What to expect and how to survive! Key stage 2 sats What to expect and how to survive!

SATS – what are they? SATS stands for Standardised Assessment Tests Every pupil across the country is involved Provide a ‘snapshot’ of attainment in English and Maths SATs are unseen tests They are designed to test a range of skills in reading, maths (including arithmetic) and spelling and grammar (SPaG) to assess if children are working towards, are meeting or exceeding the ‘national standard’. Writing and science are also assessed, but not tested during SATs week.

Timetable Day Activity Monday 8th May English reading Tuesday 9th May English grammar, punctuation and spelling test Paper 1: grammar Paper 2: spelling Wednesday 10th May Mathematics paper 1: arithmetic Mathematics Paper 2: reasoning Thursday 11th May Mathematics Paper 3: reasoning

How does the week work? It is important that your child is in school on time everyday. The children will not go to assembly this week, they will have some breakfast snacks and juice with the year 6 staff in the studio each morning before they get ready for the tests. All the children will sit the relevant test for that morning, each day the tests will be completed by lunch time. Some children may require extra time to complete the papers, this will be decided by your child’s teacher and discussed with you and your child before hand. In the afternoon the children will have some ‘down time’, they will have extra sports/PE sessions, play times and mindfulness and relaxation sessions to help them keep calm and let off some steam. By Thursday the tests will be complete and all of year 6 will be rewarded for their hard work on the Friday with a trip to the park.

What result will my child receive? Previously: You would receive a level for your child based on their attainment. Level between 3 and 5 – level 4 was classed as average. Levels have now gone! Instead you will receive the following information: Raw score – the score they achieved on the test. Scaled score – each score will be standardised. If a child has a standardised score of 100 then they will have reached the ‘expected national standard’. Example results: Child name: Joe Bloggs Reading raw score: 21 Reading standardised score: 100

What tests will my child do?

Mathematics test Paper 1: a formal arithmetic test – this tests calculations, methods your child will have learnt in KS2 to solve calculations: addition, subtraction, multiplication and division involving whole numbers, decimals, fractions and percentages. Paper 2 and 3: reasoning papers – these papers will test children’s ability to solve problems, figure out what kind of operations they need to carry out and apply their maths skills to problems with more than one step. They will also include questions requiring the skills used on the arithmetic paper but also geometry, algebra, ratio and measures.

English Reading test The reading booklet contains 3 or 4 texts. The texts are all lengthy and the children will be expected to read them quickly and accurately – although they are allowed to return to the texts at any point during the text. Pupils have a total of 1 hour to read the texts and complete the questions at their own pace. Reading stamina is really important and you can practice this at home by encouraging children to read good quality books regularly that challenge them.

The reading paper is heavily weighted with inference and tricky vocabulary. Inference is being able to look at clues in a text to find a deeper meaning. E.g. ‘Milled around in bewilderment’ (Page 8) Explain what this description suggests about the baby warthogs. The children will also be expected to have a varied and rich range of vocabulary. The struggle had been between two rival families ... Which word most closely matches the meaning of the word rival? equal neighbouring important competing How can you help? Encourage children to look at pictures and texts and discuss their own ideas based on what they already know. If they come across a new word, discuss what it means, use a thesaurus to look for alternative words with the same meaning, use a dictionary to find the meaning, write it in a different sentence.

English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test The SPaG tests consists of two papers: Paper 1 - the short-answer questions, consists of between 40 and 50 questions assessing grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. Paper 2 - the spelling task, consists of 20 sentences, which are read aloud by the test administrator. Each sentence has a word missing which the pupil must complete.

Writing Assessment Writing is assessed by teachers – not tested. From MARCH onwards, the children build up a collection of writing samples in English lessons and Theme lessons which are used to assess their writing level. There are procedures and guidelines to follow and writing is moderated in school and with other schools.

your child prepare for the tests? What can you do to help your child prepare for the tests?

Home learning: Daily reading is essential to increase stamina, make sure your child is reading challenging texts and a variety of texts. Make sure they are practicing their weekly spelling lists, ask them to find definitions of words, synonyms of words, put them in sentences, speak them out loud in a context – don’t just practice writing the word on its own (keep revisiting old spelling lists too) Practice times tables and maths facts as often as possible, this will make it so much easier for your child to apply their knowledge to a problem. Practice papers are available on www.satspapers.org.uk Another good resource you can buy is Achieve 100 – available on amazon or in book shops.

Supporting your child: Praise and encourage you child for their effort with their learning. Assist you child with homework and make sure it is handed in on time – if you need any support with homework please speak to a member of staff. Encourage them to have early nights, brain breaks – when they are doing their homework have a fun break or a reward after they have completed it. If they are stressed about SATs or feeling the pressure, reassure them that they just need to try their best and speak to the year 6 staff who will help.

During SATs week: Stay calm. Make sure they go to bed early and are rested. Send them to school having had breakfast. Encourage them to drink plenty of water. Support them and ask them about the tests!

Then the fun begins… End of year trip Barbecue The leaver’s disco The KS2 Production Other surprises too…

Thank you for coming along this evening, your continued support is greatly appreciated.