SATs

Also called National curriculum tests, Key Stage 2 tests

National tests at the end of Key Stage 2. They measure the school more than they measure your child.

What it is

Standard assessment tests are the statutory national curriculum tests taken in May of year 6, in reading, maths, and grammar, punctuation and spelling. Writing is teacher-assessed rather than tested.

Key Stage 1 SATs are no longer statutory.

Where it applies

Year 6 pupils in state schools. Independent schools do not have to take them.

How it works

Results come back as a scaled score, where 100 is the expected standard, plus a teacher assessment for writing.

The results follow a child to secondary school and are used for setting and for progress measures, but they do not determine secondary admission and no secondary school selects on them.

Their main purpose is accountability: they produce the primary school performance tables.

What you can ask for

Ask about access arrangements — extra time, a reader, a scribe, rest breaks, a separate room. These exist for SATs and must be based on the child's normal way of working.

Ask whether your child will be disapplied or take the tests at a different level. Some pupils working significantly below the standard should not sit them at all, and pre-key-stage standards exist for that.

Ask the school to be honest with your child about what the tests are for. Year 6 anxiety about SATs is common and mostly avoidable.

Where to get help

The Standards and Testing Agency publishes the access arrangements guidance each year. The school's year 6 team.