It won’t be long before primary assessments, including the KS2 Sats, will be held in primary schools across the country.
Here’s everything you need to know about when the various tests will take place.
Key stage 1 Sats
Last year was the final year when mandatory key stage 1 Sats were held. From 2024 the tests are now optional. Schools will continue to report teacher assessment levels, which can be informed by the school’s own assessments or the optional KS1 Sats tests or a combination of both.
The new Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) has replaced the KS1 Sats for judging progress made during primary school.
Unlike the KS1 Sats, the RBA data will be “black boxed”, which means it will not be publicly shared. We are still waiting for details on the method for how the data from the RBA will be used to measure progress.
Maths and reading
The first part of the KS1 test period runs throughout May 2023 and schools can choose when they set the tests.
There are five tests for pupils to sit: two reading papers and two maths papers, plus an English grammar, spelling and punctuation paper.
The reading tests are designed to assess pupils on their comprehension skills and vocabulary.
The maths tests, meanwhile, focus on pupils’ knowledge of mathematical operations, their mathematical fluency, their ability to solve problems and their reasoning.
The optional KS1 Sats are not strictly timed. Teachers can also use their discretion to give pupils breaks during the tests.
For more details on organising assessments at the end of KS1, you can read our article on different approaches here.
Key stage 2 Sats
The KS2 tests are timetabled from Monday 13 May to Thursday 16 May 2024.
At KS2, the tests are timed and although the majority of pupils will complete the test without a break, teachers are able to give pupils breaks once they have begun if they experience fatigue.
Pupils with specific needs may have access arrangements to assist them in the tests.
Monday 13 May 2024
English grammar, punctuation and spelling, papers 1 and 2
Pupils will sit one grammar and punctuation paper, and one spelling paper.
The grammar and punctuation paper is a mixture of multiple-choice and short-answer questions.
The spelling paper requires the pupil to listen to their teacher as a transcript is read and spell out the missing words in their answer booklet.
Tuesday 14 May 2024
Reading
The reading paper requires pupils to read a booklet that contains three extracts. They must then answer questions that test them on their comprehension.
Wednesday 15 May 2024
Mathematics papers 1 and 2
Paper 1 is on arithmetic, and pupils are not permitted to use a calculator.
Paper 2 is on reasoning. and pupils are not permitted to use a calculator.
Thursday 16 May 2024
Mathematics paper 3
Paper 3 is also on reasoning, and pupils are not permitted to use a calculator.
The three-week period beginning Monday 3 June 2024
Multiplication tables check
This test is not part of the KS2 Sats, and is for children in Year 4. The check is made up of 25 questions. Children will have a maximum of six seconds to answer each question. There will be a three-second pause before the next question is displayed.
You can read more about the multiplication tables check here.
Teacher-assessed data
Writing
Teachers will make a decision on the writing of a pupil and whether they are working at a pre-key stage level or towards the expected standard, or at the expected standard or at a greater depth. This judgement will be based on the work a pupil produces during Year 6.
Every year, a small percentage of schools are selected for writing moderation. If a school has been selected to have its writing marks moderated by the local authority, it will receive notification in May. Moderation visits will take place over a three-week period in June 2024.
All teacher-assessed writing levels must be entered by a date as yet to be announced at the end of June 2024.
For more details on how writing moderation works, you can read our analysis here.
Science
Teachers will make a decision on the science ability of a pupil and whether they are working at the expected standard. This judgement will be based on the work a pupil produces during Year 6.
All teacher-assessed science levels must be entered by a date as yet to be announced at the end of June 2024.
Sats results 2024
Sats results for KS2 pupils will be released to schools in July 2024 - the papers having been marked by external examiners, with raw marks converted into scaled scores (see below) - and then made available to parents.
If the school uses the optional KS1 Sats, then they will be marked internally by schools and marks will be made available to parents by the class teacher.
Releasing the Sats scores
If the school chooses to use the optional tests at KS1 then parents will be told the results of the tests in English, maths and science. There must be an explanation of how their child’s results compare with those of other pupils at the school, and how their child’s results compare nationally.
At KS2, parents will be told pupils’ test results and scaled scores, and whether or not the pupil is meeting the expected standard. In addition to this, schools will share how their results compare with the national average.
What do the Sats scores mean?
Pupils’ marks are converted from a raw score (the total number of marks that a pupil received) to something called a “scaled score”.
This means that the mark is processed to account for the small variations in difficulty that occur between assessments year on year. This makes it possible to compare the performance of different cohorts of pupils across different years.
A scaled score of 100 or more means that the pupil has met the expected standard in the test.
If a school believes that a pupil has been incorrectly marked, or that there has been a clerical error, it can apply for a review of marking.
There are two types of review you can ask for: a marking review query and a clerical review query.
A marking review query can be requested if a teacher feels that there is a discrepancy between the marks on the pupil’s paper and the published mark scheme. If you request a review, the mark can go up or down. There is a £9 charge for a marking review.
A clerical review query can be requested if you believe there to be a clerical error; for example, incorrect addition of the marks. There is a £5 charge for a clerical review.
Reviews are free if there is a change to the pupil either achieving or not achieving the expected standard, or a change of two or more marks to the raw score. If a review does not result in any of these outcomes then schools will pay the charges outlined above.
What happens to pupils who do not meet the expected standard?
For pupils who do not meet the expected standard in Year 6, there is a literacy and numeracy catch-up premium given to state-funded schools (including special schools and alternative-provision settings) to provide additional funding for support in reading and/or maths.
Schools can provide pupils who require extra help with individual tuition, small group tuition or summer school places.
How is Sats data used?
The scores from the KS2 Sats are used by secondary schools to calculate students’ Progress 8 scores.
The data is also used to create school performance tables and by local authorities and Ofsted to measure school attainment.
