SAT
by
Geoff Love, Parent Governor
Titchmarsh Primary School

SAT - three small letters that provoke much
excitement and debate within the world of
education, and which all children in years 2
and 6 will be taking in May of this year.
SAT stands for Standard Assessment Test;
they are not about passing or failing, but are
used to refl ect the level a child is working to at
that particular time.

For Key Stage 1, taken during Year 2 of primary
school, children are assessed by their class
teacher in reading and writing, speaking and
listening, mathematics, and science. Formal
tests must be administered in reading, writing
and mathematics for each pupil and these
are used in conjunction with the teachers’
own experience of a child’s understanding
of the subject to come to an assessment
level. Tests are usually kept low key and the
children shouldn’t be particularly aware of their
signifi cance.

The next time your child will take SATs will
be in Key Stage 2 in year 6. Children are
tested in English reading, English grammar,
punctuation and spelling, and mathematics.
These are more formal and will take place
between 11th and 14th May 2015. Papers are
sent away for marking before being returned
to the school.

Parents should get a report with SATs levels
for each subject. At the end of year 2, the
minimum expected level is a 2b - this is not
the national average but a target standard. A
2c or 1a/b/c is below expectations, 2a is above
expectations, and a level 3 means your child
is doing even better. At the end of year 6, a
level 4 is the minimum expected level, with a
level 5 above expectations and a level 3 below
expectations. Some schools may choose to
administer level 6 tests for their most able
students. Remember that for some children, a
level 1 in year 2 or a level 3 in year 6 might still
be a fantastic achievement.

First and foremost, SATs are there to help
parents get a feel for how their child is
progressing and for the education offi cials
to assess how schools are doing. And, of
course, remember that SATs will NOT end up
on their CV or job applications when they are
grown-ups - they are not worth you or them
losing sleep over