Do you have a child in year 6?

If you do your child will take part in SAT testing this academic year. At the end of Year 6, children in England sit tests in:  

• Reading
• Maths
• Grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS)

These tests are both set and marked externally, and the results are used to measure the school’s performance (for example, through reporting to Ofsted and published league tables). Your child’s marks will be used in conjunction with teacher assessment to give a broader picture of their attainment.

What do the reading tests look like?

The reading test is a single paper with questions based on three passages of text. 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.’

What do the spelling, punctuation and grammar tests look like?

Usually, the GPS test consists 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 GPS test includes 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.’

What do the maths tests look like?

Children sit three papers in maths:
 

• Paper 1: arithmetic, 30 minutes
• Papers 2 and 3: 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

When will the 2023 SAT tests take place?

The year 6 SATs will be administered in the week commencing 8 May 2023.

The SATs timetable runs as follows:

Monday 
English GPS Paper 1: questions
English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2: spelling

Tuesday 
English reading

Wednesday 
Mathematics Paper 1: arithmetic
Mathematics Paper 2: reasoning

Thursday 
Mathematics Paper 3: reasoning

How are the tests marked?

You will be given your child’s scaled score and whether they have reached the expected standard set by the Department for Education (‘NS’ means that the expected standard was not achieved and ‘AS’ means the expected standard was achieved). 

The range of scaled scores available for each KS2 test is:
 

• 80 (the lowest scaled score that can be awarded)
• 120 (the highest scaled score)

The expected standard for each test is a scaled score of 100 or more. If a child is awarded a scaled score of 99 or less they won't have achieved the expected standard in the test.

How can I support my child with their Sats?

There are various ways you can support your child with their SAT tests. These include:

• Reading regularly with them at home, preferably every day.
• Asking your child questions about the books they read.
• Allowing your child to practice their weekly spellings found on My Child At School App.
• Completing the half termly homework found on My Child At School App.
• Allowing your child to participate in any extra curricular intervention groups.
• Attending SAT workshops held throughout the year.
• Attending parents evenings.
• Look at using revision guides to support your child.
• Making sure your child gets plenty of sleep.
• Looking at past SAT papers to prepare your child – follow this link - https://www.theschoolrun.com/changes-ks2-sats-2023-what-parents-need-know

Are there any workshops to support my understanding of the Year 6 SAT tests?

• Reading Workshop – 18^th October 2022 9.10am
• SATs Workshop – 25^th November 2022 9.10am
• Maths Workshop – 3^rd February 2023 9.10am

Further information regarding KS2 SAT tests can be found below.