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During May, 11-year-olds sit the national tests called Standard Attainment Tasks (SATs for short). These tests are designed to check that children in all schools are making progress. This guide looks at what actually happens during the testing period and how you can help your child to get ready for them. (You will see that we have used ‘she’ for children – this is just to make it easier to read.)

The law says…

• All children must take SATs at the end Key Stage 2. That means at the end of the of the juniors.

• Testing must take place in May. Key Stage 2 children across the country sit their tests during SATs week.

What happens at Key Stage 2?

For the 11-year-olds the Key Stage 2 SATs are mini-exams, done in silence and with a time-limit. In each test your child will have a booklet to complete.

To make it fair, there is a timetable, which every school in the country must follow. An example of a timetable is:

Monday morning – Maths test A

(45 minutes long). Questions get harder as the paper goes on.

Monday afternoon – Mental arithmetic

This test lasts for 20 minutes and teachers play a tape with the questions on.

Tuesday morning – Maths test B

It’s similar to Monday’s test, except that children are allowed to use a calculator. Again it takes 45 minutes.

Tuesday afternoon – Science test A

This takes 35 minutes. Children may be asked, among other things, to name the parts of a flower, draw a circuit diagram and answer questions about the Earth and space.

Wednesday morning – Reading test

An hour is allowed. Children read and answer questions on a story and piece of information writing.

Wednesday afternoon – Spelling and handwriting test

These are short activities, adding up to a total of 15 minutes.

Thursday morning – Writing test

Friday morning – Science test B

This may include children’s understanding of condensation, seed dispersal and the health hazards of smoking, among other things.

Pupils who do particularly well may sit extra tests.

Does my child have to do SATs?

Yes, unless you can give a very good reason why she shouldn’t. Severe learning difficulties, total lack of English or serious illness are the kinds of reasons accepted by the Department for Education and Employment. Unfortunately you can’t withdraw your child because you don’t agree with testing or because you think it might upset her.

In fact, only a tiny fraction of children in state schools miss the SATs.

What happens if my child misses a test?

If it’s a Key Stage 2 test, she will simply be recorded as absent and won’t receive a test level.

What happens to the other children in the school?

They continue with their normal work. The government has just produced optional tests for Year 3, 4 and 5 children and, although they are optional, some schools are using them during SATs time to check that the other children are making progress.

Children in a mixed-age class shouldn’t lose out during SATs time either. The government provides each school with some money to pay for extra teachers during SATs time. Teachers plan carefully to give non-SATs children activities they can do on their own, and many say that children work better in the calm atmosphere created during SATs week.

How you can help

Don’t take your child on holiday during May.

Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep during the SATs period. The Key Stage 2 SATs week can be tiring for 11-year-olds, and your child will need a chance to relax and get some fresh air and exercise when the school day is over.

Try not to make a big thing of it. Not every child deals with exams well. The tests are backed up by teacher assessments which take account of your child’s work over the whole year. This helps to give a balanced picture of what she can do.

You can help your child to get ready for SATs by practising some of the activities at home.

To Sum Up

SATs are an important milestone in school life. They give useful information to your child’s teachers and to the government. But it’s important to get them in proportion. They are just one of the ways the school works out how well your child is doing. They shouldn’t be stressful and in fact many children enjoy the change in routine. Of course, this is all the more true when they know they can count on your support and understanding.