Free Year 6 SATs revision: a practical plan

What the tests cover

The official timetable schedules the 2027 KS2 tests from Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May. The government’s parent guide lists the papers:

• English reading: one paper with texts and questions.
• English grammar, punctuation and spelling: a questions paper and a spelling paper.
• Maths: one arithmetic paper and two reasoning papers.
• English writing and science: teachers assess these through classroom work; there are no separate KS2 tests in these subjects.

Results show whether a child has reached the expected standard. Secondary schools can use them to plan support. The results guide explains the scores and teacher assessments. Ask your child’s teacher how the assessments apply to them and what support is available.

Try a weekly plan, then adjust it

Here is one possible starting point for the spring term. The timings are suggestions, not a target every child must meet. Choose sessions that fit alongside the work school already sets.

• On two or three days, try about 10 minutes of arithmetic. Pick one calculation method, work through an example together, then try a few questions.
• On another day, spend 15–20 minutes on one topic from your checklist. Ask your child to explain a step so you can see where help is needed.
• Make room for reading and discussion. Ask what a character did and which words in the text helped your child work it out. On a different day, practise one grammar or punctuation point.
• Use a few past-paper questions to look at the test format. Check the answers together using the mark scheme. Ask the teacher when a timed paper would be useful.
• Leave days without extra revision. If a session becomes frustrating, stop and return to the question later or ask the teacher for help.

Review the plan each week. Keep what is useful, shorten sessions where needed and change the topic when your child is ready. There is no single amount of home revision that guarantees a particular score.

Choose a topic and a resource

Print the Year 6 Maths checklist and Year 6 English checklist. Mark the topics your child can explain, those that need practice and those where you are unsure. Use a question or a piece of schoolwork to help you decide; ask the teacher about any uncertain areas.

Open the matching topic on our Year 6 Maths or Year 6 English pages. Read the resource’s description and access label before choosing it. Use a worked example to revisit a method, or practice questions to try it independently. Check that the method matches what school is teaching.

If an earlier skill needs attention, look at the relevant Year 5 or Year 4 topic with the teacher’s guidance. For example, check multiplication and division before tackling a question about fractions.

The government publishes free past test materials and mark schemes. Choose the subject and year you need. The collection currently lists KS2 materials from 2024, 2025 and 2026.

Print the countdown planner

The SATs countdown planner has space for dates, a weekly focus and something that went well. Fill in the test week from the official timetable, then choose the topics you want to revisit before it.

Keep entries specific: “compare fractions with different denominators” is easier to act on than “do maths”. Use the final weeks to revisit remaining questions and become familiar with the papers, following the school’s advice.

In the “one thing that went well” column, record something you actually noticed: a calculation explained clearly, a corrected spelling or a question your child can now attempt independently. Use that observation when choosing the next step.