How to help your child prepare for end of year assessments

It is usual for children to undergo a series of assessments at the end of each academic year, with government Standardised Assessment Tests (SATs) at the end of Key Stage 1 and 2 (Year 2 and Year 6).

This year, the government have suspended the SATs following COVID school closures, but many schools are continuing to carry out assessments during the summer term to help support their own teacher assessments of each child and help to inform planning for future teaching and learning.

Many children feel the pressure of these assessments and especially this year, when maybe they are not feeling as confident and secure in their learning as in previous years.

Children coming to the end of Year 6, with already many changes ahead of them, may be worried about these results and this may affect their confidence. It is important to remember that these tests are a snapshot in time, do not affect their future aspirations, and that every child learns at their own speed and is unique and different.

Try setting time aside to talk to your child and asking them how they feel about these upcoming tests. They may be hiding their anxieties and not wanting to worry you or own up to not feeling confident in their learning.

• Reassure them that they just need to try their best and this is good enough for their family and teachers.

• Talk to them about how these tests are also used to help the teachers plan for how to help children more with their learning.

• Remind them that this has been a strange year with school closures and that, moving forward, they are not alone in their feelings. Many children will feel the same and there will be many opportunities to recap on areas they found difficult.

• Praise them about how amazing they have all been just for getting through this year and continuing much of their learning independently.

• Focus on their journey to the end of term and enjoying being back in school with their friends.