stage Facebook page where it has now been shared over 63,000 times.

Mrs Thom's note to her pupils urged them to 'use their time at the weekend wisely' and 'complete as many activities on the list as possible'.

She also said "if you feel you have to, you may revise, BUT you can only do this for a maximum of one hour total."

The note ends by reassuring the class that "Mrs Thom is in charge of worrying". She added that all of the pupils are "amazing and I couldn't be more proud of you".

In response to the popularity of the 'homework' list Bucklebury Primary school issued a statement stating that Mrs Thom's note "reflects our beliefs about education and the recognition that outcomes from tests at eleven years old do not dictate who you are or who you might become".

Other schools across England have also been sending out similar letters to parents and children offering comforting words ahead of the exams.

Children's Day UK posted a letter from Holy Trinity Primary school on Facebook which urged pupils to think of the tests as "something I've got to do, but not the most important thing in the world".

The letter reminded the children that the most important things are "your personality, what you believe and think, your ideas and that spark inside you that makes you, you."