A parents' guide to the key stage 1 SATs
If your child is in Year 2 in England, they may be sitting a Key Stage 1 test during the month of May. As of 2024, the test is optional for schools at KS1, but some schools may decide to participate regardless.
Year 6 children will be sitting the compulsory KS2 SAT test in mid May - find out more in our Key Stage 2 SATs blog.
In this article, I'll provide an overview of the Key Stage 1 tests and explain what they are used for.
I'll also suggest how you can support your little learner and explain why you shouldn't be overly concerned about them.
What is the format of the KS1 SATs?
The tests will take place during the month of May for Year 2 pupils in England (there are no fixed dates) and they cover three curriculum areas: Maths, Reading and Writing (which includes spelling, punctuation and grammar, or SPAG).
The SPAG test has been the most controversial over the years. It was withdrawn in 2016 after it was mistakenly published on the Gov.uk website prior to the testing period and was an optional element even before this SAT stopped being a statutory requirement. You can check with your child's school which elements of the KS1 SAT they are going to be doing, if any.
The tests will be in your child's usual classroom, with their usual teacher, in small groups or sometimes as a whole class.
Depending on the paper, the tests last between 15 and 40 minutes, although they aren't strictly timed. Children won't sit in an exam style arrangement - so there's a chance your child might not realise they're doing a test at all.
There are six tests in total:
- Reading Test 1
- Reading Test 2 - longer passages than test 1 and more challenging
- Spelling - 20 words read out by the teacher
- Grammar & Punctuation - a mixture of multiple choice and short written answers
- Maths Test 1 - Arithmetic
- Maths Test 2 - Reasoning
Let's take a look at the tests in more detail:
Reading Test 1
This test lasts around 30 minutes and consists of reading prompts followed by questions which are answered on the page. The texts can be from a range of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, which are designed to increase in difficulty as the test goes on.
Reading Test 2
The second reading test is a little longer than the first and takes around 40 minutes. This is more of a traditional comprehension exercise with a longer passage of text, like below:
Children then use a separate booklet to read the questions and complete the answers.
Maths Test 1 - Arithmetic
The arithmetic test has 25 questions and lasts approximately 20 minutes. It starts with number bonds to 10 and 20 and ends with more difficult topics such as fractions and division.
The arithmetic questions have no context just calculation. Pupils write their answers onto the sheet.
Here is a selection of questions from the sample paper from Gov.uk. We've shrunk the size - the actual test paper has big writing and lots of blank space for working out.
Maths Test 2 - Reasoning
This maths paper requires pupils to apply their knowledge of maths to solve simple problems. The problem is usually described in a picture.
This test may take a little longer - approximately 35 minutes. It starts with a practice question, and then five questions which the teacher reads aloud. The questions start easy and get progressively harder, often requiring a calculation to get the answer.
Here is a selection of questions from the sample paper from Gov.uk:
Spelling Test
In the spelling test, the teacher reads out 20 sentences which use the word to be spelt in context. As with the maths test, the spellings get harder towards the end of the test. It takes approximately 20 minutes.
Grammar & Punctuation Test
The grammar and punctuation test takes about 20 minutes. It is completed in a combined question and answer booklet, starting with punctuation rules and moving onto constructing a correctly structured and punctuated sentence answer.
Scoring and reporting
After it's all over, the tests are marked in school.
The tests are scored are reported in three separate sections: maths, reading and writing - which comes from the spelling and grammar tests.
The raw scores are standardised or "scaled" across the whole country so the average score nationally is fixed to be 100. This means if your child has a "scaled score" higher than 100 they are doing better than average in maths, reading etc.
Towards the end of the summer term, your school will have the May Key Stage 1 test results to report back to you.
It's possible they'll give the scaled scores for maths, reading and writing, but my guess is it's more likely they will summarise the score in a general statement such as "your child is working at the national standard".
In order to spread all pupils across a scaled score range - from 70 to 130, for example - the test must include some difficult questions that most pupils will get wrong. The class teachers will manage this by allowing pupils to skip questions.
For more on this, read "A Guide To My Child's (Somewhat Confusing) Key Stage 1 SAT Results."
How can parents help?
The resounding advice coming from teachers is to remain calm and not to panic or worry as your anxiety is likely to be passed onto your child.
In addition, it's really just general advice which goes all year round for supporting your child's education:
- Maintain a good attendance record.
- Ensure children complete homework tasks.
- Support learning with good reading habits.
- Make sure children get sufficient rest and a healthy balanced diet.
- Keep in touch with the school - attend parents and information sessions, read school notes/emails and any other communication initiatives your child's school provides to keep parents informed.
You may also find our article and video 7 Tips to Boost Your Child's Concentration worth a look in the run-up to the tests.
Final thoughts
Reassured? I hope you are! The tests are intended to be as informal as can be.
You may well ask, why bother having them at all? The Key Stage 1 SATs first came about to help measure learner progress both individually and at school level. To measure progress, you need a before and after measurement. Previously, the Key Stage 1 SATs were the 'before', but because this missed out on a full three years of teaching, schools have now switched to the statutory Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA) to get a true picture of progress from the very start of primary school to the end.
Now that schools no longer have to participate in the Key Stage 1 SATs, those who still choose to do so will probably use the results as a sort of mid point assessment, to check that children are progressing as they should, and develop teaching plans to tackle their issues or challenge them as appropriate.
Schools also have to do a Phonics Screening Check at the end of Year 1 to ensure that children have learned phonic decoding (a key element in learning to read and spell) to an appropriate standard.
If you'd like to check out the sample tests you can find them here on the Gov.uk website.
I'm Ged, Co-founder of Komodo, ex-maths teacher and dad. If you have any questions please get in touch.
About Komodo – Komodo is a fun and effective way to boost primary maths and literacy skills. Designed for 4 to 11-year-olds to use at home, Komodo uses a little and often approach to learning that fits around busy family life. Komodo helps users develop fluency and confidence in maths and English – without keeping them at the screen for long.
