KS2 SATs 2027: dates, papers and scores

SATs dates for 2027

Monday 10 May 2027

English grammar, punctuation and spelling: Paper 1 (questions) and Paper 2 (spelling)

Tuesday 11 May 2027

English reading

Wednesday 12 May 2027

Maths Paper 1 (arithmetic) and Paper 2 (reasoning)

Thursday 13 May 2027

Maths Paper 3 (reasoning)

From Tuesday 6 July 2027

Schools can see their pupils’ results

By the end of the summer term

Parents receive the results and teacher assessments

A child who is absent on a test day may be able to sit the missed test up to 5 school days later, if the school applies for a timetable variation and the Standards and Testing Agency approves it. The 2028 tests are timetabled for Monday 8 to Thursday 11 May 2028.

The six papers

• Grammar, punctuation and spelling is out of 70, reading out of 50 and maths out of 110.
• There are no tests in writing or science. Teachers assess those from a child’s work across the year, and writing judgements may be moderated by the local authority.
• The tests only cover what the national curriculum says children should already have been taught by the end of Year 6.
• The multiplication tables check is a separate check in Year 4, not part of the SATs.

How SATs scores work

• Each subject’s raw mark is converted to a scaled score between 80 and 120.
• A scaled score of 100 or more means a child has met the expected standard. 99 or less means they have not met it yet.
• A scaled score of 110 or more is the higher standard.
• The raw mark needed for 100 can change from year to year, because each year’s papers differ slightly in difficulty. The conversion tables are published after the tests, so no practice paper can tell you in advance exactly what mark scores 100.
• Nationally, 63% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined in 2026, up from 62% in 2025.
• The child’s secondary school can see the results too, to plan how best to support them when they arrive.

SATs practice on Honest Mocks

We don't have SATs practice papers yet. We're working on them, starting with maths, and they'll appear here when they're ready, and not before. If you'd like to hear when they open, tell us. In the meantime, our 11+ mocks are open, and the Standards and Testing Agency publishes past SATs papers on GOV.UK.

Common questions

Are SATs pass or fail?

No. The Department for Education is clear that they are not pass or fail. They show how a child is doing at the end of primary school, help secondary schools support them from the start, and are used to report on schools’ performance.

Does my child need to revise for SATs?

The Department for Education says intensive revision isn’t needed, because the tests only cover what has already been taught, and that children shouldn’t be made to feel undue pressure. Teachers prepare the whole class. Some familiarity with how the papers look and how long each one lasts can still help a child feel calm on the day.

What is a good SATs score?

A scaled score of 100 or more in a subject means the expected standard has been met, and 110 or more is the higher standard. The tests are designed to stretch the most able pupils, so finding some questions hard is normal.

Can my child miss SATs?

The headteacher decides how each child takes part. Some children with special educational needs or disabilities take the tests with access arrangements, and some are assessed in a different way. If you are worried, talk to the school first.

Are SATs changing?

Not for 2027. The government has said assessment arrangements for 2026 to 2027 will remain unchanged, while future arrangements are reviewed after the Curriculum and Assessment Review that reported in November 2025.

Are SATs the same as the 11+?

No. The 11+ is a selection test for grammar schools, sat at the start of Year 6 by the families who choose it. SATs are national tests that every Year 6 pupil in a state school sits in May, after secondary school places have already been offered.

Where these facts come from

• Standards and Testing Agency: 2027 key stage 2 national curriculum tests, information for parents
• GOV.UK: Primary assessments, future dates
• GOV.UK: Understanding scaled scores at key stage 2
• Standards and Testing Agency: key stage 2 English grammar, punctuation and spelling test framework
• Standards and Testing Agency: key stage 2 English reading test framework
• Standards and Testing Agency: key stage 2 mathematics test framework
• Explore education statistics: key stage 2 attainment methodology
• Department for Education: KS2 SATs 2026, what parents need to know

Checked against these pages in October 2026. If anything here disagrees with them, theirs is right: please tell us and we'll fix it. Honest Mocks isn't affiliated with the Standards and Testing Agency or the Department for Education.