Raynsford KS2 SATs Parent Workshop
What are SATs? (Standard Attainment Tests)
SATs are nationwide tests given to children at schools across the UK, they are also referred to as SAT papers, SAT exams or SAT tests.
Through primary education, children will take their KS2 SATs at the end of Year 6 — just before they make the step up to secondary school.
In primary school, children will undergo SATs that look at their English reading, Maths, spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Additional tests can be done in order to assess writing and science, however, these are less formal assessments than the ones above.
SATs Reading and Writing
KS2 are assessed on their reading and writing abilities. Reading is a formal component of primary school SATs, whereas writing papers are often provided as an informal means of testing.
The Year 6 SATs, done just before moving to secondary school, examine children on the following:
- characters,
- ideas,
- reading 'between the lines' to interpret writing,
- events,
- significant themes.
Comprehension questions are commonly used to monitor a child's progress, assessing their ability to interpret information and comment on an author's language choices. Spelling, grammar and punctuation awareness are also assessed.
Children's writing at the KS2 level for SATs is assessed by their ability to:
- engage the reader,
- use punctuation accurately,
- use a range of sophisticated words (vocabulary).
