What Should My Child Know by the End of Year 6?

Year 6 concludes Key Stage 2, and the SATs in May test the full accumulated curriculum from Years 3 through 6 — not just Year 6 content in isolation.

Maths

Confident use of all four operations with multi-digit numbers, fractions, decimals and percentages including converting between them, calculating area, perimeter and volume, understanding ratio and simple algebra, and solving multi-step word problems.

Reading

Reading and understanding a wide range of complex fiction and non-fiction, making and justifying inferences with evidence, summarising longer texts concisely, and comparing themes and structures across different books.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling

Full command of the Year 5/6 statutory spelling list, confident use of the full range of clause types, and accurate use of the wider punctuation range — semicolons, colons, dashes, brackets — for specific effect.

How the KS2 SATs work

Sat over one week in May: reading comprehension, arithmetic, reasoning (two papers), and grammar/punctuation/spelling. Results come as a scaled score, with 100 representing the "expected standard" — genuinely a checkpoint for secondary schools, not a gatekeeping exam.

What actually helps in the run-up

• Consistent practice across the whole year, not concentrated cramming in the final weeks
• Past papers used for genuine practice and confidence-building, not as a source of pressure
• Keeping the emotional temperature low at home — children who feel calm consistently perform closer to their actual ability
• Remembering that results feed secondary school planning, not a fixed life-long judgement

After SATs — the often-overlooked summer term

Many schools ease off academically after SATs finish, but the summer term remains a genuinely good window to build broader confidence and enjoyment in learning again, ahead of the transition to secondary school in September.