Statutory Assessment - Information for Parents/Carers

SATs, or national curriculum assessments

SATs, or national curriculum assessments, are assessments of primary pupils’ progress and attainment. They are completed at the end of Key stage two (end of primary/ junior phase). 

The tests are quite formal and school-level results are normally published in national performance tables allowing for comparison with other schools. 

SATs cover core academic subjects – English, maths, and science.

Year 6 SATS Week May 2025

SATs during the coronavirus pandemic

There were no national curriculum assessments at either key stage one or key stage two in the 2019/20 or 2020/21 academic years, because of the pandemic.

The assessments – for both key stage one and key stage two pupils – took place as normal in the 2021/22 academic year, although school-level performance data hasn’t been published for this year.

Phonics screening check

Children in year one, which is usually the second year of primary education, also take a phonics screen to check their ability to decode words. They complete the screen again in year two if they don’t reach the expected standard in year one.

Information for parents and carers

New times table check in Year Four

Since the 2021/22 academic year, schools have administered an online multiplication tables check for children in year four (normally aged eight or nine). This tests recall of times tables up to 12. 

Multiplication Check - Information for parents/carers  

A statutory baseline assessment in reception class.

Children in state-funded primary and infant schools now take a baseline assessment within the first six weeks of entering reception class. This focuses on maths, language, communication and literacy. The results will be used as the starting point to assess how much progress schools are making with their pupils. Results for individual children or schools are not published.