SATS

Children in English schools used to sit Standard Assessment Tests 'SATs' twice during their school career. The first time was in Key Stage 1, when they had tests in Year 2. Children across the country were tested in maths and reading. May 2023 was the last year where these tests were compulsory for schools to complete.

KS2 SATS are still compulsory and our Year 6 children will need to sit them this academic year.

This year, SATs week will be 13th - 17th May 2024. These are more formal than the previous Key Stage 1 tests; they consist of written papers (in English and Maths) that are 40 to 60 minutes long and can sometimes be quite daunting for this age group. The papers are sent away for marking and the results are returned to school in July and will be shared with you in your child's Annual Report to Parents.

SATs aren't about passing or failing, but are used to reflect the level your child is working at. We don't see them as a one-off period in the school calendar but as a part of the overall teaching your child receives throughout their whole time at primary school. We aim to ensure your child is as prepared as they can be to minimise any stress they may feel about the assessments. 

It is important that homework is completed on time and returned to school on the correct day - it will be then reviewed in class.

There are various link and files on this page that you can use at home to support your child in their learning and revision.

USEFUL LINKS:

The reading test will provisionally be a single paper with questions based on one 800-word text and two passages of 300 words. Your child will have one hour, including reading time, to complete the test.

There will be a selection of question types, including:

• Ranking/ordering, e.g. ‘Number the events below to show the order in which they happen in the story’ 
• Labelling, e.g. ‘Label the text to show the title of the story’ 
• Find and copy, e.g. ‘Find and copy one word that suggests what the weather is like in the story’ 
• Short constructed response, e.g. ‘What does the bear eat?’ 
• Open-ended response, e.g. ‘Look at the sentence that begins Once upon a time. How does the writer increase the tension throughout this paragraph? Explain fully, referring to the text in your answer.’ 

USEFUL FILES:

The grammar, punctuation and spelling test will consist of two parts: a grammar and punctuation paper requiring short answers, lasting 45 minutes, and an aural spelling test of 20 words, lasting around 15 minutes.

The grammar and punctuation test will include two sub-types of questions:

• Selected response, e.g. ‘Identify the adjectives in the sentence below’ 
• Constructed response, e.g. ‘Correct/complete/rewrite the sentence below,’ or, ‘The sentence below has an apostrophe missing. Explain why it needs an apostrophe.’ 

USEFUL FILES:

Children will sit three papers in maths:

• Paper 1: arithmetic, 30 minutes (written)
• Papers 2 and 3: mathematical fluency, solving problems and reasoning, 40 minutes per paper 

Paper 1 will consist of fixed response questions, where children have to give the correct answer to calculations, including long multiplication and division. Papers 2 and 3 will involve a number of question types, including:

• Multiple choice 
• True or false 
• Constrained questions, e.g. giving the answer to a calculation, drawing a shape or completing a table or chart 
• Less constrained questions, where children will have to explain their approach for solving a problem.

USEFUL FILES: