SATS
INFORMATION
FOR PARENTS
2015-2016
INFORMATION FOR PARENTS ON THE
NEW ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR
SATS
What’s this all about?
This academic year, our Year 2 and Year 6 pupils will be sitting the SATS tests in
May 2016. These are official standardised tests which our pupils will be expected to
take at the same time as other children their age in the country.
These assessments will be useful in informing our teacher judgements about pupils
in light of the recent removal of levels and will give us a clear indication of the
‘readiness of pupils’ for the next phase of their education.
When are these tests?
Mon 9 May 2016
English reading test, reading booklet and associated
answer booklet
Tues 10 May 2016
English grammar, punctuation and spelling test Paper 1,
short answer questions
English grammar, punctuation and spelling test Paper 2,
spelling
Wed 11 May 2016
Mathematics, Paper 1
Mathematics, Paper 2 reasoning
Thurs 12 May 2016
Mathematics, Paper 3, reasoning
What tests will my child be taking?
Key Stage 1 will be doing the following papers:






KS1 English, Grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1
KS1 English, Grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2
KS1 English Reading Paper 1
KS1 English Reading Paper 2
KS1 Mathematics Paper 1 Arithmetic
KS1 Mathematics Paper 2 Reasoning
Key Stage 2 will be doing the following papers:






KS2 English, Grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1
KS2 English, Grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 2
KS2 English Reading Paper
KS2 Mathematics Paper 1 Arithmetic
KS2 Mathematics Paper 2 Reasoning
KS2 Mathematics Paper 3 Reasoning
New National Curriculum tests
A new national curriculum was introduced in 2014. As a result, the Standards and
Testing Agency (STA) has changed the tests so that they assess the new curriculum.
Pupils will take the new tests for the first time in May 2016.
As part of the national curriculum review, levels have been abolished. This is in part in
response to concerns about the validity and reliability of levels and sub-levels. These
concerns had an impact on pupils’ learning, but also on the relationships between
primary and secondary schools and the trust in their assessments. Levels have also
been recognised as the driver of undue pace through the curriculum, which has led to
gaps in pupils’ knowledge.
The DfE has changed the way the tests are reported. From 2016, scaled scores will
be used to report national curriculum test outcomes.
Scaled scores
Scaled scores are used all over the world. They help test results to be reported
consistently from one year to the next. Scaled scores maintain their meaning over time
so that two pupils achieving the same scaled score on two different tests will have
demonstrated the same attainment.
A pupil who achieves the national standard will have demonstrated sufficient
knowledge in the areas assessed by the tests. This will mean that they are well placed
to succeed in the next phase of their education.
We will need to include results from the national curriculum tests in our annual reports
to parents. We will need to report the pupil’s scaled score and whether or not they met
the national standard.
The old national curriculum levels are not relevant to the new national curriculum.
However, in order to provide parents with some indication of the new standards, we
have tried to indicate equivalence in a broad sense. At KS1 the national standard will
roughly equate to an old level 2b. At KS2 this will roughly equate to an old level 4b.
Otherwise levels and scaled scores will not be comparable.
Decisions on which pupils to enter for the tests
The new tests have been designed in such a way so that most pupils will be able to
engage with some of the questions. The questions will be arranged in order of difficulty.
Pupils will still be able to use access arrangements, eg readers or additional time,
where appropriate.
The DfE currently advise that pupils who aren’t expected to reach level 2 (KS1) or level
3 (KS2) of the national curriculum by May shouldn’t sit the tests. With the removal of
levels, we will need to use our professional judgement as a school to determine
whether it is appropriate for pupils to take the tests. We will be using mock tests to
decide which pupils are working below the standard of the tests.
Will there still be a level 6 paper?
In the past, the DfE have produced level 6 tests for pupils who can demonstrate
attainment above level 5. There won’t be separate tests for the most able from 2016.
Instead the DfE has developed each test so that there is scope for higher attaining
pupils to show their strengths.