Statutory Assessment Information

At Grappenhall Heys Primary School, we assess children continuously via ongoing, informal teacher assessment and tests. This information is regularly reported to parents and shared with our children where appropriate. Assessments are divided into two categories: statutory and optional. Children have to do statutory assessments at various points in their school life under current government legislation. There are statutory assessment points in Reception, Year 1, Year 4 and Year 6. In all year groups, we carry out internal formal and informal assessment. Regular teacher assessment alongside termly slightly more formal assessments support staff in building a picture of individuals within each class and help us monitor and track their attainment and progress; understand gaps and misconceptions in learning and ensure that all children are supported to achieve their potential.

In all year groups, children's progress and attainment is shared with parents during Parents' Evenings and in End of Year Reports.

The statutory assessments requirements for primary school-aged children are as follows: 

End of Reception / Early Years:

At the end of Reception, parents and carers will receive a sheet showing their child’s attainment in the 17 areas of learning. If your child is at ‘expected’ they have achieved what is called ‘The Early Learning Goals’. This means they are meeting the level of development expected at the end of Early Years. If children are not at the expected level at the end of Reception, they are classed as emerging. Teachers use their professional judgement to make these assessments, based on their knowledge and understanding of what a child knows, understands and can do. For a child to have a Good Level of Development (GLD), they need to have achieved 'expected' in all areas of the EYFS curriculum with the exception of ‘Understanding the World’ and ‘Expressive Arts and Design’. The GLD is a government measure for attainment in the Early Years and children are assessed against their progress in:

The Prime Areas:

  • Personal, social and emotional development (PSE)
  • Communication and language
  • Physical Development.

The Specific Areas:

  • Literacy
  • Mathematics
  • Understanding the world - not part of the Good Level of Development assessment criteria
  • Expressive arts and design - not part of the Good Level of Development assessment criteria

The Early Learning Goals describe the level of development expected at the end of Reception. See our Early Years page for more information. 

Early years Foundation Stage: Exemplification Materials.

 

End of Year 1: 

At the end of Year 1, children undergo a Phonic Screening Check to see if they meet the required government standard. Children who do not meet the required standard in Year 1, repeat the check in Year 2. The pass mark in 2023 was 32 out of 40.

 

C​lick here for Phonics Screening Check Information for Parents

 

What is Phonics?

Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skilfully. They are taught how to:

  • recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes;

  • identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make - such as ‘sh’ or ‘oo’; and

  • blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word.

​Children can then use this knowledge to ‘decode’ new words that they hear or see. This is the first important step in learning to read.

 

Why Phonics?

Research shows that when phonics is taught in a structured way - starting with the easiest sounds and progressing through to the most complex – it is the most effective way of teaching young children to read. It is particularly helpful for children aged 5 to 7. We teach reading through a systematic synthetic phonics programme of teaching using Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised

Almost all children who receive good teaching of phonics will learn the skills they need to tackle new words. They can then go on to read any kind of text fluently and confidently, and to read for enjoyment. Children who have been taught phonics also tend to read more accurately than those taught using other methods, such as ‘look and say’. This includes children who find learning to read difficult, for example those who have dyslexia.

 

What is the Phonics Screening Check?

The phonics screening check is a quick and easy check of your child’s phonics knowledge. 

 

How does the check work?

  • Children will sit 1:1 with a teacher they know and will be asked to read 40 words aloud.

  • Children may have read some of the words before, while others will be completely new.

  • The check normally takes just a few minutes to complete and there is no time limit. If a child is struggling, the teacher will stop the check. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child.

     

The 2024 check will take place during the month of June.

 

What are ‘non-words’?

The phonics check will contain a mix of real words and ‘nonwords’ (or ‘nonsense words’). Your child will be told before the check that there will be non-words that he or she will not have seen before. Many children will be familiar with this because in school we already use ‘non-words’ when we teach phonics. Non-words are important to include because words such as ‘vap’ or ‘jound’ are new to all children. Children cannot read the non-words by using their memory or vocabulary; they have to use their decoding skills. This is a fair way to assess their ability to decode.

 

After the check:

We share details of how your child has done in the Phonics Screening Check in the End of Year reports handed out in July. All children are individuals and develop at different rates. The screening check ensures that teachers understand which children need extra help with phonic decoding.

 

Helping your child with phonics:

Phonics works best when children are given plenty of encouragement and learn to enjoy reading and books. Parents play a very important part in helping with this.

 

Some simple steps to help your child learn to read through phonics:

  • Ask your child’s class teacher about the school’s approach to phonics and how you can reinforce this at home. For example, the teacher will be able to tell you which letters and sounds the class is covering in lessons each week.

  • You can then highlight these sounds when you read with your child. Teaching how  sounds match with letters is likely to start with individual letters such as ‘s’, ‘a’ and ‘t’ and then will move on to two-letter sounds such as ‘ee’, ‘ch’ and ‘ck’.

  • With all books, encourage your child to ‘sound out’ unfamiliar words and then blend the sounds together from left to right rather than looking at the pictures to guess. Once your child has read an unfamiliar word you can talk about what it means and help him or her to follow the story.

  • Your child’s teacher will also be able to suggest books with the right level of phonics for your child. These books are often called ‘decodable readers’ because the story is written with words made up of the letters your child has learnt. Your child will be able to work out new words from their letters and sounds, rather than just guessing.

  • Try to make time to read with your child every day. Grandparents and older brothers or sisters can help, too. Encourage your child to blend the sounds all the way through a word.

  • Word games like ‘I-spy’ can also be an enjoyable way of teaching children about sounds and letters. You can also encourage your child to read words from your shopping list or road signs to practise phonics.

     

End of Year 2 (Key Stage 1):

U​p until May 2023, children in Year 2 were given statutory assessments. However, from 2023-24, that is no longer the case. Children still complete informal assessments in class and parents are informed of their child's attainment against the curriculum in the End of Year reports.

End of Year 4 (Key Stage 2):

During the week commencing Monday 10th June 2024, all Year 4 children will take an online multiplication test; this is called the Multiplication Tables Check. Year 4 will be tested on their multiplication tables up to 12 x 12. There are twenty-five questions and children have six seconds to answer each question with three seconds between questions. The following link will help your child prepare for the statutory check: https://mathsframe.co.uk/en/resources/resource/477/Multiplication-Tables-Chec

C​lick here for Multiplication Tables Check information for Parents.

 

End of Year 6 (Key Stage 2):

In Year 6, children sit the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum tests, also known as SATs in May. This year, the tests are held the week beginning Monday 13th May 2024. These tests assess children's reading, maths and spelling punctuation and grammar knowledge and are marked externally.

 

 

Results are sent to school in July and are shared with parents in children's End of Year reports. This report will include test results (including raw and scaled scores) and teacher assessment judgements (for writing and science).

• A scaled score of 100 means a child is working at the expected standard for the end of the key stage.

• A scaled score below 100 indicates that a child may need more support to help them reach the expected standard.

• A scaled score above 100 suggests a child is working above the expected standard for the key stage.

The highest scaled score a child can achieve is 120. At present a scaled score of 110 and over is considered as a high level of attainment (basically the equivalent of Greater Depth in writing). 

 

Teacher Assessment:
Please note for teacher assessment ‘working towards’ and ‘working at greater depth’ are only awarded for writing. So basically apart from writing, a child can only be ‘at the expected standard’ or ‘not at the expected standard’ in science. Those judged to be at Greater Depth in writing are working above the national expected standard.

 

P​lease click on our SATs Information Presentation for further information. This includes examples of tests questions, test dates and an explanation of scaled scores.


There is no reason to worry. The End of Key Stage 2 assessments are a way of making sure every child has mastered the basics when they leave  primary education. The results help teachers identify where children may need extra help and support as they move to secondary school. If you have any questions about your child’s results and what support they might need to do well in secondary school, please speak to us. Some children won’t take the tests if school feel that they are working below the standard of the tests. If this is the case for your child, their teacher will have spoken to you earlier in the year and will assess them separately using different national measurements, called pre-key stage standards. For some children, we put access arrangements in place - this may be using specific coloured paper, giving children additional time or working with breaks or in a separate room to the majority of the class. For some of these arrangements, schools must apply, others are at a school's discretion and based on usual classroom practice. Your child's teacher will discuss these access arrangements if they are appropriate for your child.