SATs preparation and tutoring

SATs are formal National Curriculum tests designed to assess your child's level against the national average. Students sit the tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The tests help schools assess your child's understanding of multiple skills and concepts. The government uses the information to measure progress and help schools to maintain certain levels.

Everything your child is doing at school leads up to the SATs exams. You can support them by helping with homework, reading together daily, and practicing spellings and times tables whenever possible. Explore Learning tuition is a way to complement and support the work they are doing at school, so they are equipped with the tools to reach their potential in the exams.

There are four things you can do that will help your child in their upcoming exams.

1. Practise mental maths

2. Encourage your child to read

3. Focus on problem-solving

4. Work through SATs practice papers together.

Key Stage 1 SATs take place at the end of year 2. These are assessed and marked internally by teachers.

Since September 2023, the KS1 SATs are optional and offered at the school's discretion.

Key Stage 2 SATs mark the end of year 6. The results are published by the government. Students are assessed in a formal exam setting and tests are marked externally.

Both SATs focus on core maths and English skills.

We don't set homework but we do provide unlimited access to our learning resources so that your child can practise at home whenever they like.

There’s so much you can do to help your child excel in the SATs, but you should never feel pressured by the process. You can begin by accessing free SATs questions from our online SATs resources, answering questions about maths and English throughout your day, or practising times tables as you play with your child. Explore Learning offer tailored SATs tuition to support your child in the lead up to the exams to help them succeed. 

Explore Learning members studying for maths SATs and English SATs receive access to learning materials, question samples, and practice papers that you can download easily from your members’ area. These preparation materials, along with expert SATs tuition with our tutors, will provide the support your child needs to prepare for the exams.

There’s no perfect way to revise for the SATs because every child works differently. Try different methods, including reading aloud, writing, or listening to lessons, to gauge the technique that works best for your child. After a few tuition sessions, our expert maths and English tutors can also give tips on which techniques would best suit your child’s learning style.

Primary schools will typically begin preparation for SATs starting from January. Students will be exposed to multiple revision cycles and practice SATs questions that will gradually increase until Easter. Just before the exams, schools will prepare mock tests for students to be fully prepared and ready to go.

The government sets specific standards that students should meet to be at the national level in comparison to other students in their age group. The expected standard differs for writing, reading, and maths, but the concept is the same across the different tests. Results will indicate whether students are working below, at, or above the expected standard. In all cases, the results are simply there to indicate the areas where students can develop and where teachers need to support them.

Your child has been preparing for the SATs in their lessons at school since they started Year 3. Explore Learning offer tuition from ages 4-16 and will support your child in all areas of the National Curriculum. It's never too early to start and we'll always tailor your child's lessons to suit their individual skill levels whether they're working below, at or above their current school content.