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Information for parents: assessment results at the end of key stage 2

Updated 24 June 2024

1. Do you have a child in year 6 at primary school?

If so, in May they will have taken the end of key stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum tests in:

• English grammar, punctuation and spelling
• English reading
• mathematics

Some people refer to these tests as ‘SATs’. While most pupils take the tests, in certain circumstances they may not. If this applies to your child, you can find more information in the ‘What if my child did not take the tests?’ section below.   

In addition to the end of KS2 tests, your child’s teacher has to make teacher assessment judgements based on your child’s overall work and performance in:

• English writing
• science

2. What information will I receive?

Before the end of the summer term, your child’s school will send you an annual report which will paint a full picture of your child’s strengths, achievements and progress at the end of KS2.

For pupils who participated in the end of KS2 tests, the report will include their test results and the outcomes of the statutory teacher assessment judgements. Together, the outcomes of these tests and assessments should provide you with a good sense of the standard at which your child is working in these subjects.

The report should also allow you to compare your child’s performance in the tests with the attainment of other year 6 pupils in the school and across England.

3. What if my child did not take the tests?

There are a range of circumstances where the headteacher at your child’s school may decide that it is not appropriate for a pupil to participate in the tests. This may be the case if your child: 

• has not completed the relevant KS2 programmes of study outlined in the national curriculum
• is working below the standards of the national curriculum in one or more subjects, and consequently assessed differently
• is working at the standard of the KS2 tests but unable to participate, even when using suitable access arrangements
• is not in a fit physical or mental state at the time of the tests

If your child is working below the standard of the national curriculum, or they have special educational needs, their report will be different as they will have been assessed under an alternative teacher assessment model – either the:

• pre-key stage 2 standards, if they are engaged in subject-specific study
• engagement model, if they are not engaged in subject-specific study

Where this is the case, the school report will include your child’s achievements and progress identified via the relevant assessment. Your child’s teacher will be able to provide more information.

If your child did not take the tests for any other reason, you should speak to the school for more details.

4. How will the results be used?

The national curriculum tests and teacher assessment judgements are a way of making sure every child has mastered the basics of reading, writing, maths and science when they leave primary education.

The results help teachers to identify where children may need extra help or support as they transition to secondary school. Your child’s individual results, from the tests or teacher assessment judgements, will not be published by your child’s school or the Department for Education (DfE). School-level results of pupils’ attainment and progress are however published on DfE’s ‘compare school performance’ service.

5. How are test results reported?

Your child’s school will report the test results as a scaled score for each subject. This is based on the number of marks your child achieved in each individual test. We use scaled scores to ensure we can make accurate comparisons of school performance over time.

At KS2, the range of scaled scores is 80 to 120. A scaled score:

• below 100 means that your child may need more support to help them reach the expected standard
• of 100 or more means that your child is working at, or above, the expected standard for the key stage

6. How are teacher assessment judgements reported?

Your child’s teacher forms their judgements by assessing your child’s work in the classroom against frameworks in English writing and science.

For English writing, the judgement shows if a pupil is:

• working towards the expected standard
• working at the expected standard
• working at greater depth within the expected standard

For science, the judgement shows if a pupil:

• has not met the expected standard
• is working at the expected standard

Do not worry if your child is not working at the expected standard. The results will help teachers identify where your child may need extra help.

If you have any questions about your child’s results and what support they might need as they transition to secondary school, you should speak to their teacher.

7. Further information

Your child’s teacher will be able to answer any questions about the tests and teacher assessment judgements.

For more information, you can also visit www.gov.uk/STA.