As your child begins Year 2, you’ll no doubt hear the word SATs mentioned. These exams won’t happen until later in the year, but it’s important to balance SATs preparation and practice with the daily lessons in Year 2 maths, English and science. Here’s a quick look at what they’ll be learning, so you know what to expect when you help with homework.

Year 2 maths

Your child will continue to learn maths from the perspective of real-life situations, so they understand the concepts and can explain the answers they get. Lessons will include a bit of revision on things they’ve learned in Reception and Year 1, which will help them prepare for SATs.

However, they will still learn new things such as counting all the way up to 100, the basics of multiplication and division (two, five and 10 times tables), and they’ll start to work with fractions in halves and quarters.

Review all of these new skills and concepts with our range of free Year 2 maths worksheets.

Year 2 English

In Year 2, your child should be at a level of reading where they feel confident to read an entire book on their own. They’ll learn more high-frequency words and work further in phonics, and start to use joined-up handwriting. Grammar and punctuation including tenses, commas and question marks will be taught, and they’ll further develop listening and speaking skills through group activities.

Reading comprehension is a large part of the Year 2 English SATs exam, but you can practice reading comphrension at home with your child by asking them questions while you read together to make sure they’re listening to and understanding what’s in the text.

Download free Year 2 English worksheets to help your child develop their new grammar, spelling and writing knowledge.

Year 2 science

Science lessons in Year 2 involve building on the concepts taught in Year 1 in learning about plants and animals, materials and their properties, and physical processes.

While science isn’t part of the SATs exams your child will be given, it’s still important to make sure they understand what they’re being taught, so they’re ready to progress to the more detailed science lessons in Year 3.

Your child can reinforce the terms and processes they’re learning in class with free Year 2 science worksheets. Download them straight onto your computer, and print them off for your child to use.

KS1 SATs

Help your child prepare for SATs by working through free KS1 SATs papers. We have included the teachers' guide and instructions on marking the exams, so you can accurately assess how your child has done.

Have a look at what happens after Key Stage 1 SATs with our handy guides to the curriculum for Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6. You can also review what your child has already learned in Reception and Year 1.