As Year 6 teachers, the countdown to May’s KS2 SATs can be daunting. The pressure to ensure our pupils are fully prepared often leads to an understandable reliance on past papers and frequent testing. While it’s tempting to focus heavily on practice tests in the hope of securing strong results, this approach overlooks a fundamental truth: the key to success in the SATs lies in prioritising high-quality curriculum delivery, with testing serving as a complementary, not primary, tool.
Why curriculum comes first
Shirley Clarke, a leading expert in formative assessment, emphasises the importance of focusing on deep learning through well-structured, engaging lessons that allow students to truly understand and apply the concepts they’re being taught. When the curriculum is well-planned and delivered with clarity and precision, students develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding they need to tackle a wide range of question styles, not just those typically seen in SATs papers.
A curriculum-first approach involves ensuring that all the key concepts within English and maths are taught thoroughly, with opportunities for students to explore, question, and apply their learning in different contexts. This goes beyond simple recall; it’s about developing critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and resilience—qualities that are essential not just for SATs, but for lifelong learning.
Testing with purpose: Beyond the past papers
It’s important to acknowledge that practice tests have a role in preparing pupils for SATs. Familiarising students with the format, timing, and pressure of the real tests can certainly reduce anxiety and build confidence. However, relying solely on practice papers, or using them excessively, offers limited benefits and can even be counterproductive.
The problem with repeatedly using past papers is that they often focus more on rote memorisation and test-taking strategies than on deep learning. Students might become skilled at recognising familiar question types or applying formulaic answers without fully grasping the underlying concepts. As Clarke points out, this approach limits true progress because it’s surface-level learning, focused more on performance than understanding.
The power of formative assessment
To ensure real progress, formative assessment should be at the heart of your teaching strategy. Formative assessments—ongoing checks for understanding through questioning, feedback, and short diagnostic tasks—offer a much richer insight into pupils’ learning than past papers. They allow you to identify misconceptions, track individual progress, and adapt your teaching accordingly.
When formative assessment is done well, it’s low-stakes, highly responsive, and directly informs your next steps. For example, a quick exit quiz or targeted questioning during a lesson can reveal whether students have grasped a key concept. Rather than simply moving on to the next topic because it’s “in the scheme,” you can pause, reteach, or provide additional support where it’s needed.
Diagnostic assessment: A more targeted approach
Diagnostic assessments go one step further by helping you identify specific areas of weakness or gaps in knowledge. These assessments are particularly useful in the lead-up to SATs, as they provide precise information about which areas need more focused teaching. Unlike past papers, which give a broad overview of performance, diagnostics drill down into key areas, allowing for targeted intervention.
For instance, if a diagnostic assessment reveals that a pupil struggles with converting fractions to decimals, you can revisit this concept in a small group session, using concrete resources or visual models to deepen understanding. This targeted, curriculum-linked support is far more effective than simply giving that pupil more practice papers in the hope they’ll eventually “get it.”
The misleading nature of past paper scores
One of the biggest misconceptions is that the scores from past papers offer a reliable measure of progress. While these scores can provide a rough indication of where students are, they’re often misleading. A pupil might score well due to familiarity with the format, even if their understanding of key concepts remains shaky. Conversely, a pupil might score poorly due to anxiety, despite having a good grasp of the material. Not all past papers are deemed to be of equal difficulty. Some of the past SAT papers contained content that some pupils found particularly hard to connect with, so using this as a first test and then a second at a later date with more accessible content is not a measure of true progress! Merely a measure of the level of engagement! Everyone will have their own view but perhaps some will agree that the 2019 Reading text on the development of shipping containers was never going to inspire many Year 6s.
Rather than fixating on scores, it’s more valuable to focus on the diagnostic information these tests can provide. What types of questions are pupils struggling with? Are there patterns of errors that indicate a lack of understanding in a particular area? By delving into the details, you can plan targeted interventions that address specific needs, rather than broadly reteaching content they’ve already mastered.
Conclusion: A balanced strategy for SATs success
It is essential to strike a balance between curriculum coverage, formative assessment, and strategic testing. Prioritising a rich and varied Year 6 curriculum that promotes deep understanding ensures that your pupils have the knowledge and skills to tackle any question, rather than just the ones they’ve seen before. By integrating diagnostic assessments and purposeful testing into your teaching, you can provide targeted support that truly drives progress, rather than just boosting practice test scores.
Remember, the goal in Year 6 isn’t to prepare pupils for tests but to equip them with the knowledge, skills, and confidence needed for the next stage of their education and beyond. By prioritising a rich, well-sequenced curriculum over test preparation, you’re fostering a love of learning and setting each and every pupil up for long-term success.
For ideas and support on how to shape a rich and meaningful curriculum, while balancing the demands of the statutory assessment activities join one of our Year 6 training courses:
