SATs Papers Tests KS2 Year 6
SATs Papers Tests KS2 Year 6, 2022 and before – all free to download.
SATs Papers in 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to Covid-19.
Testing for the new 2014 National Curriculum began in 2016.
Table of Contents
What are KS2 SATs Tests or SATs Papers?
When do pupils take KS2 Year 6 SATs Papers?
What are the Outcomes or Grades for SATs?
Children who struggle to take the KS2 Year 6 SATs Papers
Reporting KS2 Year 6 SATs Papers Tests Results to Parents
How are the results used?
When are the KS2 Year 6 SATs Papers (Tests)?
Other Statutory Assessments
Reception Baseline Assessment, Phonics Check, Multiplication Check, Other Year Groups
When are SATs Papers Published?
How do I prepare my child for their KS2 Year 6 SATs Papers?
What are KS2 SATs Tests or SATs Papers?
SATs Papers Tests KS2 Year 6 2019 and before: SATs is actually an informal name for the government’s National Curriculum Tests. The SATs name has likely been adopted from American tests which are short for Standard Attainment Tests. Currently there are tests for Mathematics, Reading and Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (sometimes referred to as SPaG – Spelling Punctuation and Grammar). Writing is assessed by teachers – there is no formal test.
SATs can also be called ‘SATs papers‘, ‘SATs exams‘ or ‘SATs tests‘.
When do pupils take SATs Papers Tests KS2 Year 6?
All children in state schools are expected to take the SATs tests in May at the end of KS1 (Year 2) and the end of KS2 (Year 6). There is no requirement for children to take the tests in private schools, although many of them do so informally.
What are the outcomes or grades for SATs Papers Tests KS2 Year 6?
Standards:
- Working Towards the Expected Standard,
- Working at the Expected Standard,
- Working at a Higher Standard/Greater Depth.
For some children who are working below ‘Working Towards’, teachers will use Pre Key Stage Standards (KS1, KS2) to make an assessment. This is normally for pupils who have learning needs. For pupils with profound learning needs, teachers use the Engagement Model.
For the Reading and Mathematics Tests, schools also receive a Scaled Score which is a more precise indicator of attainment.
Children who struggle to take the SATs Papers Tests KS2 Year 6
The government produces variations of the tests that mean some children can still take the SATs Papers Tests KS2 Year 6 even if they have impairments such as visual or hearing impairments. Some children may not be able to access the tests due to more profound needs. Instead these children are given a teacher assessment using the Pre Key Stage Standards (KS1, KS2) or Engagement Model. A school should inform you if your child will not be taking the test.
Reporting SATs Papers Tests KS2 Year 6 Results to Parents
Schools should report the Standard (for example Working Towards, Expected or Higher Standard/Greater Depth) results of tests to parents. They do not all report the Scaled Scores. The thresholds for these Scaled Scores can be found on our website (Phonics, KS1, KS2, Year 3 to 5, KS3).
How are the results used?
The results of the SATs Papers Tests at the end of KS2/Year 6 are used in two main ways:
- They are passed to secondary schools. Secondary schools can then use this information to plan for pupils entry into Year 7. The government would expect a child working at the ‘Expected Standard’ at the end of Year 6 to be at least a Grade C or Grade 4 in the new system when they complete their GCSEs. Therefore it is important for pupils to do well at Year 6 SATs as the Secondary School would be expected to maintain this.
- For Primary Schools, the government compares the outcomes for pupils against other schools. These are commonly known as League Tables. This gives an indication of which schools perform the best. The League Tables are very controversial as schools vary in terms of their children’s needs. Some schools may have a high proportion of Special Needs, or have high levels of deprivation. Some schools may have an advantage as they benefit from having low number of Special Needs children, or have many families who can afford tutors and dedicate more time to their children’s learning. You will also see in the League Tables a ‘Progress Score’. This is a measure of progress from Year 2 to Year 6. KS2 League Tables will not be published in 2022.
When are KS2 Year 6 SATs Papers (Tests)?
The SATs Papers Tests at the end of KS2 Year 6 take place in May after Easter. Schools have a window when they can choose to deliver the KS1 SATs Tests. Dates can be found here.
Other Statutory Assessments
As well as the KS1 and KS2 SATs Tests there are a number of other Statutory Assessments in Primary Schools. Statutory means that schools have to do them.
Reception Baseline Assessment
This is new from 2021. A pupil is expected to take a short assessment within the first 6 weeks of them entering Reception. This is a short assessment on speaking & listening, early reading and mathematics. The results are not reported to parents and there is no pass mark. The results will be used by the government to measure progress of pupils from their entry into Reception to when they leave Year 6. This means that the KS1 SATs tests will be phased out soon.
Phonics Check
This occurs in June every year for all Year 1 children. Children read 40 real and pseudo (made up) words to test their phonics decoding ability. The pass mark is usually 32 and results should be reported to parents. If a pupil does not meet this ‘expected standard’, they are tested again in Year 2.
Multiplication Check
2022 is due to be the first year that this is statutory due to delays caused by Covid-19. It happens towards the end of Year 4. Children use a computer to answer a range of multiplication questions up to 12×12 and have 6 seconds to answer each question.
Other Year Groups
Schools can choose whether they do tests in other year groups. There is no requirement to do so and no requirement to report test results to parents. However schools do have to write a report for each child annually. For the previous National Curriculum (pre 2014), the government did produce Year 3 to 5 Tests and KS3 Tests tests.
When are SATs Papers Published?
SATs Papers/Tests for KS2 (Year 6) are normally published publicly in the latter half of May in the year in which they taken.
How do I prepare my child for their SATs Papers KS2 Year 6?
SATs Tests can be stressful for children but a school will prepare the children as best they can for example by doing Mock Tests. You can also use the resources on this website to help.
- Free access to past papers: Phonics, KS1, KS2, Year 3 to 5, and KS3 including access to Mark Schemes
- Revision Packs for Mathematics
- Rapid Reading, Rapid Grammar and Rapid Arithmetic – short activities based on National Curriculum Tests (SATs Papers)
- Test Gap Analysis – built for schools to use usually for a cohort of children but can be used for individual children too. There are many free versions available to try out.