SATs hub for parents and guardians

In England, KS2 SATs take place in May each year. For 2026, they are scheduled from Monday 11 May to Thursday 14 May.

Schools set the exact start times, but the papers run across those four days in a fixed order: Monday — GPS (Paper 1 + spelling), Tuesday — reading, Wednesday — maths Papers 1 and 2, Thursday — maths Paper 3.

SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) are national tests taken by children in Year 6 in England, usually in May. They assess English reading, maths (arithmetic and reasoning), and grammar, punctuation and spelling (often called SPaG or GPS).

The tests are designed to measure what children have learned during primary school. They are not pass-or-fail exams — they produce scaled scores that help secondary schools understand where each child is starting from. Most children cope well with the right support and a calm routine at home.

There is no single right answer. Whenever you start, short, regular practice over a few weeks or months is usually more effective than cramming close to the tests. Sessions of 15–20 minutes tend to work better than long ones.

Focus on understanding rather than memorisation. If your child is already covering the material in class, your role at home is mainly to reinforce what they are learning and fill any specific gaps — not to introduce an entirely separate programme.

Children pick up on adult anxiety quickly, so staying calm and matter-of-fact about the tests makes a real difference. Frame practice as something normal rather than high-stakes, and celebrate effort over scores.

Keep a predictable routine, take frequent breaks, and try not to compare your child's progress to their classmates. If your child becomes upset or resistant, it is usually a sign to ease off and revisit the topic another day. A confident child will almost always perform better than a stressed one.

Year 6 SATs consist of six papers across four days. Writing is assessed separately by teachers — there is no writing test paper.

The usual order: Monday — grammar and punctuation (45 min, 50 marks) plus the spelling test (approx. 15 min, 20 marks). Tuesday — English reading (1 hour, 50 marks). Wednesday — maths arithmetic (30 min, 40 marks) and maths reasoning Paper 2 (40 min, 35 marks). Thursday — maths reasoning Paper 3 (40 min, 35 marks). Calculators are not allowed in any maths paper.

The time limits are generous for most children. Familiarising your child with the format — question types, answer booklets, and basic time awareness — reduces surprises on the day.

SATs results are primarily used by the government to measure school performance, and by secondary schools to set initial teaching groups. They do not determine which secondary school your child attends (that is handled by the separate admissions process).

In practice, many secondary schools reassess pupils in their first term, so SATs scores are a starting point rather than a fixed label. Helping your child feel prepared and confident is more valuable in the long run than chasing a specific number.

SATs results are reported as scaled scores between 80 and 120. A scaled score of 100 or above means your child met the expected standard for the end of Key Stage 2; below 100 suggests they may benefit from extra support in that area.

Scaled scores are not percentages — they are adjusted each year so that 100 always represents the same standard. They give secondary schools a starting point, not a fixed label.