SAT Tests – Birdwell Primary School

Standard Assessment Tests
All children have to be tested before they go to high school
Provide assessment information for high schools
Purpose – to assign National Curriculum levels to children before they leave primary school

Teacher assessment is now used to level writing. There is only a test for grammar and punctuation aspect
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 levels
Teacher assessment is used for children who work below level 3 (children who don’t do the SATs) in maths and reading

A timetable is issued to school, telling us on which days/sessions tests must be administered
All children must sit the tests at the same time
Test papers can only be opened 1 hour before the tests begin
Tests are completed in classrooms, with any displays that may help covered over
Some children will have special arrangements in order to access the test

English SATs consist of:

15 minutes to read the reading booklet
45 minutes to answer questions. Children are allowed to refer to the reading booklet during this time
There are a variety of different questions to be answered in different ways
Children cannot have any adult help in this test

Ensure your child reads every night!
Encourage them to read fiction and non-fiction.
Try to listen to your child read and 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.
Speed reading
Reading homework
Encourage a love of reading!

Writing SATs consist of:

A number of pieces of writing from throughout the year are assessed to inform the final level
One third of schools are visited by the Local Authority to moderate that writing has been assessed accurately

Again, reading a variety of texts – the more children read, the more familiar they become with different text types.
Reading homework – text analysis
Writing homework
Grammar and punctuation homework
Encourage writing for enjoyment

Introduced in 2103, the Government brought in grammar, punctuation and spelling test to ‘assesses your child’s English’.

Skills in four key areas in Year 6:

The test will take approximately one hour to complete.

The results of the test are reported separately to the overall English level.

Mathematics SATs consist of:

A written arithmetic paper (1)
Two written test papers (2&3)
- Calculators are no longer permitted in any of the maths tests.

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

Support with homework – not just helping with the Maths but reading the question can really help

TIMES TABLES!!!

Help your child to check their work through – this will help them to spot mistakes that can sometimes be easily fixed
Encouraging your child to complete the maths study guide

English SATs papers and mark schemes:

Maths SATs papers and mark schemes:

Headteacher	Mr N Bailey
School Business Manager	Mrs D Sykes
SEND Coordinator	Miss G Cooper
Address	Birdwell Primary School
	Sheffield Road
	Birdwell
	Barnsley
Postcode	S70 5XB
Telephone	01226 742957
Birdwell Pre-School Telephone	01226 350 790