Key stage assessments 

Guidance for parents

There are several National assessments your child will take part in whilst they are at school. 

Reception- End of year assessment.  This tells you if your child has gained all the Early Learning Goals (ELG). 

Y1- Phonics screening check.  This tells you if your child has passed reading phonic words.

Y2- KS1 end of year assessments.  This tells you if your child has reached the age related expectations (ARE) for the end of Y2. 

Y4- Multiplication times tables check.  This tells you if your child knows their timetables up to 12 times tables. 

Y6- KS2 end of year assessments.  This tells you if your child has reached the age related expectations (ARE) for the end of Y6. 

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Reception- End of year assessment - Good Level of Development and gaining all areas of Early Learning Goals. 

Children’s progress is evaluated on their learning outcomes in relation to 7 Early Learning Goals. The reformed Early Learning Goals are now statutory for all early years settings. The 7 prime Early Learning Goals are:

• Communication and Language

• Physical Development

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

• Literacy

• Maths

• Understanding the World

• Expressive Arts and Design

More information can be found here.

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Y1- Phonics screening check

Children complete a phonic assessment and read 40 words, they need to get 32 correct to pass (the threshold can change). 

If the child does not pass in Y1, they are retested in Y2. 

More information can be found here. 

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Y2- KS1 end of year assessments

Children are tested in Reading, Writing, SPAG (Spelling, punctuation and Grammar) and Maths. 

More information can be found here. 

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 Y4- Multiplication times tables check

Children are tested on all the timetables up to 12 x 12.  Children are given 25 questions.  It is expected they gain 25/25. 

More information can be found here. 

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 Y6- KS2 end of year assessments

At the end of Year 6, children will sit tests in:

• Reading

• Maths

• Spelling, punctuation and grammar

These tests will be both set and marked externally, and the results will be used to measure the school’s performance (for example, through reporting to Ofsted and published league tables). Your child’s marks will be used in conjunction with teacher assessment to give a broader picture of their attainment.

Key stage 2 Reading 

The reading test will be a single paper with questions based on three passages of text. Your child will have one hour, including reading time, to complete the test.

There will be a selection of question types, including:

• Ranking/ordering, e.g. ‘Number the events below to show the order in which they happen in the story’

• Labelling, e.g. ‘Label the text to show the title of the story’

• Find and copy, e.g. ‘Find and copy one word that suggests what the weather is like in the story’

• Short constructed response, e.g. ‘What does the bear eat?’

• Open-ended response, e.g. ‘Look at the sentence that begins Once upon a time. How does the writer increase the tension throughout this paragraph? Explain fully, referring to the text in your answer.

Key stage 2 Grammar, punctuation and spelling 

The grammar, punctuation and spelling test will consist of two parts: a grammar and punctuation paper requiring short answers, lasting 45 minutes, and an aural spelling test of 20 words, lasting around 15 minutes.

The grammar and punctuation test will include two sub-types of questions:

• Selected response, e.g. ‘Identify the adjectives in the sentence below’

• Constructed response, e.g. ‘Correct/complete/rewrite the sentence below,’ or, ‘The sentence below has an apostrophe missing. Explain why it needs an apostrophe.’

Key stage 2 Maths

Children will sit three papers in maths:

• Paper 1: arithmetic, 30 minutes

• Papers 2 and 3: reasoning, 40 minutes per paper

Paper 1 will consist of fixed response questions, where children have to give the correct answer to calculations, including long multiplication and division. Papers 2 and 3 will involve a number of question types, including:

• Multiple choice

• True or false

• Constrained questions, e.g. giving the answer to a calculation, drawing a shape or completing a table or chart

• Less constrained questions, where children will have to explain their approach for solving a problem