Key stage 2: registering pupils for the tests
Information for primary schools on how to register pupils for key stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum tests in 2026.
Mandatory requirements for schools
All schools must complete pupil registration for pupils reaching the end of KS2, including those working below the standard or unable to access the tests.
The ‘Manage key stage 2 pupil registration’ form will be available in the ‘Activities’ tab on the National Curriculum Assessments Portal (NCA Portal) from 9am on Monday 9 February and must be completed by Friday 6 March.
Schools must continue to update their pupil registration data after the deadline – for example, when pupils join or leave the school – until 11:59pm on Thursday 21 May.
Pupil registration data is used to ensure the:
- quantity of test materials provided is sufficient
- online test attendance registers are accurate
- pupil lists within access arrangements forms are accurate
- list of expected pupils for teacher assessment is accurate
- results data returned to schools matches the pupil data held in their management information system (MIS)
We suggest that schools have more than one delegated member of school staff registered as a user on the NCA Portal. This will ensure that any related activities are not the sole responsibility of one individual, reducing the impact of staff absence or shortages, and the burden on headteachers.
Independent schools
Independent schools will only be able to register pupils for the tests if they:
- placed a KS2 test order on the NCA Portal by Friday 14 November
- confirmed on the NCA Portal that they have a written agreement in place with a local authority to monitor their KS2 tests by Friday 5 December
Independent schools that do not upload their pupils’ details and complete pupil registration by Friday 6 March will not be able to participate in the tests.
Action: check and submit your pupil data
To access pupil registration:
- Sign in to the NCA Portal.
- Select the ‘Activities’ tab.
- Select the ‘Manage key stage 2 pupil registration’ form.
If you submitted your school census data to the Department for Education (DfE), your pupil list will already be populated with the latest available data. However, you should still check that the data is accurate.
By 11:59pm on Friday 6 March, you must:
- check your pupil list to ensure pupil data is correct, including full legal name, date of birth and unique pupil number (UPN)
- edit information, if required
- add pupils who are not on the list yet
- ensure each pupil has been assigned the correct pupil registration code
Your data will not be populated yet if you:
- are a pupil referral unit (PRU), secure unit or independent school
- are a non-maintained special school that did not place a test order by the deadline in November
- did not submit your school census data to DfE
In these cases, you will need to upload your pupil data. You can add pupils individually or upload multiple pupils using a file template on the ‘Manage key stage 2 pupil registration’ form.
After you have successfully updated or uploaded your pupil data, you still need to complete pupil registration using the ‘Submit pupil registration’ button at the bottom of the screen.
All community special, non-maintained special, foundation special, academy special sponsor-led, free special or academy special converter schools must still check, upload or amend pupil data, and ensure each pupil has been assigned the correct pupil registration code.
Pupil registration codes
All pupils will initially show as ‘Registered’ for each test subject. You can change a pupil’s status for each subject by selecting ‘Edit’ and choosing one of the following codes from the drop-down list:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| Registered | Pupil is expected to sit the test or will later be recorded as ‘Just arrived’ or ‘Unable to access’ or ‘Absent’ on the test attendance register |
| Below | Pupil is working below the overall standard of the test subject |
| Future | Pupil is taking one or more, but not all, tests in a future year |
| Left | Pupil has left the school |
| Previous | Pupil took one or more, but not all, tests in a previous year |
| Unregistered | Pupil appears incorrectly in your existing pupil list |
You must complete pupil registration by selecting ‘Submit pupil registration’ on the form, even if all your pupils are working below the standard of the tests.
Pupils who are learning outside their chronological year group for all subjects should be included in your pupil registration data for the academic year in which they complete the relevant KS2 programme of study. If they have been incorrectly included, you should use the ‘Unregistered’ code.
Pupils who are working below the overall standard of the tests
Pupils who are working below the overall standard of the KS2 tests, and who are not expected to reach the standard by May 2026, should be marked as:
- ‘Below’ on the NCA Portal during pupil registration
- ‘B’ (Below the standard) on the online test attendance register for each test that they have not taken
If you change your assessment of a pupil’s ability, you can update their registration code at any time – including on the day you are administering a test – until 11:59pm on Thursday 21 May.
For the mathematics and English grammar, punctuation and spelling tests, pupils must complete all papers for the subject to receive an overall test outcome. They cannot take one paper and be registered as below the standard for another – for example, a pupil cannot take Paper 1 of the English grammar, punctuation and spelling test and be marked as ‘B’ on the test attendance register for Paper 2. In this scenario, we would correct the pupil’s status to ‘A’ (Absent) for Paper 2.
If your school decides not to enter a pupil for the English reading or mathematics tests because they are working below the overall standard of the tests, you should use either the relevant pre-key stage standards or the engagement model to provide a teacher assessment outcome for these subjects.
Pupils who are working at the standard of the tests but unable to access them
Schools should refer to the KS2 tests access arrangements guidance if any pupils who are working at the overall standard of the tests require support to complete them.
If a pupil is working at the standard of a test but unable to access it, even with appropriate access arrangements, they should not take the test and must be marked as:
- ‘Registered’ on the NCA Portal
- ‘U’ (Unable to access) on the test attendance register
This may apply to pupils who have:
- a disability
- specific medical needs
- spent time in hospital towards the end of the key stage
- been absent from school for an extended period – for example, pupils who were home educated or excluded and need time to adjust to regular school life
- recently experienced, or are experiencing, severe emotional difficulties
Pupils who have just arrived in school
Pupils should not take the test if your school has not had enough time to assess their abilities and determine whether they are working at the standard of the test. In this case, you should mark them as:
- ‘Registered’ on the NCA Portal during pupil registration
- ‘J’ (Just arrived) on the test attendance register
This applies to pupils who have:
- arrived in school during the weeks immediately before the tests
- recently come from a different education system
If you have determined a pupil’s abilities before the test and found that they are not working at the test standard in a subject, you should follow the guidance for pupils who are working below the overall standard of the tests.
If you administer a test to a pupil who has just arrived in school, you should mark them as ‘✓’ (Attended) on the attendance register and return their test script for marking.
Pupils younger or older than 11 at the end of key stage 2
If you have pupils who will be younger than 11 during this academic year, you must only allow them to take the tests if they have completed the relevant KS2 programme of study and the headteacher considers they are working at the overall standard of the tests.
When registering pupils younger than 11, you must select:
- ‘Register’ for the test subjects they will take in the current academic year
- ‘Future’ for test subjects they will take in a future year
If you have pupils older than 11 who have not yet taken some or all of the tests – as they are learning outside their chronological year group – you must register them to take the tests in the academic year in which they complete the relevant KS2 programme of study. This only applies if the headteacher considers the pupil to be working at the overall standard of the tests.
When registering pupils older than 11, you must select:
- ‘Register’ for the test subjects they will take in the current academic year
- ‘Previous’ for any test subjects they may have taken in a previous academic year
If you have pupils in your registration data who have taken all of the tests in a previous year or will take all of the tests in a future year, they should not be included in your pupil registration data – you should set them as ‘Unregistered’.
Pupils who need access arrangements
Schools should register pupils who need access arrangements for the KS2 tests, regardless of whether they go on to take them.
You must complete pupil registration before making applications or notifications for access arrangements, because these forms will ask you to select the pupil from a dropdown list.
Pupils with English as an additional language
You should ensure pupils with English as an additional language are included in your KS2 pupil registration data, regardless of whether they go on to take the tests.
English tests
Pupils who cannot communicate in English are considered working below the overall standard of the English tests and should not take them. You should use the pre-key stage standards to make teacher assessment judgements for English reading and writing, providing the pupil is engaged in subject-specific study.
Mathematics tests
To establish a pupil’s abilities in mathematics before the tests, teachers or language support staff could translate national curriculum work into the pupil’s preferred language.
If a pupil is working at the standard of the mathematics tests, the school should consider using access arrangements to enable the pupil to take the tests. You can find more information about administering the KS2 tests using a written or oral translation in the KS2 access arrangements guidance.
If a pupil is not working at the standard of the mathematics tests, even when translated into their preferred language, they should not take the tests. You should use the pre-key stage standards to make a teacher assessment judgement for mathematics, providing the pupil is engaged in subject-specific study.
Pupils in alternative provision
Pupils in their final year of KS2 who attend an alternative provision (AP) school – including PRUs – but are still on the register of a maintained school or academy, must also participate in the tests. The headteacher at the school where the pupil is registered is responsible for ensuring the tests are administered. This includes the delivery and collection of the test scripts to and from the AP.
Action: keep your pupil registration data up to date
You can make updates to your pupil registration data in the ‘Manage key stage 2 pupil registration’ form until 11:59pm on Thursday 21 May.
It is important that you update your data if:
- any pupils join or leave your school
- a pupil’s registration code changes – for example, if they were registered as ‘Below’ for a test subject but you later decide they can take the test
If you add a new pupil to the test attendance register during test week, or the following timetable variation week, the NCA Portal will automatically generate a pupil registration record for the pupil.
We will use your pupil registration data to determine your school’s expected teacher assessment data. If you do not keep your pupil registration data up to date, it will cause errors when submitting your teacher assessment data in June.
Help and support
More step-by-step guidance and video tutorials for completing pupil registration and online attendance registers are available within each form on the NCA Portal.
If you have any further questions or need support, you can contact the national curriculum assessments helpline:
National curriculum assessments helpline
Call: 0300 303 3013
Email: assessments@education.gov.uk
Online: NCA Portal ‘Support’
Updates to this page
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Guidance has been updated for the academic year 2025 to 2026. All related activities for pupil registration should now be completed on the National Curriculum Assessments Portal (NCA Portal).
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Updated for the 2024 to 2025 academic year.
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Updated information and video content for the 2024 tests
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Added further clarification to the 'Independent schools' section
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Updated information for the 2023 tests.
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This has been updated for the 2022 test cycle.
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Updated for the 2020 test cycle.
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Updated for the 2019 test cycle.
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Updated for the 2018 test cycle.
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Updated for the 2017 test cycle.
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Updated to reflect 2016 dates and guidance.
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First published.