Getting ready for SATs

By Claire Winter

Covid-19 has caused unprecedented issues and disruptions and one of the key areas of disruption has been in children’s education. Sadly, it is estimated that school pupils are at least three months behind on their learning. Preparing for exams is a stressful time for children, parents and teachers under normal circumstances.

However, despite the interruptions Covid-19 has caused, the government is currently still adamant that KS2 SATs will go ahead this year. BUT it has suspended KS1 SATs for one year.

KS1 SATs in Year 2

Generally children sit their KS1 SATs in reading and maths in May. They are also assessed by their teacher on science, writing, speaking, and listening. But, in 2021, teachers will assess children in reading, writing, phonics and maths only. They can choose to administer past KS1 SATs papers to help inform their teacher assessment judgements, if they wish. The teacher assessments are not an official score and are not used in national assessments.

KS2 SATs in Year 6

In Year 6 SATs are a more formal process of testing and children will sit KS2 SATs 2021 in English reading, English grammar, punctuation, spelling, and maths. Students will also be assessed by their teachers in other subjects including speaking and listening, writing, and in some cases, science.

SATs Revision Tips

Make sure you and your child understand the gaps in their education. Taking a look at the curriculum or talking to your child’s teacher will help you understand where these are.

Have a planner. With your child, create a plan of what needs to be learned or revised and how much time to spend on it.

Make it fun, and try to think of interesting ways to revise the topics.

Create a checklist. Ticking off what they have learned can boost your child’s self-esteem as they can see the progress they have already achieved.

Seek additional support. If your child/children are struggling, look for useful support resources online, such as websites like

BBC Bitesize, TES or perhaps online tutorials.

Create space. Ensure you child has a quiet space, preferably at a desk, where they can complete their work without being disturbed.

Be a role model. Be involved. Listen to their struggles, help with their revision and celebrate their success. Everyone is aware that children have missed large parts of the curriculum. Parents also need to remember that SATs are mainly used to assess the school’s performance. However, they can also be a good way of understanding how well your child is doing in key subjects at school.

Alongside Year 7 CAT (Cognitive Ability Test) exams, many secondary schools will look at Year 6 SATs results as part of the decision making process when grouping students into sets or streams in Year 7. Again, this is nothing to be concerned about because secondary pupils are assessed regularly and moved into different sets and streams throughout their time at school, depending on their progress.

This country has just been through an unprecedented time in education, which has involved home schooling through a pandemic. Under these circumstances, it’s more important than ever to try not to get too stressed by SATs. Instead, take steps to help and prepare your child as best you can. If you do feel worried, try not to show it. Instead, do your best to help your

child feel calm and confident about the assessment.

Catch Up on Learning

Becka Heaps, founder of Parent Intuition (parentmattersuk@ gmail.com) ran a free homework club called Homework Matters during lockdown 2. Here are her tips:

Mind maps are your friend. When you’ve identified the gaps in your child’s knowledge, ask them to create a mind map around each subject. This is a great visual way to represent the gaps and then record their progression.

Have fun! Children are more likely to learn if they are enjoying themselves. Play games, make up a song, set quizzes! Why not practice the SATs test as a game show quiz?

Little but often is key. Twenty minutes of concentrated learning is far more effective than an hour of unfocussed revision. Identify a subject, focus on one topic, learn it, then stop and do something else.

Nail the basics. It’s tricky to simplify a fraction if your child doesn’t know their tables. Keep it simple, start where they are at, and build on their knowledge.