If your child is in Year 6, the Key Stage 2 SATs are the tests at the end of primary school. They help the government and schools see how pupils are doing in English and maths. They don't decide which secondary school your child goes to, and nobody passes or fails them. Still, it helps to know what's coming.
When are the 2027 SATs?
The Department for Education has timetabled the 2027 tests for Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May 2027:
- Monday 10 May: English grammar, punctuation and spelling (Papers 1 and 2)
- Tuesday 11 May: English reading
- Wednesday 12 May: Mathematics Papers 1 and 2
- Thursday 13 May: Mathematics Paper 3
The dates come from the government's primary assessments future dates page, which says they could change after the Curriculum and Assessment Review. It's worth checking there, or with your school, in the spring.
What's on each paper?
- Grammar and punctuation (Paper 1): 45 minutes of short questions, such as choosing the right word class or adding commas.
- Spelling (Paper 2): 20 words read aloud by the teacher, each in a sentence.
- Reading: 60 minutes, with three texts and questions about them. Children are tested on finding information and on inference: working out what a writer suggests but doesn't say.
- Maths Paper 1, arithmetic: 30 minutes of calculations, such as long multiplication, fractions and percentages.
- Maths Papers 2 and 3, reasoning: 40 minutes each. These are problems and word questions that need children to choose the method themselves.
Writing and science are assessed by your child's teachers through the year, not by a test paper.
How are SATs scored?
Each test's raw mark is turned into a scaled score from 80 to 120. A score of 100 or more means your child is working at the expected standard for the end of Key Stage 2. Schools receive results in July and tell parents before the end of the summer term.
A calm plan, from now to May
The children who do best are rarely the ones who cram. They practise little and often, and they get quick feedback on what they got wrong.
- Autumn: secure the basics. Times tables up to 12 × 12, the four operations and fractions carry a lot of marks. Ten minutes a day makes a real difference.
- Winter: find the gaps. A timed practice paper shows which topics need work. Focus on those, not on the ones your child already knows.
- Spring: practise under time. Do one or two full papers a week, then go over every mistake. Mistakes are the most useful part of a practice paper.
- The week itself: keep it normal. Sleep, breakfast and a calm morning matter more than last-minute revision.
Read regularly at home too. Reading for pleasure builds the vocabulary and stamina that the reading paper needs.
How Leverrs helps with SATs
Leverrs Academy has arithmetic, reasoning, reading, grammar and spelling practice papers, timed like the real thing and marked straight away. After each paper your child sees which topics are secure and which need work, and their learning path updates to match. You can follow their progress from your own parent account. See SATs practice on Leverrs.
Try Leverrs Academy
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