Primary school tests and assessments: a guide for carers

Statutory assessments for primary school pupils will take place in May and June.

Use this page to find out about the assessments, what you can do to help pupils in your care and how to get support from the Virtual School.

Primary school statutory assessments

There are four statutory assessments for primary school pupils:

• Phonics screening checks in year 1
• Key stage 1 (KS1) assessments in year 2
• Multiplication tables check in year 4
• Key stage 2 (KS2) assessments in year 6 (SATs)

Select a topic below to find out more about each of these assessments:

Year 1 phonics check

The phonics check will be taken by pupils who will reach the age of 6 before the end of the academic year in June.

Pupils should not take the tests if any of the following apply:

• they have shown no understanding of phonics - the sounds represented by letters and groups of letters 
• they have not completed the first year of the KS1 English programme of study
• they have recently moved to the country and are unable to understand letters and sounds in English
• they use British Sign Language or other sign-supported communication, such as communication boards, to spell out individual letters
• they are mute, or selectively mute

Key stage 1 Reading and Maths Assessments

The KS1 Reading and Maths Assessments will take place in May.

The assessments are designed to assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding of what they have been taught in years 1 and 2.  

Teachers must use the English reading and mathematics tests to help them make a secure judgement of a pupil's understanding of these subjects.

The KS1 tests consist of:

• English reading Paper 1: combined reading prompt and answer booklet
• English reading Paper 2: reading booklet and reading answer booklet
• Maths Paper 1: arithmetic
• Maths Paper 2: reasoning

KS1 tests are not strictly timed. Teachers can use their discretion to decide if pupils need a rest break during any of the tests or, if appropriate, to stop a test early. 

An optional English grammar, punctuation and spelling test is also available for schools.

Pupils should not take the tests if any of the following apply:

• they have not completed the relevant KS1 programme of study
• they are working at the pre-KS1 standards
• they are being assessed using the engagement model
• they are working at the standard of the KS1 tests but are unable to participate, even when using suitable access arrangements

Year 4 multiplication check

The multiplication tables check (MTC) will take place in June.

The MTC is an online assessment that determines whether pupils can fluently recall their multiplication tables up to 12, through a set of 25 timed questions.

It will identify pupils who have not yet mastered this mathematical skill so schools can give them additional support.

Pupils should not take the check if they:

• are absent during the entire 3-week check period
• are unable to access the check, even when using access arrangements
• are working below expectation for year 2 in multiplication tables, and are considered unable to answer the easiest questions
• have just arrived in school during the check window and speak English as an additional language, and there is not enough time to establish the standard at which they are working.

Key stage 2 tests (SATs)

The end of KS2 tests, also known as SATs, will take place in May for children in year 6.

These tests consist of three English and three maths assessments:

• English Paper 1: grammar and punctuation
• English Paper 2: spelling
• English reading Test
• Maths Paper 1: arithmetic
• Maths Paper 2: reasoning
• Maths Paper 3: reasoning

Year 6 teachers will also use examples of children’s work to make their own teacher assessment for writing and for science.

Pupils should not take the tests if any of the following apply:

• they have not completed the relevant KS2 programme of study
• they are working at the pre-key stage 2 standards or being assessed using the engagement model
• they are working at the standard of the KS2 tests but are unable to participate, even when using suitable access arrangements.

This could include pupils who:

• have a disability
• have specific medical needs or have spent time in hospital towards the end of the key stage
• have been educated at home or excluded from school and need time to adjust to regular school life
• are experiencing, or have recently experienced, severe emotional problems

Support for looked-after children

If you are concerned that a child in your care needs extra support, talk to the child’s class teacher, the school's special educational needs coordinator (SENDCo) or a Designated Teacher for looked-after children.

Schools are allowed to put support measures in place. For example, some pupils have a reader for the maths tests, or they can do the tests in a separate, less daunting space in the school.

This support must be based on a pupil’s ‘normal way of working’, which should be in place before the assessments. It might be something they often do for class tasks.

We can offer advice and support to guide you through the Personal Education Plan (PEP) process. You can contact the Virtual School team by using our contact form.

Preparing for tests

Schools have comprehensive plans to make sure that children know what to do and how to approach the tests.

One of the most useful things that you can do to help children is to manage their anxiety and feelings around the tests. This can often be most difficult for children in year 6, as they will sometimes become quite worried.

@TeacherToolkit has some good advice on things that you can do to help children prepare for tests.

Examples include:

• Talking with children about their tests and praising their work to boost their confidence and reduce anxiety
• Reading daily and discussing the books, characters and storylines
• Playing mental games such as Uno, hangman and Scrabble
• Avoiding late nights
• Sticking to a normal routine to demonstrate that SATs are not the only important thing about year 6
• Getting practice tests if they enjoy the challenge - do not force your child to do them if they do not like them, it could be counter-productive