1. Parent information evening 2016 Key Stage two SATs

2. SATS 2016 will take place between Monday 9 th May and Friday 13 th May  In May children in Year 6 will be the first to sit the new SATs papers. These tests in English and Maths will reflect the new national curriculum, and are intended to be more rigorous. They are externally marked and will be scored using a new system. There is no writing test in key stage two, writing will continue to be assessed internally throughout the school year.  Unlike Key stage one tests which do not have strict time limits, Key stage two tests are strictly timed and we have to follow a nationally set timetable each day. Therefore it is really important that your children are in school during this week and on the run up.

3. Assessment and reporting  ‘Old’ national curriculum levels (e.g. level 3a, 4c,4b,4a, 5c etc.) have now been abolished as set out in the government guidelines.  A new system of scaled scoring has been introduced. ( I will explain this system to you on the next slide!) It does mean that it is very difficult to compare the assessment of a previous year with the current year.  The new curriculum is more rigorous and sets higher expectations than in previous years.

4. Scaled scores. (DFE definition)  Scaled scores are used all over the world. They help test results to be reported consistently from one year to the next.  The new scaled score of 100 will always represent the ‘national standard’. However, due to small differences in difficulty between tests, the ‘raw score’ (the total number of correct responses) that equates to 100 might be different each year.  Full information about what the scale will look like cannot be given yet, as the government need to wait until pupils have taken the tests and they have been marked before they can set the national standard. They can’t set the scale in advance; this cohort is the first that has reached the end of key stage 2 having studied sufficient content from the new national curriculum.

5. Higher attaining children  In the past, when levels were used, there were level six tests for pupils who could demonstrate attainment above level five. (The national average for a year six pupil was level four) There won’t be separate tests for the most able from 2016. Instead each new test has been developed so that there is scope for higher attaining pupils to show their strengths.

6. The tests (marked externally)

7.  Practice papers for 2016 SATs  The DfE has released one set of sample papers for the new SATs. You can also access past SATs papers online and although the content and format of the new papers will be different, they are still useful to help your child familiarise themselves with exam technique.  We will be running after school booster classes on a Thursday for year 6 children beginning after February half term. Practising at school and at home

8. Over the next few slides, I have put sample questions from the SPaG paper, the reading paper and the arithmetic paper.

11. Any questions?