How to Prepare for Year 6 SATs

What are SATs

Standard Assessment Tests, known as SATs, are used by primary schools in England. They assesshow well students are progressing in their education:

• Key Stage 1 SATs - taken in Year 2

• Key Stage 2 SATs - taken in Year 6

  Year 6 students take SATs in May and are assessed on what they have learnt over Key Stage 2 (Years 3-6).

  They provide a useful sign of your child’s progress between the ages of 7 and 11. They help teachers identify if a child needs extra support in a certain area. 

SATs are one of the ways to measure quality of education at primary schools across the country. The Department of Education checks how children progress between Key Stages and reviews school performance. This helps them find schools that need extra support. 

What do the Year 6 SATs involve? 

Year 6 SATs assess children on:

• Spelling, punctuation and grammar (often referred to as SPaG) -

  Paper 1 - Grammar and Punctuation - 45 minutes

  Paper 2 - Spelling - 20 minutes aural test

  In these tests, students will show their understanding of English. They will identify parts of speech, correct punctuation, and change word meanings. 

• Reading - 1 hour paper

  Children will read three texts, both fiction and non-fiction. Students will answer ‘what, why, how’ questions. This will check their reading and information-retrieval skills. They will also be shown questions that will test their inference skills. 

• Maths

  Paper 1 - Arithmetic - 30 minutes

  Paper 2 - Reasoning - 40 minutes

  Paper 3 - Reasoning - 40 minutes

  These tests check how well a child understands basic maths and how they use that knowledge to solve real-life problems.

• Science, and skills such as writing, speaking and listening are assessed by their school teachers.

How are SATs scored? 

Year 6 SATs are marked externally, and results are returned to schools in July.

Teachers will receive a raw score and a scaled score for each student in each subject.

The scaled score indicates whether a student has achieved the national standard. Students can achieve a scaled score between 80 and 120.  A scaled score of 100 or more means that the child has met the expected standard by the end of Year 6. 

👉 Click here for more information on scaled scores.

How can Atom help? 

At Atom, children master English, maths, and science on their customised learning plan. It includes teacher-made questions, video tutorials, help sheets, and unlimited downloadable SATs tests.

As a parent, you can monitor your child's Year 6 progress. You can also focus on areas that need improvement with extra practice activities.

Our in-house teachers hold Live Lessons specifically for Year 6 Students, focusing on the more challenging Key Stage 2 topic areas.

Using Atom effectively in Year 6 will ensure that your child feels fully prepared for the SATs and for the transition into Year 7.