Prepare Your Child For KS2 SATS: A Comprehensive Guide
For many children around the UK, their KS2 SATs are the first big exam they’ll ever take – and it can be a daunting time. These exams are essentially a transition between primary schools to secondary education, and the grades your child achieves might determine which sets they’re put in for core subjects.
Primary schools also use these exams to evaluate the performance of their school and teaching staff. But for parents – the priority is ensuring their child does well in each subject.
While SATs aren’t as important as GCSEs or A-Levels, supporting your child ensures that they’ll be confident enough to approach the revision and exam process.
In this post, we’ll reveal some top tips to help your child prepare for their SATs.
Revision Tips
For most primary school children, these exams will be their first experience of proper revision and the SATs in year six are more serious than those your child will take at the key stage one level.
By helping your child revise for their exams, you can ensure they’re on the right track and feel confident in their abilities.
Create a Timetable
When it comes to revising for exams, each person is different, so it’s essential to think about your child’s needs.
For example, some children might prefer short revision sessions each day, while others might be better with a few hours on the weekend.
Base your child’s revision on their attention span, and don’t forget to try new techniques. Even ten minutes of revision each day is better than nothing.
Make Revision Fun
Revision should be interesting and making your child sit and do practice paper after practice paper might not be the best idea.
While your child should get an idea of what they can expect from the exam, making revision more interactive will retain their interest.
For example, you could do a weekly pocket money quiz, which determines how much money your child gets, or turn general tasks such as grocery shopping into a Maths test.
Don’t Forget About The Times Tables
Times tables make up a significant section of your child’s mathematics exam, so they should be comfortable enough without a calculator.
Again, you can make this a fun experience, but your child should be able to remember the times table with ease.
Use Previous Papers
Shops such as WHSmith always stock previous exams from the SATs, so you can get your child used to the format before they take their official exam.
Try not to focus your child too much on their final grade, and instead encourage them.
These previous exams are a great way to evaluate your child’s knowledge and help you decide which subjects or topics require more work.
Let Your Child Mark Their Own Paper
Letting your child mark their own paper can be a good idea because it enables them to see their mistakes and track their progress.
Instead of you telling your child where they went wrong, they can find out for themselves – which increases independence.
Tips to Support Your Child
Exams are a part of life, and supporting your child with them is vital. According to a report from Ofqual, 16.5% of students aged 14-16 would describe themselves as highly test-anxious, with females being more likely to experience anxiety than males.
If your child has a negative experience with their SATs, they might experience further anxiety regarding their GCSEs, so it’s essential to support them and encourage them.
Here are some top tips from our team.
Get a Tutor
While teachers will always be supportive, they have to support all students with exam preparation, and if your child needs some extra help, it might be worth getting a tutor.
An article by The Sun shows that children often struggle with the same subjects as their parents did – and mathematics is the most common. In some cases, the best way to support your child is to provide them with the outside support they need.
For example, Maths tutors could offer your child more bespoke support and help them understand more complex theories. A good tutor will also be able to prepare your child for the exams and give them the confidence to succeed.
Help Your Child With Time Management
All exams are time-limited, and if a child isn’t prepared, this can be the most stressful aspect of the SATs.
Time management is essential, and giving your child practice papers while monitoring their time can help with preparation.
Encourage Your Child to be Independent
While it’s tempting for many parents to sit their children down and hover over them while they revise, you should encourage your child to set their own goals.
As a person gets older, they become responsible for career choices and going after the things they want to achieve, which is why you should encourage and support your child – but also accept that they need to motivate themselves too.
Don’t Forget To Let Your Child Relax
Children spend five days a week at school, and then you have to factor in homework. It’s always a good idea to give your child some leisure time to do what they want, or they’ll quickly lose the passion for learning.
Think about your child’s favourite things, and ensure that they can play outside or use their games console after revision. This gives them a fun goal to work towards and means they’re more likely to focus on revising.
Speak to Teachers
Teachers know the subject areas that each child struggles with, and your child’s teacher will be able to give you advice on what you need to work on.
In some cases, your child might say they struggle in a subject they enjoy because they don’t want to work on their times tables!
By liaising with teachers that interact with your child each day, you can create a bespoke revision programme.
Final Thoughts
While the KS2 SATs won’t define your child’s future, they are an essential milestone. You – and your child – should take them seriously.
Remember, encouragement and support is essential during this time – and if you need some help along the way, please don’t hesitate to contact our tutoring service.