26 th February 2015

Objectives of Workshop To explain the format of the SATs To give parents an opportunity to look at past examples of SATs To give parents an opportunity to ask questions (at the end of the presentation)

What are KS2 SATs SATs or Statutory Assessment Tests are statutory only for Key Stage 2 children. All children in England sit these tests in the same week of the year in May. This year it is the week of 11 th May. Children sit tests in English Reading, Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling and Maths. We could be selected to do an official Science test but we won’t know until May. We were selected last year so it’s unlikely.

Monday 11 th May English Levels 3-5 Reading Test- possible total of 50 marks. Format changed last year. The texts will NOT share a common theme. Children will be given 60 minutes to read 3 texts and answer between questions. They will work through at their own pace. The first text will be the least demanding and they become progressively harder.

Monday continued Variety of types of questions varying from multiple choice, short answers which involve a word or phrase or longer type answers. Marks awarded are 1,2 or 3 and these are clearly stated on the papers Reading questions test a variety of skills including comprehension, inference and deduction and also question children on technique and authorial intent To support your children, encourage them to read articles from newspapers/ Internet and explain what it is about and how they know.

Tuesday 12 th May Level 3-5 English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Tests (SPAG) We have provided each child with a SAT Buster Grammar booklet to help them in preparation. Weekly we set pages for them to complete, as well as additional writing tasks.

You can help by: Helping them to identify errors in their writing; Correcting their speech, e.g. Correcting “we done this today” with “we did this today” Correcting use of their, there and they’re, and using ‘have’ instead of ‘of’ (should have / could have etc) Going back through completed pages in their Grammar booklet and reminding them of the correct use of language. Regularly testing children on the list of SATs spelling words and seeing if they can find other words to match rules.

Wednesday 13 th May Maths Paper 1 This was previously known as the non calculator paper. It tests all areas of maths, from calculations to shape and space and data handling. A possible 40 marks available for this test. Mental Maths Test This is a recorded test with 5 seconds, 10 seconds and 15 seconds available for different questions. A possible 20 marks available for this test.

Thursday 14 th May Maths Paper 2 This was the calculator paper and also has a possible 40 marks available. This year is the second year they will have to do this without a calculator. To support your children to prepare for these maths papers it is essential that they know their tables; know their number bonds to 100; are confident in their use of mathematical vocabulary and recall of significant maths facts. Please ensure that children complete all the homework set and return to school on the allocated day. Encourage your children to visit My Maths regularly

Friday 15 th May To help with Teacher Assessments of Science, the children will sit two past Science papers. These will contain questions about all aspects of Science covered throughout Key Stage 2, from light and sound to micro-organisms. You can help your child by looking through their Science revision guides with them (should you decide to buy one), and playing revision games online. There is a possibility that we may be selected to sit official Science SATs papers but we won’t know this for a few months yet.

What about Assessing Writing? Although there is no longer an official test to assess children’s writing, we, as their teachers, are assessing their performance constantly. It is our teacher assessment which will be used as their end-of-year level. Therefore, we all need to be encouraging the children to produce their very best writing at all times – including homework and reading diary tasks!

When are the SATs? Monday 11 th – Friday 15 th May 2015 It is imperative that your child is in school every day from now until then. MorningAfternoon Level 6 tests Monday 11 th May Reading test 60 minutes Reading test Tuesday 12 th May English Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test Wednesday 13 th May Mental Maths 20 minutes Maths 1 45 minutes No L6 tests timetabled Thursday 14 th May Maths 2 45 minutes Maths papers 1 and 2 Friday 15 th May Science testing (Internal)

What if my child is late to school? If a test has begun and your child is late, they will be taken to start the test in another room with a member of staff.

What do the levels mean? Majority of children are expected to achieve Level 4 For others, reaching Level 3 is a real achievement Others will achieve a Level 5 Should be no comparison to others by children or parents

What do the levels mean? Each level can be further broken down into a, b and c. Not very secure but is building knowledge = c Secure = b Almost ready to move into next level = a

Can my child fail? Absolutely not! Some children under perform in tests Other children may excel on the day Teacher assessments are submitted to ensure fair results are passed on to next school

What happens with the results? The results go to their new school Some schools use these to group children in the beginning of term They are published and are a way of recording children’s progress across the country

What happens to the papers once the children have done them? All papers are collected up and stored alphabetically in a locked cupboard. All SATs papers are collected and marked externally

What if my child needs the toilet in the middle of the test? Children will visit the toilet immediately before taking the test. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, children will not be permitted to leave the room.

Will the children just be doing English, maths and Science from now until SATs? No! Still doing PE and some topic – cross-curricular writing Practise papers and revision

Will anything else be different? We don’t want to make your child’s last year of Primary School dull and boring. Yes, it is crucial that they have the right skills and knowledge to be able to do well in the tests, but we also want them to enjoy their time here. As long as we have your help and support at home, we are confident that your child will leave St Bede’s with happy memories and the ability to apply their learning to the wider world.

Helpful websites h.shtml h.shtml