Statutory Testing Information
Each year, in line with guidance from the Department for Education, children in primary schools take part in statutory assessments. These tests are designed to provide a clear picture of how well pupils are progressing and what they have learned at key stages of their education. The results help teachers to identify strengths, address any gaps in learning, and ensure that every child is supported to achieve their full potential. While these assessments are an important part of monitoring progress, they are only one aspect of a broader approach to understanding each child’s development and achievements.
Statutory-Testing-Information (ID 1099)
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Y1 Phonics Screening Check
Y1 Phonics Screening Check
The phonics screening check is taken individually by all children in Year 1. It is a nationally required assessment which takes place in June.
It is designed to give teachers and parents information on how your child is progressing in phonics. It will help to identify whether your child needs additional support at this stage so that they do not fall behind in this vital early reading skill.
Here is a useful guide for Parents:
Click on the link below to find out more about why we teach 'alien words' for the Phonics Screening Check.
Why do we teach 'alien words'?
Click on the link below to read more about the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check.
Government Guidance for the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check
Past Papers:
We recommend that parents practice the Phonics Screening Check with your child at home with these past papers:
More Phonics Screening Practice
Phonics Screening Test Paper 1
Phonics Screening Test Paper 2
Phonics Screening Test Paper 3
Supporting your child at home
Guidance on how children are taught to say their sounds:
For more information, videos and resources, please access the Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised website here.
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Year 6 SATs
Year 6 SATs
At the end of Year 6, children sit tests in:
- Reading
- Maths
- Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling
These tests are both set and marked externally, and the results are used to measure the school’s performance (for example, through reporting to Ofsted and published league tables). Your child’s marks will be used in conjunction with teacher assessment to give a broader picture of their attainment.
Key Stage 2 Reading
The reading test is a single paper with questions based on three passages of text. Your child will have one hour, including reading time, to complete the test.
There will be a selection of question types, including:
- Ranking/ordering, e.g. ‘Number the events below to show the order in which they happen in the story’
- Labelling, e.g. ‘Label the text to show the title of the story’
- Find and copy, e.g. ‘Find and copy one word that suggests what the weather is like in the story’
- Short constructed response, e.g. ‘What does the bear eat?’
- Open-ended response, e.g. ‘Look at the sentence that begins Once upon a time. How does the writer increase the tension throughout this paragraph? Explain fully, referring to the text in your answer.’
Key Stage 2 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Test
The grammar, punctuation and spelling test consists of two parts: a grammar and punctuation paper requiring short answers, lasting 45 minutes, and an aural spelling test of 20 words, lasting around 15 minutes.
The grammar and punctuation test will include two sub-types of questions:
- Selected response, e.g. ‘Identify the adjectives in the sentence below’
- Constructed response, e.g. ‘Correct/complete/rewrite the sentence below,’ or, ‘The sentence below has an apostrophe missing. Explain why it needs an apostrophe.’
Key Stage 2 Maths
Children sit three papers in maths:
- Paper 1: arithmetic, 30 minutes
- Papers 2 and 3: reasoning, 40 minutes per paper.
Paper 1 will consist of fixed response questions, where children have to give the correct answer to calculations, including long multiplication and division. Papers 2 and 3 will involve a number of question types, including:
- Multiple choice
- True or false
- Constrained questions, e.g. giving the answer to a calculation, drawing a shape or completing a table or chart
- Less constrained questions, where children will have to explain their approach for solving a problem.
When will the Key Stage 2 SATs take place in 2026?
The Year 6 KS2 SATs will be administered from Monday 11th May to Thursday 14th May 2026.
You will be given your child’s raw score (the actual number of marks they get), alongside their scaled score and whether they have reached the expected standard set by the Department for Education (‘NS’ means that the expected standard was not achieved and ‘AS’ means the expected standard was achieved).
The range of scaled scores available for each KS2 test is:
- 80 (the lowest scaled score that can be awarded
- 120 (the highest scaled score).
The expected standard for each test is a scaled score of 100 or more. If a child is awarded a scaled score of 99 or less they won't have achieved the expected standard in the test.
Key Stage 2 Practice Papers
Previous papers are available for your child's reference and use, click on the link below: