SATs 2025 Guide For Teachers and School Leaders: When Are SATs, What Are The Key Dates And How Best To Revise This Year

Find everything you need to know about SATs 2025 in our annual guide and one stop shop for the SATs 2025 primary assessments. You’ll find all the key SATs 2025 dates, information about administering the SATs process and applying for special consideration this year, and lots of essential resources for Year 6 teachers and school leaders.

Keep an eye out for links to the most accurate free practice SATs papers you’ll find, an analysis from all the previous SATs papers and SATs results and your list of hot topics to revise for the KS2 SATs 2025 maths papers.

This article is regularly updated with new information about the SATs 2025 as it becomes available.

When are SATs 2025 test dates?

As usual, the 2025 KS2 SATs dates fall in the second week in May. SATs in 2025 will be administered from Monday 12th to Thursday 15th May 2025.

• Monday 12th May 2025: Spelling, punctuation, and grammar (Grammar/Punctuation Test) – 45 minutes
• Monday 12th May 2025: Spelling, punctuation, and grammar (Spelling Test) – 20 minutes
• Tuesday 13th May 2025: Reading Paper (English) – 60 minutes
• Wednesday 14th May 2025: Maths Paper 1 (Arithmetic) – 30 minutes
• Wednesday 14th May 2025: Maths Paper 2 (Reasoning) – 40 minutes
• Thursday 15th May 2025: Maths Paper 3 (Reasoning) – 40 minutes

When are the KS1 SATs 2025?

In 2023 KS1 SATs became optional. It is now up to schools if they decide to administer them. If your school decides to take them, they will take place in May 2025. As schools have the flexibility, the exact dates of the KS1 SATs tests vary from school to school. Each school chooses their own dates within a certain range. Pupils usually sit the KS1 SATs in classrooms.

When is SATs Week 2025?

SATs week 2025 for Year 6 pupils in England is Monday, 12 May – Thursday, 15 May 2025. Over this period, pupils sit 6 core subject tests. English takes place at the beginning of the week and maths at the end.

• 3 English Tests: Grammar and Punctuation; Spelling and Reading
• 3 Maths Tests: Arithmetic, Reasoning, Reasoning

In addition, pupils must submit writing as part of their teacher-assessed Writing SATs. Some schools will be moderated for the writing assessment, which usually happens after SATs week.

What will the 2025 SATs test children on?

There are a total of 6 papers for the optional KS1 Standard Assessments. Usually, pupils do not sit these under timed conditions and the school marks the papers internally.

While they are not classified as SATs, pupils in Year 2 who did not pass the phonics screening check in Year 1 will be retested on the week of the 9th June 2025.

KS2 Standard Assessment Tests consist of 6 papers too. However, pupils sit these papers within time restrictions. These papers are sent back to be marked centrally with marks standardised around a score of 100. In addition, there is a teacher-assessed element in KS2 to establish a ‘Writing’ score.

Detailed breakdown of Year 2 national tests: KS1 SATs papers 2025

The KS1 SATs papers that schools can choose to give 6 and 7-year-olds in Year 2 in May 2025 take the following format:

KS1 maths SATs

• There are 2 papers.
• Paper 1 is a 25-mark arithmetic test which should take around 15 minutes.
• Paper 2 involves reasoning, problem-solving and mathematical fluency. This paper has 35 marks available, will last for roughly 35 minutes, and contains a variety of question types .

KS1 SPaG SATs

• There are 2 papers.
• Paper 1 is a 20-word spelling paper, comprising 20 marks. The spelling test should take around 15 minutes.
• Paper 2 consists of grammar and punctuation, with two sections taking around 10 minutes per section.

KS1 reading SATs

• There are 2 papers.
• Paper 1 consists of a variety of texts totalling between 400-700 words. There will be a number of questions for pupils to answer dotted throughout.
• Paper 2 consists of a reading booklet containing different passages of text. This will average out at roughly 900 words.

Detailed breakdown of year 6 national tests: KS2 SATs papers 2025

10 and 11-year-olds in Year 6 will sit the following compulsory KS2 SATs papers in 2025. In addition, primary schools will decide whether pupils are working at the expected standard for science.

KS2 English reading SATs in 2025

• There will be just one English reading paper with questions based on at least 3 different passages. Pupils will have 1 hour to complete the reading test which they will do in a specially provided answer booklet.

The KS2 SPaG SATs in 2025

• There will be a 20-word aural spelling test which should last around 20 minutes. Pupils will write the spellings in the provided booklet.
• There will also a written element which consists of an English grammar and punctuation paper, which will last for 45 minutes. Questions vary in format, including some multiple-choice questions.

The KS2 maths SATs in 2025

• There will be 3 mathematics papers.
• Paper 1 is an arithmetic paper, lasting for 30 minutes.
• Papers 2 and 3 are reasoning papers, lasting for 40 minutes each.

How to prepare for the maths KS2 SATs 2025

Preparation for KS2 SATs really does make a difference. The best approach to the KS2 SATs tends to be a blend of the following:

• Analysis of past papers and topics from you to see the sorts of questions that come up.
• Lots of practice for pupils on SATs questions, SATs strategies.
• A solid KS2 SATs revision programme that addresses any remaining knowledg gaps.
• Good quality SATs revision resources and teaching resources – hundreds available from the free Third Space Learning online maths hub.
• SATs practice papers – when the time is right, pupils will benefit from regular exposure to the kinds of papers they’ll face in their national curriculum tests.
• Bespoke maths interventions as needed.

Third Space Learning can help you with all of these.

GET THE ANALYSIS ON PREVIOUS SATS

SATs have been running in their current incarnation for 7 years; there were no government standardised assessments in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Get all the analysis and results from previous national assessments below.
And find out which are the top 20 year 6 maths revision topics to focus on this year.

– SATs papers 2024
– SATs results 2024
– SATs papers 2023
– SATs results 2023
– SATs papers 2022
– SATs results 2022
– SATs papers 2019
– SATs results 2019
– SATs papers 2018
– SATs results 2018
– SATs papers 2017
– SATs results 2017
– SATs results 2016

Where to find all the best revision resources for SATs 2025

• Visit our SATs papers hub which includes links to every possible practice SATs paper you could need from all suppliers (not just us)
• Download these 6 free SATs maths papers
• Choose from hundreds of SATs questions here including these 35 exemplar year 6 maths questions focused on the reasoning skills required for mathematics paper 2 and mathematics paper 3.
• Finally, if you still need more, take a look at the best SATs revision resources that other teachers have recommended.

Information for SLT and headteachers planning their SATs timetable for 2025

When will the KS1 SATs papers be released?

It is likely that the Standards and Testing Agency will release the KS1 SATs papers from embargo by early in June 2025. At this point, you can expect to receive both the test materials including the mark scheme and the scaled score conversion tables.

When do the KS1 SATs results 2025 come out?

Teachers mark the KS1 SATs internally following the Standards and Testing Agency mark scheme. Therefore, it is up to schools to decide when and if they share the results.

There is no obligation for schools to share the results of these tests with parents, but many include a summary of them in the end-of-year report.

When will the KS2 SATs 2025 papers be released?

Generally, based on previous years (excluding pandemic ones), the Standards and Testing Agency release the Key Stage 2 SATs papers at the end of May. This is usually around 2 weeks after pupils complete the KS2 SATs tests. When they come out of embargo you will have both the test papers and the answers and marks available.

When do the KS2 SATs results 2025 come out?

Standards and Testing Agency released the KS2 SATs results 2025 in July. While this date is not yet available, it is usually in the second week of July.

Schools will then receive both the raw score and the standardised score for every pupil, and whether or not they have reached ‘expected standard’ ie a standardised score of 100 or above.

When are the KS2 SATs results 2025 made public?

The next key date for KS2 SATs results is the publishing of the league tables. Each school’s performance is subject to wider scrutiny with their Ofsted report. During the pandemic years, this data wasn’t published but returned to public publishing in 2023 on the compare performance website. These usually appear in April of the following year so we can expect to see the KS2 SATs results 2025 made public in April 2026.

Test timing in your school

There is flexibility for schools to vary the test time between 7am and 7pm on the day of a SATs exam. Individual pupils or part of the cohort can take a test on the scheduled date but at a different time from the rest. In these circumstances, schools no longer need to submit a notification to the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) as was previously the case.

For further guidance on this from the STA, see how to apply for a timetable variation.

Special SATs consideration

Many schools do not apply for special consideration for pupils even though they are allowed to.

The following circumstances are all eligible for Special Consideration (if they have had some impact on the child, of course). This adds 3 to each pupil’s scaled scores (if the application is accepted).  

Note the 3 scaled score addition won’t show on your results on NCA tools, but the pupils are marked with a symbol to show it was granted, so you can add the 3 scaled score points.

• Bereavement of a family member or close friend within 12 months of the tests.
• The pupil, or a close family member, has a diagnosed terminal illness at the time of the tests.
• The pupil or a close family member has suffered a severe or permanent injury or illness or has undergone major surgery, in the 6 months prior to the tests.
• A serious domestic incident occurred within 2 weeks of the start of the tests.
• A longer-term major incident that occurred in the 6 months before the tests is still having an impact on the pupil at the time of the test.

Schools can usually apply for special consideration for from the Thursday of SATs week, and you have one week to do it.

Helpful GOV.UK links for KS1 and KS2 SATs 2024

Much of the key documentation is available from the Department for Education (DfE) on GOV.UK and updated for every academic year.

KS1: National Curriculum Assessments KS1 tests page. This includes:

• Key stage 1 assessment and reporting arrangements
• Key stage 1 calendar of SATs dates
• Access arrangements
• Test administration
• Maladministration

KS2: National Curriculum Assessments KS2 tests page. This includes:

• Key stage 2 assessment and reporting arrangements
• Key stage 2 planner
• Planning
• Access arrangements
• Test administration
• Monitoring visits
• Maladministration
• Results

In addition, you may need the following:

• Key Stage 1 Teacher Assessment Guidance and the 
• Key Stage 2 Teacher Assessment Guidance
• Future dates for primary assessment