What are SATs?

No doubt you’ll have heard a lot of talk about SATs, but do you know what they involve or how you can help your child to prepare? Here’s the lowdown on everything you need to know.

Given that SATs occupy a huge amount of teachers’ and pupils’ time as they prepare for the tests each May, they can loom large enough to overshadow everything else at school. Read on to find out exactly what to expect from them, so you and your child can keep them in perspective.

Who takes SATs?

Your child will take SATs twice during their school career. The first time is in Key Stage 1, when they will have tests in year 2, at the end of infants (aged 7). They won’t sit formal tests but will be assessed by the class teacher in reading, writing (spelling and handwriting), maths (number, shape, space, measurement) and science. Your child’s teacher will set short pieces of work in English and maths to judge what level of ability your child is considered to be at.

The next time your child will take SATs will be in Key Stage 2 in year 6, aged 11. More formal than Key Stage 1, these written tests (in English, maths and science) are 45 minutes long and can be quite daunting for this age group. The papers are sent away for marking and the results are known before children leave primary school in July.

The role of SATs

According to the experts, SATs aren’t about passing or failing, but are used to reflect the level your child is working to. So SATs should never be seen as a one-off period in the school calendar but as a part of the overall teaching your child receives.

Whether SATs are the best method for assessing learning and teaching has been in question for some time, but for the moment the tests remain. So it’s just a matter of supporting your child through what can be a stressful time.

How parents can help

The key to making SATs less stressful for your child is not to panic yourself says deputy headteacher at Uphall Primary School, Redbridge, Sherlyn Ramsay. "This will put your child under enormous stress and this makes it very difficult for a child to learn."

"Children are well prepared for SATs throughout their school life, as teachers regularly carry out this type of assessment," says Sherlyn, "but you can support your child by regularly supporting them with their homework."

"There are also a lot of commercially published and very useful practice materials available and a number of very good websites to support learning in general – but remember to give them extra work to do in moderation."

Use our handy SATs action plan and revision guide to support your child through their preparation. You can also download our free SATs past papers and access the latest KS2 English past papers and maths past papers from 2011, as well as exclusive Key Stage 1 and 2 SATs practice questions.

Avoid putting pressure on your child, though, and offer plenty of rewards for all their hard work.