SATs Meeting 29 th Jan 2015

What are they? SATs (Standardised Assessment Tests) (Statutory Assessment Tests) National Curriculum Tests (NCTs) English & Maths Since 1995, have changed along the way! Used as a measure of pupil’s attainment at the end of Key Stage Two before moving onto KS3 in High School Also used to look at pupil progress from KS1 to KS2 (end of Year 2 to end of Year 6)

Most Importantly! Sit alongside teacher assessments There is NO such thing as a pass or fail! Level 3 is working below average Level 4 is regarded as average Level 5/6 is regarded as above average (Please note: sublevels are not given) 2012 changes were… No writing test – all on teacher assessment 2013 changes were… New grammar, punctuation & spelling test 2014 changes were… No calculators allowed. New style reading test.

What & When? Monday 11 th May Reading Test:1 hour for reading and answering the questions. Tuesday 12 th May English grammar, punctuation and spelling test: 45mins for grammar and punctuation 15mins (approx.) for spelling test Wednesday 13 th May Mental Maths Test on audio CD: approx. 20mins Maths Paper 1: 45mins Thursday 14 th May Maths Paper 2: 45mins

What & When? Level 6 Assessments – No level 6 tests on Wednesday or Friday Monday 11 th May Reading test in the afternoon, 10mins reading with 50mins to answer questions Tuesday 12 th May English grammar, punctuation and spelling test in the afternoon lasting approx. up to one hour Thursday 14 th May Maths Paper 1 & 2 in the afternoon, each paper lasting for 30mins, one with a calculator

Writing  Genres covered:  Fiction – Stories, stories with flashbacks, descriptions, plays etc.  Non- Fiction – Instructions, recounts, explanations, discussion, reports, persuasive writing (sometimes writing tasks blend two of these together)  Big Write portfolios to build up evidence of your child’s work over the year

Reading Test Reading Booklet :  1 hour given. In this time children are to read the booklet and answer the questions.  Mixture of fiction and non-fiction extracts  Types of questions: 1.Short answers- a word or phrase answers 2.Other answers- multiple choice – Circle the correct answer 3.Several line answers – Scan the text to find specific information or to give reasons. A sentence or two. 4.Longer answers – more detailed answers - require inference skills – an explanation, authorial intent or giving own opinion based on the information which is given.

Grammar & Punctuation  It was new in Focus on….  Grammar  Punctuation  Vocabulary  Different styles of questions, find, complete, match, explain etc.  Here are some for you to try…

Spelling Test  20 questions read aloud by the teacher  Based upon common spellings and range in difficulty  For example…  1. The football team _______ when they won the match.  2. Fatima __________ the ball.

Mathematics  Mental Maths Test (CD)  Paper 1 – no calculator (45mins)  Paper 2 – no calculator (45mins)  Changes made in 2014 – there is no calculator paper.

Paper 1 and 2 No Calculator Type of questions:  Short answers  Show your working out type questions  Explain or show how you know

How do we prepare pupils…  Practice past questions & tests to build up confidence, but not overdo them!  Guided reading focus on comprehension skills and answering SATs style questions – grouped to help us focus on closing any learning gaps  Progress Groups and Tuition Groups  Big Write every week to support writing  Develop skills for life long learning, not just for the SATs!  We started groups back in November!

How you can help…  Reading - listen to your child read out loud at least once a week. Discuss what they are reading with them. Ask them to make inferences or comment about the author’s choice of language.  Maths – times tables, counting on and back and number bonds are vital. Applying skills to solve word problems. Let them use calculators to check their work (but not all the time!) Websites such as BBC Revisewise & Woodlands Junior School

How you can help…  BE POSITIVE!!!!  Writing – get your child to read their own writing out loud to you. Check writing has correct punctuation (such as capital letters, full stops, question marks and exclamation marks)  Encourage pupils to edit and improve their vocabulary with WOW Words!  Using connectives to join ideas  Using sentence openers to create interest

How you can help…  There are lots of resources on the school website to help you with writing and naths for your child.  Visit the school website at  Go to the news section  Click on parents LOGIN page  If you do cannot remember the password, ask your child, classteacher or school office!

Tips for Parents!  Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep!  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! We will be providing a breakfast club for ALL year six pupils during SATs week. Toast, cereal and juice will be available to then from 8.30am in the dining hall.  Encourage a positive attitude with plenty of reassurance  No STRESS!

Thank you for coming!