National Curriculum teacher assessments and/or tests are designed to give you and the school information about how well your child is doing. Your child’s teacher will be informally assessing their learning throughout the year to help them plan future teaching. This assessment takes the form of teacher assessment alongside optional tests which are used to support teacher assessment.
National Curriculum Levels
From September 2014, National Curriculum Levels have been removed nationally – apart from for those children in Year 2 and Year 6. All schools are awaiting further information on how levels will be replaced and we will provide you with this information when it emerges.
At the end of Key Stage 1 (Year 2) the level will be based on the teacher’s assessment, taking into account your child’s performance in several tasks and tests.
At the end of Key Stage 2 (year 6) the level will reflect the teacher’s assessment and your child’s national test results.
Your child will take national tests at the end of Key Stage 2. The tests are intended to show if your child is working at, above or below the target level for their age. This helps the school to make plans for their future learning. It also allows schools to see whether they are teaching effectively by comparing their pupils’ performance to national results.
Key Stage 1 teacher assessments, tasks and tests
Teacher assessment for seven year olds covers:
- reading
- writing
- maths
- science
These assessments take account of how your child performed in Key Stage 1 tasks and tests for seven year olds. The tasks and tests cover:
- reading
- writing (including handwriting and spelling)
- maths
The tasks and tests can be taken at a time the school chooses. The results are not reported separately but are used to help the teacher assess your child’s work. By the age of seven, most children are expected to achieve level 2.
The teacher assessment is moderated by the local authority. This is to make sure teachers make consistent assessments of children’s work.
Key Stage 2 tests and teacher assessments
Teacher assessment for eleven year olds covers:
- reading
- writing
- maths
- science
These assessments take account of how your child performed in Key Stage 2 tests for eleven year olds. The tests cover:
- english – reading, writing (including handwriting) and spelling
- maths – including mental arithmetic
These tests are taken on set days in mid-May and are designed to test pupils’ knowledge and understanding. The papers are sent away to be marked with results being available before your child leaves primary school in July. If you would like to see examples of the past SATs papers please click here.
The writing test will be taken at the same time as the other tests, however it will be marked in school and will be teacher assessed alongside writing completed throughout Year 6 and moderated by the local authority. This is to make sure teachers make consistent assessments of children’s work. By the age of 11, most children are expected to achieve level 4.
From 2013, the government are introducing a separate Grammar and Punctuation test, which will also take place during the same week in May. Please click on the link below to view the information for parents on this new element of KS2 SATs.
KS2 Grammar and Punctuation Test – Information for Parents
Year 1 Phonics Check
Week beginning 15th June 2014, children in Year 1 will take a phonics check. This takes just a few minutes to complete. The Year 1 phonics screening check is a short, light-touch assessment to confirm whether individual pupils have learnt phonic decoding to an appropriate standard. It will identify the children who need extra help so they are given support by their school to improve their reading skills. They will then be able to retake the check so that schools can track pupils until they are able to decode. Phonics is the most effective way of teaching young children to read. Through phonics children learn how to recognise the sounds of each letter, and the sounds different combinations of letters make. For example, “sh” or “oo”, and blending sounds together from left to right to make a word.
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