End of KS1 tests May 2016

Test week will be: The second to last week of May th – 20 th May It is vital that children are in school for the whole week. Absolutely no holidays should be taken this week. (If your child is ill, we will ensure they catch up on the tests the following week.)

These tests are a National requirement and must be completed. We wish to make them as non threatening as possible for your children. We will be preparing the children for the tests, exposing them to test style questions in advance so that they are not surprised or confused when the tests come around. Please support us with this by not panicking your child about the tests, and making a big deal about them. We will not call the week ‘test week’ to the children, and we will aim to keep other routines as normal as possible for them.

Test papers  Reading paper 1  Reading paper 2  SPaG paper (Spelling, Punctuation and Grammar)  Spelling test  Maths – Arithmetic  Maths – Reasoning These tests are timed, so the children need to practise recalling information at speed… particularly for the Maths papers.

Example questions – Reading Paper

Example questions – Reading Paper 2

Example questions – Spelling Paper

Example questions – SPaG Paper

Example questions – Arithmetic Paper

Example questions – Reasoning Paper

Things you can do to help  Read every day with your child and talk to them about what they have read to check their understanding.  Ask why questions.  Support your child with practising their spellings each week, and using these correct spellings when they write.  Support your child with their fortnightly maths homework. This will be based on things we have been learning in school, so will help consolidate their learning. The main thing is to not worry your child about these things. Do some of the following things as part of your daily routines, in short but regular bursts. Use lots of praise, and try to boost your child’s confidence.

Things you can do to help  Practise extra mental maths skills (with quick recall):  2, 3, 5 and 10 times tables  Counting in 2, 3, 5 and 10 patterns (forwards and backwards)  Number Bonds (to 10, 20 and 100!)  Mental addition and subtraction  Adding / subtracting 10 to/from any 2-digit number. Start easy, and then get harder. Get your child to test you… do they notice when you get it wrong?

Use the correct terminology where possible (vocab sheet). Make sure your child is in school every day, so that they do not miss anything. Try to keep routines normal around the test week, no late nights! Correct your child when they speak: Grammatical errors (“Can I toilet?” “I runned outside.”) Pronunciation errors (“I fink I’ve got it.”) Things you can do to help

All of the information today is subject to change. The government and local authority are still likely to make slight changes, but we wanted to inform you of what we know as soon as possible. At the end of this year your child’s teacher will be able to make a teacher assessment based on what they know your child can do on a day to day basis. These teacher assessments will be able to inform the end of year assessment along with the test scores.  If any child has a specific learning need, an application can be made requesting support.

Thank you for coming We really appreciate your support. We are approaching these changes with excitement, and will be working really hard to make sure that your children will be prepared. We will inform you of any changes, and hope that you feel more informed. If you have any queries, or need any support please do ask.

Minstead! Details to follow in a letter very soon. Trip will be first come, first served. 34 spaces.