St Andrew’s CE Primary School and Nursery
Tower Hill
Much Hadham
Herts SG10 6DL
Head teacher: Mrs Judy King
Tel : 01279 842626 Fax : 01279 841070
Email :
Website:
25th April 2016
Dear Parents,
As you will be aware, in the week beginning Monday 9th May, Year 6 will be sitting the Key Stage Two National Curriculum Tests for Maths and English (more commonly known as SATs).
The English test will consist of a Reading Comprehension paper and a Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling paper.The Mathematics test will be made up of three separate papers testing arithmetic and reasoning skills. (Please note that there will be no writing test as this will be assessed based on a portfolio of the children’s ongoing writing).
Many of you will have already seen the video explaining the new style tests. If you would like to watch this again, or have not yet seen it, please visit our school website at: You will find a link to the video on the Year 6 class page. As a result of these tests, children will receive a raw score and a standardised score. A standardised score of 100 would indicate that they are working at the expected standard for the end of Year 6.
The table below shows the dates on which the tests will occur. All tests will take place in the mornings.
Monday 9th May / Tuesday 10th May / Wednesday 11th May / Thursday 12th MayEnglish
Reading test
(60 minutes) / English
Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling test
Paper 1 Short answer questions
(45 minutes)
Paper 2 Spelling
(15 mins approx.) / Mathematics
Paper 1
Arithmetic Test
(30 minutes)
Mathematics
Paper 2
Reasoning test
(40 minutes) / Mathematics
Paper 3
Reasoning test
(40 minutes)
We would like to take this opportunity to remind you that this will be a very important week for Year 6 and that all children must attend school during the week of the tests. Children must arrive promptly in time for the start of school. Should your child be feeling ill, please send them to school (unless it is a genuine emergency) as more often than not it may simply be a case of nerves. If necessary, we can make arrangements for a child who is feeling unwell to take the test in a separate room.
The children have been working very hard over recent weeks to revise and prepare for the tests. Continuing advice about what can be done at home to help them prepare, is included on the next page. Many thanks for your support in this. We are extremely proud of the children for all that they have achieved during their time in Year 6, both in English & Maths and in the many other areas of learning. We are also very proud of the great citizens they have become.
Kind regards,
Miss Broomfield (Year 6 teacher)
Revision for the National Tests
Why revise?
Year 6 will be tested on what they have learned throughout the whole of Key Stage 2 in English and Maths. Revision allows the children to revisit areas that they may not have covered for some time and helps refresh their memories in order that they are able to perform to their true ability in the tests.As well as helping them prepare for the tests, re-visiting learning can also help ensure that the children are ‘secondary-ready’.
How will revision be carried out in school?
In English we have been preparing for the Reading Test during Guided Reading sessions, by familiarising the children with different styles of test questions. Before Easter, they completed a timed practice test and will be given another opportunity to practice working to time in a test before the real thing. We are revising grammar, punctuation and spelling during our English lessons using a mixture of activities, games, practice questions and quizzes.
In Maths, our current focus is also on revision. Again a mixture of games, practice questions, presentations and quizzes are being used. We are also using our Guided Maths sessions to revisit different topics.
Revision at home
Homework:
Homework in Maths will continue to be given out on a Thursday and will be based on a Maths topic we have revised that week. In addition to this, the children will receive a grammar revision sheet to complete. Both sets of homework will include ‘test-style’ questions. Children should also be continuing to read regularly and practising their weekly spellings.
Additional Revision:
It has so far beenevident that many of the children have been using their revision books very effectively to prepare for the tests. As parents you will know your children best, and it is important to ensure that any extra revision is in moderation and does not become too stressful. We would recommend a maximum of 30 minutes on any given evening; this will help ensure that the children also rest well so that they are at their best during the school day. Suggestions of revision resources children may wish to use are listed below:
Revision Books
CGP Maths and English Revision books were loaned to all children back at the last Parent/Teacher Consultation Evening. The Scholastic question books (as recommended in the last class information letter) are also being used well by many children for question practice. Revision books are best used after a revision lesson at school on a particular topic, or for extra practice on topics that your child is less confident with.
Over-learning Cards
Over-learning cards are a great way of revising Maths and Grammar vocabulary. Having used these in school, the children should be familiar with how to make and use them at home should they wish to do so.
Websites
There are some great Maths and English videos and activities on Espresso,which the children can access via a link on their DB Primary account. Mathletics is also useful for Maths revision.