Supporting Your Child Through SATs: What Parents Can Actually Do

What Are SATs?

SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) are national tests taken by children at the end of Key Stage 2, typically in May of Year 6. They test reading, maths (arithmetic and reasoning), and there's also a teacher assessment for writing, which is assessed by the school rather than through an external test.

The tests are used to measure how well the school is teaching the curriculum — they're designed to assess the school, not your child. However, the results do appear on your child's school record and are passed to their secondary school.

What the Tests Look Like

How They're Scored

Each test is marked out of a raw score, which is then converted to a scaled score. A scaled score of 100 is the expected standard. Scores of 110 or above indicate the child is working at a higher standard.

How You Can Help (Without the Stress)

1. Read Together — or Alongside Each Other

The single most impactful thing you can do is foster a love of reading. The reading paper requires sustained concentration, inference, deduction, and vocabulary — skills built through years of reading, not weeks of cramming.

• Read books together, even in Year 6
• Discuss what you read — ask "why do you think the character did that?" or "what might happen next?"
• Model reading — let your child see you reading for pleasure

2. Make Maths Part of Daily Life

• Cooking (measuring, fractions, doubling recipes)
• Shopping (budgeting, calculating change, comparing prices per unit)
• Board games and card games (strategy, pattern recognition, mental arithmetic)
• Times tables practice — apps like TT Rock Stars make this fun

3. Don't Create Exam Pressure

Research consistently shows that anxiety impairs performance. If your child is worried about SATs, the kindest and most effective thing you can do is:

• Reassure them that SATs don't define them
• Emphasise effort over results
• Maintain normal routines — play, exercise, socialising
• Avoid comparisons with other children
• Talk to the teacher if anxiety is becoming an issue

4. Practice Papers — In Moderation

A small amount of practice with past papers helps familiarise your child with the format and timing. But:

• 20 minutes a few times a week is plenty
• Use official past papers from GOV.UK
• Don't turn it into nightly homework battles
• Focus on papers where your child needs most practice (e.g. if maths reasoning is weaker, do more of those)

5. Prioritise Sleep, Food, and Exercise

In the weeks before SATs:

• Ensure your child gets 9-11 hours of sleep per night
• Provide a proper breakfast on test mornings
• Keep up physical activity — it reduces stress and improves concentration
• Limit screen time before bed

During SATs Week

SATs week usually falls in the second week of May. Most schools try to make it as low-key as possible with special breakfasts, rewards, and a celebratory feel.

Your role during the week:

• Keep mornings calm and unhurried
• Don't quiz your child on content before tests
• Ask "how was your day?" not "how was the test?"
• Plan something fun for after the week is over

What If My Child Has SEN?

Children with special educational needs may be entitled to access arrangements during SATs, including:

• Extra time (up to 25% additional)
• A reader or scribe
• Rest breaks
• Modified or enlarged papers
• A separate room

These should be arranged by the school well in advance. Speak to the SENCo if you think your child needs access arrangements.

Keeping Perspective

SATs results do not determine your child's secondary school place, set, or future academic trajectory. Many excellent secondary schools use their own baseline assessments in September anyway.

What matters far more is that your child arrives at secondary school:

• Confident and curious about learning
• Able to read independently for pleasure
• Resilient when things are difficult
• Socially and emotionally ready for the transition

Useful Resources

• Official SATs practice materials (GOV.UK)
• BBC Bitesize KS2
• Times Tables Rock Stars
• Check your school's KS2 results on the What School to see how pupils typically perform

The best thing you can give your child during SATs is confidence, calm, and the knowledge that a test score will never change how much you love them.