How To Prepare Your Child to Pass The SATS

There are two types of SATS exams. Key Stage 1 SATS take place in May of year 2 and Key Stage 2 SATS in May whilst a child is in year 6.  Both these tests are part of the National Curriculum Assessment programme in England.
The SATS exams comprise of Maths and English tests. These are the two core subjects the Government wants to test at grade 2 and grade 6 in Primary School.

The SATS stand for Statutory Assessment Tests. They are an assessment tool designed to measure how far a child has progressed at the end of Key Stage 1 – Year 2 and Key Stage 2 at Year 6.
You will see the background to the SATS and it’s importance, as well as how you can prepare your children to Master the tests within months.

 

The SATS have changed
The SATS papers for KS1 and KS2 have changed since 2017 and become more challenging compared to the older style papers. To keep up with the harder questions, the Government has introduced a new type of scaled scoring.

100 and Lower = Below National Standards

100   At                = Expected Standard

110 and Higher= Above National Standard.

Due to the changes, some parents have become wary of the SATS and the impact on their children.  Some parents have decided to withdraw their child from these tests, blaming too much workload and pressure. Some parents have welcomed the new tests and wanted the educational system to catch up with the rest of the world in terms of higher standards.

  
What do the SATS Include?

Key Stage 1 SATS – Year 2 

English:
Paper 1 – Spellings
Paper 2 – Grammar and Punctuation
Paper 1 – Reading Prompts
Paper 2 – Reading

Maths:
Paper 1 – Arithmetic
Paper 2- Reasoning 

Key Stage 2 SATS – Year 6 

English:
Paper 1 – English Grammar Punctuation and Spelling
Paper 2 – English Grammar Punctuation and Spelling
Paper 3 – English Reading Test

Maths:
Paper 1 – Arithmetic
Paper 2 – Reasoning
Paper 3 – Reasoning

Why are the SATS important? 

1. The SATS are important because it gives the School and parents an idea of what level the child is working at and what needs to be covered moving forwards.
2. After the SATS tests, children are usually put into sets or groups. The higher performers are put into top groups and lower performers are put into lower groups. This ensures students are given the correct support according to their needs.
3. Year 6 SATS results are a measure of performance of a child and the Primary School. The new Secondary School will take into account the Child’s SATS results at the end of year 6, to group the student into the right class when they make the transition into Secondary School.
4. Key Stage 1 SATS that take place in year 2, to assess the foundation stages of a child’s development. If the foundation stage is good, it’s more likely the child will go on to meet the academic objectives later on.

The 11 Plus exams take place before the SATS tests in year 6. If the child does not pass the 11      Plus and gets good results in year 6 SATS then they could have a second opportunity to sit the 12 Plus, Grammar School entrance exams. A good set of SATS results is a pre requirement in most authorities that have Grammar Schools.

How to Prepare your Child for the SATS 

1. Always encourage your child to read as much as they can, to build up vital vocabulary and spellings as well as comprehension skills.
2. Hire a Tutor that can prepare your child’s basic skills to master the SATS papers.
3. Prepare your child’s mental Maths. Make sure they know there times tables, adding, subtraction and dividing.
4. Buy some SATS revision guides to cover and practise basic curriculum skills that the child may have missed in the School year. This will help in basic revision skills.
5. Practise as many SATS papers as you can. Preferably the 2017 editions onwards which are part of the new National Curriculum.
6. Most importantly, pace your child’s work and do not over pressure them as they are still in Primary School and every child develops at different stages.

How can a Tutor help my Child in SATS? 

1. A good Tutor can help build your child’s confidence and get them motivated to learn at a faster pace.
2. The Tutor can polish off areas of English and Maths that your child may be struggling on.
3. A Tutor can help introduce SATS papers and familiarise the student in exams techniques.
4. A good Tutor can set homework for your child. Many parents complain that children are idle at home and do not get enough work from School.
5. With the pressures of budget cuts and big class sizes, sometimes students struggle to keep up with learning. This is where a Tutor comes in. The Tutor does not replace the School but compliments the work of the School.
6. Due to the parent and child relationship, sometimes teaching your own child has its challenges. It’s sometimes good to get an independent person to handle your child’s academic requirements.

How Can I Hire the best Tutor and what do I look for?

Finding a good Tutor or Tuition Centre is not an easy task. Keep reading and we’ll show you how we can help your child with specialist SATS tutoring.

1. Find a reputable Tutoring Company or Tuition Centre that are experienced enough in dealing with Tutors and can manage most of the hard work for you.
2. Make sure the Tutor has a clean Criminal record and all the DBS checks have been carried out on the Tutor. Your child’s safety is paramount.
3. Check If the Tutor is a qualified teacher or has high standard degree qualifications. Subject knowledge is important.
4. An experienced Tutor who has worked in a School environment is always beneficial.
5. Call up some existing parents, who use the services of the Tutor to check as a reference and peace of mind.

Make sure the Tutor or Tuition Centre have good resources available that will help your child in the Tutoring programme.

What Next?

If you feel that tutoring your child may be the way forward then we can help you. With experience of nearly 15 years in this industry, we have the best Tutors and Tutoring models that any parent or student can ask for.

Finding the right Tutoring programme or Tutor for your child is not always easy. We can reduce the stress and times involved and do the research and work for you.

Please fill in the form below with your details and one of our dedicated team members will contact you with more information.

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Our team is best placed to deal with the SATS tests as well as the Tuition Market generally and will be pleased to provide you professional and customer friendly information.

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