Year 6H

KS2 Year 6 SATs Dates - May 2026

What are SATs?

SATs (Standard Assessment Tests) are tests taken to assess the progress of a child’s learning. At primary schools, SATs tests are taken in Year 2 and Year 6. 

SATs allow teachers to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of each child in their class. Plus, the assessments also allow teachers to compare each child with other children in their class and with their peers across the country.

In addition, SATs are also useful for assessing the progress of a child as they move from one Key Stage to another (hence why they happen at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2).

Also, SATs are also used by local authorities and the Department for Education to identify schools that are struggling or performing well.

When do Year 6 SATs take place?

Year 6 SATs always take place in May. In the case of SATs in 2026, SATs week will begin on Monday 12th May. This means that children have all of the academic year to prepare for their SATs.

During KS2 SATs, Year 6 children are tested on their understanding of various English and Maths topics.

When are Year 6 SATs Results released?

Although the SATs dates for 2026 are in May, the test results are not released until towards the end of the summer term. This is because even though the SATs tests are taken within the classroom, they are marked externally.

Once the results have been returned, parents are given a report that shows their child’s raw score (the actual number of marks they got), their scaled score (which allows for comparison with all other children across the country who took the same test), and whether or not they have achieved the national standard.

Helping children prepare for SATs

Teachers will often use past SATs practice papers to help children in their class prepare for their assessments. Taking these practice papers and learning about the questions that have been asked previously will help children feel more comfortable with the exams that they’re about to take.

As a parent there’s a lot you can do to help your child prepare for their exams before the SATs test dates come around in May. As well as helping them complete their homework throughout the year, you can help your child revise for their SATs as it gets closer to Year 6 SATs week. Helping them revise little and often is much better than stressing them out with long revision sessions.

It’s important to make sure that you don’t place too much pressure on your child. The more relaxed you are, the more relaxed your child will be, which means they are likely to perform better during SATs week.

What SATs papers do children take?

Children take the same Year 6 SATs paper type every year, and they always take the papers in the same order.

On the first day of Year 6 SATs dates for 2026, children will take two SATs English papers. These are the English Spag Paper 1, which focuses on short answer questions, and English Spag Paper 2, which is a spelling test. On the second day of SATs, they will take the English Reading Paper, which will conclude their English tests.

On the third day of SATs week, children take two Maths SATs papers. These are Mathematics Arithmetic (Paper 1) and Mathematics Reasoning (Paper 2).

On the fourth day of SATs week, children take their final SATs paper: Mathematics Reasoning (Paper 3).