Assessments

Primary school pupils in England take part in national curriculum assessments throughout the academic year.  These are the:

• Key stage 2 tests (referred to as SATs) in May of Year 6.

• Multiplication tables check in June of Year 4.

• Phonics screening check in June of year 1.

• Reception baseline assessment within the first 6 weeks of entering reception.

You will find more information about the individual assessments below.

Every year, Year 6 pupils in England take the Key Stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum tests, which are often referred to as SATs.

What subjects do the tests cover?

Pupils will sit tests in:

• Reading

• Maths

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS)

There are no tests for English writing or science.  Instead, these are reported as a teacher assessment judgement.  This is a judgement teachers will make based on your child’s work at the end of KS2.

What are the tests on?

While pupils won’t be able to see what’s on the test beforehand, the assessments only include questions on things that children should already have been taught as part of the national curriculum. 

You can find past papers on the GOV.UK website here.

When are the tests?

SATs usually take place in May each year.  In 2027, the tests are scheduled to take place from Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May 2027

The timetable is as follows:

Why does my child take tests in Year 6/Key Stage 2 (KS2)?

The tests intend to:

• Help measure the progress your child has made and identify if they need additional support in a certain area.

• Provide you with a good sense of the standard at which your child is working in each subject.

• Make sure your child is being supported in the best way possible as they move into secondary school.

• Help your child's new school determine in which areas they need the most support.

• Measure school performance.

What if my child finds the SATs tests too difficult?

It’s important to remember that one of the purposes of the key stage 2 assessments is to identify each pupil's strengths and the areas where they may have fallen behind in their learning as they head into secondary school.

The results will help their new school determine in which areas your child needs the most support.

The tests are designed to be challenging to measure attainment, including stretching the most able children. It means some pupils will find them harder than others.

It takes three years to create appropriate tests. During the process, they’re rigorously trialled with year 6 pupils and reviewed by education and inclusion experts to make sure they’re the right difficulty level.

The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) is responsible for developing the tests, and Ministers don't have any influence on their content.

What do the test results look like?

Since 2016, SATs results have been reported using a system called 'scaled scores'.

What is a scaled score?

Each pupil is given a scaled score as a number.  This is created from the number of marks your child scores in each particular test.

For children in year 6 taking the KS2 tests, scaled scores range from 80 to 120. 

A scaled score: 

• below 100 means that your child may need more support to help them reach the expected standard; 

• of 100 or more means that your child is working at, or above, the expected standard for the key stage.

If your child is working below the overall standard of the key stage, or they have special educational needs, reporting will be different.

Why use scaled scores?

Scaled scores help test results to be reported consistently from one year to the next.

For example, if two children achieve the same scaled scores in different tests in different years, they will have the same level of attainment.

When will I get the results of the tests?

Your child’s end-of-year report will include their scaled score and clear confirmation as to whether they have met the national standard.

Should I be worried if my child doesn’t meet the expected standard?

There’s no reason to worry.  The tests are designed to help identify where children may need extra support as early as possible.

Your child will also receive teacher assessment results, which help to give a broader picture of how well they are doing.

If you have any concerns, please speak to your child’s teacher.

What if I have further questions?

If you have any questions about changes to KS2 assessments and what they mean for your child, please do not hesitate to speak to your child's class teacher or contact us.

Every year, Year 4 pupils in England complete the Multiplication Tables Check (MTC).

What is the Multiplication Tables Check?

The Multiplication Tables Check (MTC) is an onscreen check consisting of 25 times table questions.  Your child will be able to answer 3 practice questions before taking the actual check.  They will then have 6 seconds to answer each question.  On average, the check should take no longer than 5 minutes to complete.

When will the MTC take place?

The MTC usually takes place in June.  In 2027, the MTC will take place from Monday 7th June 2027, for a 2-week period.

Why do Year 4 pupils complete the MTC?

The MTC intends to:

• Help your school identify pupils who may need some additional support.

• Provide you with a sense of how fluently your child can recall their times tables up to 12.

Do I need to do anything to prepare my child for the check?

As part of our school's home learning advice, we ask you to practise times tables with your child at home.

Every Year 4 pupil has a login to Times Tables Rock Stars (TTRS) that is accessible by visiting the Year 4 Learning Hub here.  Your child can login and spend some time practising their times tables on TTRS.

When will I get the results of the check?

Your child’s end-of-year report will include their MTC result.  There is no pass mark for the check.

What if I have further questions?

Your child’s teacher will be able to answer any questions about the MTC.

Every year, Year 1 pupils in England complete the Phonics Screening Check.

What is phonics?

Phonics is an effective way of teaching children to read.  By teaching phonics, we want to improve literacy levels and give all children a solid base to build on as they progress through school.

Children are taught how to:

• Recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes. 

• Identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make, such as ‘sh’ or ‘oo’. 

• Blend these sounds together, from left to right, to make a word. 

You can find out all about phonics in our school on our Phonics page here.

What is the Phonics Screening Check?

The Phonics Screening Check contains 40 words divided into 2 sections of 20 words. Both sections contain a mixture of real words and pseudo-words.

When is the Phonics Screening Check?

The Phonics Screening Check usually takes place in June.  In 2027, they will take place over a week, from Monday 14th June to Friday 18th June.

Why do Year 1 pupils complete the check?

The Phonics Screening Check intends to: 

• Confirm that all children have learned phonic decoding to an age-appropriate standard. 

• Give teachers information on how your child is progressing in phonics. 

• Help identify whether your child needs additional support. 

• Measure school performance. 

Do I need to do anything to prepare my child for the check?

Phonics works best when children are given plenty of encouragement and time to enjoy reading. Parents play a very important part in helping with this. You can support by:

• Highlighting the phonics sounds when you read with your child.

• Encourage your child to ‘sound out’ unfamiliar words and then blend the sounds together from left to right rather than looking at the pictures to guess.

• Talk about the meaning of unfamiliar words and help them to follow the story.

• Read books from school and record in the reading diary. 

Will I get results of the check?

Your child’s end-of-year report will include their Phonics Screening Check result.

Children who have not met the standard in year 1 will re-take the check in year 2.  The results of any re-take will also be shared with you. 

What if I have further questions?

f you have any questions about PSC and what it means for your child, please do not hesitate to speak to your child's class teacher or contact us.

Every year, Reception pupils in England take the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA).

What is the RBA?

The RBA is a short, interactive and practical assessment of your child’s early literacy, communication, language and mathematics skills when they begin school.

When do the RBAs take place?

The RBAs are completed within the first 6 weeks of starting reception.

Why do reception pupils complete the RBA?

The aim of the assessment is to:

• Provide the starting point for a progress measure. 

• Make sure your school supports the pupils to progress between reception and year 6. 

• Give your child valuable one to one time with their teacher at an early stage, helping them to understand your child better. 

• Not judge or label your child, nor put them under any pressure during the assessment. 

Your child cannot ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ the assessment. 

Do I need to prepare my child for the assessment?

You do not need to do anything to prepare your child for the assessment.  Your child is unlikely to even know that they are taking part in an assessment when they are completing the tasks.

What if my child cannot access the assessment?

Your child will complete the assessment by: 

• Using a touchscreen device.

• Answering questions verbally with the teacher.

• Working with materials given to them by the school.

The assessment has been designed to be inclusive and accessible for as many children as possible.  This includes those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

What if I have further questions?

If you have any questions about the RBA and what it means for your child, please do not hesitate to speak to your child's class teacher or contact us.