Year 6

1. Year 6 SATs Information Meeting

2. Aims of the session • To share important information about SATs. • To answer any questions about KS2 SATs. • Discuss / share ideas about how you can help your child at home.

3. What are KS2 SATs? • Standard Assessment Tests (SATs). • All children have to be tested before they go to secondary school. • They provide assessment information for high schools (successes and challenges). • Purpose – to judge whether each child is working at the expected standard.

4. What are the children tested on?The children are tested on all key elements of the work they have covered in Year 3-6 (Key Stage 2) in Maths and English.Other assessments take place throughout the year. Some schools are sampled for Science testing too – we will not know about this until nearer the time.

5. Can my child fail a SATs test? NO!It is important that children understand they are not going to 'pass' or 'fail' the test - it will just show what they have learnt and what they can do.

6. What information do secondary schools want? • SATs results • Teacher assessments • Tests administered by the secondary schools

7. What does teacher assessment involve, and is it different from testing? • Teacher assessment draws together everything the teacher or teachers know about a child, including observations, marked work and school assessments. • Teacher assessment is not a ‘snapshot’ like tests and is therefore more reliable. • There can be a difference between teacher assessment results and test outcomes.

8. Reporting Arrangements • KS2 test results on the NCA tools website in July 2016. Each pupil registered for the tests will receive: • a raw score (number of raw marks awarded) • a scaled score • confirmation of whether or not they attained the national standard

9. How is SATs week organised? • A timetable is issued to all schools, telling us on which days/sessions tests must be administered. • All children must sit the tests at the same time. • Test papers are opened at the point of administering the papers to the children. • Tests will be completed in the Year 6 classroom and other familiar rooms where children require readers or scribes, following the rules set out by the Government.

10. SATs Timetable Year 6 SATs Week 9th – 12th May 2016

11. During SATs week: • Please ensure that your child is in school every day during SATs week. • Ensure that they are in school on time. • Please don’t book anything during this week e.g. doctor’s appointments, holidays etc. • If your child is ill, let us know immediately.

12. English SATs English SATs consist of: • A reading test • A spelling, punctuation and grammar test (sometimes referred to as SPaG

13. Reading • 1 hour to read booklet and answer questions. • There will be 3 or 4 texts, and sets of questions which are of differing levels of difficulty. • There are a variety of different questions to be answered in different ways. • Children cannot have any adult help in this test.

14. How can parents help with reading? • Ensure your child reads a range of fiction and non-fiction on a regular basis. • Try to ask them questions about the text. • Help them with the different skills of reading especially ‘skim’ reading where they are looking for key words in the text. • Have a go at speed reading

15. Spelling, punctuation and Grammar • 45 minutes to answer 46-49 questions covering the technical aspects of grammar, punctuation and vocabulary. • There will be a separate 15 minute spelling test of 20 words. Words will be read then put into a coherent sentence for meaning then repeated. • Teachers may read questions to pupils if asked.

16. How can parents help with SPaG? • Again, reading a variety of texts – the more children read, the more familiar they become with different text types and vocabulary. • Encouraging your child to complete all homework and discussing their work with them. • Help your child to learn the weekly spellings.

17. Mathematics • Mathematics SATs consist of: • An arithmetic paper. This is a 30 minute test worth 40 marks. • Two written test papers • Paper A and Paper B (40 mins each) Each paper is worth 35 marks.

18. Some questions are worth one mark and therefore accuracy is important. • Other questions are worth two marks and even if the answer is wrong, a mark may be given for correct working. • Teachers may read questions in both written papers to pupils if asked.

19. How can parents help with Maths? • Support with homework – not just helping with the Maths but reading the question can really help. • Rehearse number facts e.g. times tables and also written calculation methods. • Help your child to check their work through – this will help them to spot mistakes that can sometimes be easily fixed.

20. What happens to the papers? • After each test the papers are packaged, sealed and sent to external markers. • Papers are returned to the school with the results available in July 2016. • A copy of your child’s results, together with the Teacher Assessment will be in their annual report.

21. What are we doing? • Additional Maths & Literacy support • Teaching Assistant support with lots of groups to consolidate learning from lessons. • Homework. • Test preparation. • Encouragement and openness.

22. How can parents help? • The best help is interest taken in learning and progress. and giving encouragement. • Help with homework. • Help keep a balance between school work and after-school activities. • Ensure children get a good night’s sleep and good breakfast. • Encourage children to bring in fresh water/fruit. • Ensuring attendance at school from now until SATs.

23. Questions? For further information from the DFE, visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/2016-national-curriculum-tests-for-key-stages-1-and-2-information-for-parents