What Are SATs and Do They Matter? A Guide for UK Parents

SATs — Standard Assessment Tests — are national tests taken by pupils in Year 6 at the end of Key Stage 2. They test reading, mathematics and grammar, punctuation and spelling. The results do not affect secondary school entry (in most cases), but they shape the sets your child enters at secondary school and give teachers a baseline from which to measure progress across KS3.

What exactly are SATs?

SATs is the widely used abbreviation for the Key Stage 2 national curriculum tests. They are set by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), a government agency, and are administered by every state primary school in England in May each year, during Year 6 (age 10–11).

There are three test papers:

Reading — a 60-minute paper with one or two reading extracts and comprehension questions.

Mathematics — two papers: an arithmetic paper (30 minutes) and a reasoning paper (40 minutes).

Grammar, punctuation and spelling (GPS) — a GPS paper (45 minutes) and a spelling test (15 minutes).

There is no longer a science SATs paper, though schools conduct teacher-assessed science moderation separately.

What score does a child receive?

Each test produces a scaled score between 80 and 120, with 100 defined as the national expected standard. A child who scores 100 or above meets the expected standard. A score of 110 or above meets the higher standard. The STA publishes conversion tables each year so that a raw mark on the test translates to a standardised scaled score — this means a score of 105 means the same thing regardless of which year the test was taken.

Children also receive a teacher assessment in reading, writing and maths, which takes into account classroom performance across Year 5 and 6 and is submitted alongside the test results.

Do SATs affect which secondary school a child attends?

In most cases, no. Secondary school allocation in England is handled by local authorities through the admissions process — usually based on distance, sibling criteria or faith. SATs results play no formal part in this process. The exception is selective schools (grammar schools), which use their own entrance tests (the 11-plus), not SATs, to select pupils.

Do SATs matter for anything at secondary school?

Yes — indirectly, but significantly. When a Year 7 student arrives at secondary school, their KS2 SATs scaled scores are one of the key data points teachers use to:

Place students in sets or teaching groups for maths, English and sometimes science. A student with a scaled score of 115 in maths is likely to be placed in a higher set than one with a score of 98.

Set individualised targets for GCSE grades based on expected progress from KS2. Many schools use the Fischer Family Trust (FFT) or similar progress-tracking systems that compare a student's actual GCSE performance to what national data predicted from their KS2 baseline.

Identify early support needs. A student arriving with a scaled score of 85 in reading, for example, will often be flagged for additional literacy support in Year 7.

What is the difference between KS1 and KS2 SATs?

KS1 SATs (Year 2, age 6–7) were made optional for state schools from 2023, and most schools now use only teacher assessment at KS1. KS2 SATs (Year 6) remain mandatory for all state primary schools in England. When parents or the media refer to "SATs", they almost always mean the Year 6 KS2 tests.

How are SATs different from GCSEs?

SATs are taken at the end of primary school (Year 6); GCSEs are taken at the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 11). SATs are low-stakes for pupils — the scores inform secondary placement but do not appear on job applications or university forms. GCSEs are high-stakes qualifications that affect sixth-form entry, apprenticeship applications and some university offers. The pressure is therefore much higher at GCSE, and this is one reason the transition from KS3 to KS4 can be challenging for students.

Should parents prepare children for SATs?

Light preparation is sensible; intensive drilling is rarely beneficial and can increase anxiety. The tests assess the national curriculum, which a child who has attended school regularly will largely have covered. The most useful parental support includes:

Encouraging regular reading for pleasure throughout KS2, which builds vocabulary and comprehension far better than short-term test prep.

Helping a child feel calm and rested the week of the tests — SATs are taken in May, and sleep and routine matter more than a final weekend of revision.

Reviewing any known weak areas in maths (arithmetic fluency tends to matter most) from around Easter of Year 6.

Frequently asked questions

What year do children take SATs?

SATs are taken in Year 6 (age 10–11), at the end of Key Stage 2. They take place in May each year, usually over two or three consecutive days.

What happens if a child does badly on SATs?

A below-expected scaled score (below 100) does not have lasting consequences for the child beyond informing their secondary school placement in sets. Secondary schools use it as a starting point, not a ceiling — many students who arrive below expected standard make strong progress through KS3 with the right support.

Are SATs results shared with the child?

Yes. Schools receive results in July and share them with parents before the end of primary school. Individual results are not published publicly, though school-level results are reported in government performance tables.

Do grammar schools use SATs for entry?

No. Grammar schools in England use their own separate selective entrance tests — the 11-plus — to select pupils. SATs scores are not part of the grammar school admissions process, though a child who performs well in SATs often performs well in the 11-plus too, since both assess the KS2 curriculum.

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