This page is about schools in England. It does not cover Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
KS2 SATs results 2026: national attainment
The DfE's Key stage 2 attainment release, published 10 September 2026 and updated 16 September 2026, reports provisional results for the academic year 2025/26. The latest official figures below show England's attainment in reading, writing, maths and science, including reading, writing and maths combined. The source is the release's Attainment by school characteristics dataset, selecting All schools and the national totals.
Reading and maths outcomes come from tests; writing and science use teacher assessment. In the combined higher standard, pupils have a scaled score of 110 or more in reading and maths and are working at greater depth in writing. The release defines these measures in About these statistics.
For school-level results, access to performance data and inspection information, use the school data guide and Ofsted guide.
The assessment arrangements for 2026 to 2027
The STA's 2027 key stage 2 assessment and reporting arrangements, updated 14 October 2026, cover the academic year 2026 to 2027. References to ARA sections below are to that edition. Section 1 explains that the ARA contains both legal provisions and guidance that is not part of the law.
Headteachers of participating schools have a duty to ensure the ARA is implemented, staff comply with it and its deadlines are met. They must consider every pupil's needs and, where possible, put suitable access arrangements in place (section 4.1). Maintained schools, including maintained special schools, must administer the statutory assessments. Academies must do so where their academy agreement requires them to follow the assessment guidance. Independent schools may choose to take part in one or more end-of-KS2 subjects; participating independent schools must follow the ARA. Non-maintained special schools may participate but are not required to do so (section 14.1).
When are the KS2 SATs in 2027?
The statutory test week runs from Monday 10 May to Thursday 13 May 2027. ARA section 3.3 sets this order:
- Monday 10 May: English grammar, punctuation and spelling Paper 1: questions, then Paper 2: spelling.
- Tuesday 11 May: English reading.
- Wednesday 12 May: Mathematics Paper 1: arithmetic, then Paper 2: reasoning.
- Thursday 13 May: Mathematics Paper 3: reasoning.
Schools must administer tests on the scheduled days. Headteachers decide the start time; all pupils should take each test at the same time where possible. Tests must never be taken before their scheduled day (ARA section 7.2).
Headteachers must ensure pupils are registered on the National Curriculum Assessments Portal, including pupils who will not participate. Registration runs from Monday 8 February to Friday 5 March 2027. New arrivals must also be added; registration data can be updated until 11:59pm on Thursday 20 May 2027 (ARA sections 4.1 and 6.2).
Access arrangements and deadlines
The 2027 access arrangements guidance, updated 12 October 2026, distinguishes applications, notifications and school-delegated arrangements. Headteachers and teachers must decide whether pupils need arrangements before administering tests. Support must never advantage the pupil, change the questions or replace the pupil's own answers. Schools must have current documentation showing why the pupil needs the support (introduction and section 1).
Applications: section 2 requires advance permission for additional time, early opening and compensatory marks for spelling, subject to the automatic additional-time entitlements below. Forms open on Monday 8 February 2027. The deadlines are:
- Friday 5 March 2027: early opening applications. Schools must apply if they need to open papers more than one hour before the test to make complex adaptations.
- Monday 19 April 2027: compensatory marks for spelling applications, for qualifying pupils with a profound hearing impairment who cannot access the spelling paper and will take the questions paper.
- Thursday 20 May 2027: additional time applications. Where an application is needed, it must be made before the pupil takes a test with additional time; schools must await the outcome before acting.
Pupils with an EHC plan automatically qualify for up to 25% additional time in all tests. Pupils using modified large print or braille tests automatically qualify for up to 100% additional time. Schools do not need to apply for these automatic entitlements (access guidance, section 2, Additional time).
Notifications: schools must notify STA if a pupil uses a scribe, transcribe, word processor or other technical or electronic aid. Notification forms are available from Monday 26 April to Friday 21 May 2027 and must be submitted before the KS2 headteacher's declaration (access guidance, section 3; ARA section 3.2).
School-delegated arrangements: written or oral translations, readers, supervised rest breaks and prompters do not require approval or notification when they reflect normal classroom or testing practice. Schools must have evidence of that routine support and follow the restrictions for each test. A reader cannot read the texts or questions in the English reading test (access guidance, section 4).
For modified test materials, headteachers must consider pupils' needs and place orders by Friday 13 November 2026 (ARA section 4.1).
Timetable variations: a different time or day
The timetable variation guidance, updated 12 October 2026, allows multiple sittings between 7am and 7pm on the scheduled day without STA approval. Headteachers must ensure pupils taking a later sitting cannot access materials or discuss content with pupils or staff involved in earlier sittings (section Administering a test in multiple sittings on the scheduled day).
To move a test to a later day, schools must apply on the NCA Portal and receive STA approval before administering it. An approved variation allows up to 5 school days after the scheduled test day. Applications run from Monday 8 February to Thursday 20 May 2027 (ARA section 6.4; timetable guidance, Making an application).
The timetable guidance's Administering a test after the scheduled day section lists acceptable reasons and exclusions. Family holidays, unauthorised absences and staff absences are not permitted reasons. A pupil who has started a test and left test conditions cannot use a variation to finish it.
When do schools get 2027 results and scaled scores?
Results will be available on the NCA Portal from 7:30am on Tuesday 6 July 2027. STA will publish the raw-score-to-scaled-score conversion tables on the same day. Marked script images will also be available that day; scripts marked on paper will be returned by that date (ARA sections 9.2–9.3).
For pupils who take every test paper in a subject, schools receive a raw score, a scaled score and confirmation of whether the pupil met the expected standard, except that pupils with too few marks to receive the lowest scaled score do not receive a scaled score. STA's Understanding scaled scores at key stage 2, updated 6 July 2026, explains these requirements in Range of scaled scores and the expected standard.
- 100 or more means the pupil met the expected standard in the test.
- The scaled score range is 80 to 120.
- Raw marks are converted to scaled scores; the raw mark needed for 100 can change each year as test difficulty changes (section What is a scaled score?).
Schools can apply for a marking review where there is evidence of an incorrectly applied mark scheme or a clerical error. The deadline is 11:59pm on Friday 16 July 2027, with outcomes returned on Wednesday 8 September 2027 (ARA section 9.4).
Writing and science teacher assessment
The KS2 teacher assessment guidance 2027, updated 14 October 2026, requires teachers to use the English writing and science frameworks for pupils who have completed the relevant programmes of study and are working at the standard of national curriculum assessments (section 5.2).
Writing has 3 standards: working towards the expected standard, working at the expected standard and working at greater depth. Science has one standard: working at the expected standard (section 5.3). Section 5.2 explains the pre-key stage standards and engagement model for pupils working below the national assessment standard.
Teachers' writing judgements must only use independently produced writing. Writing produced in full or part by AI, or edited or rewritten following AI feedback, is not independent evidence (section 6.2).
Headteachers must ensure judgements accurately assess pupils' attainment and submit KS2 teacher assessment data by Tuesday 29 June 2027. Local authorities undertake external moderation of English writing from Monday 7 June to Tuesday 29 June 2027 (ARA sections 4.1 and 3.2).
After test scripts have been collected and online attendance registers submitted, headteachers must submit the KS2 declaration by 5pm on Friday 28 May 2027, including where all pupils are working below the test standard or cannot access the tests (ARA section 4.1).
Year 4 multiplication tables check
The multiplication tables check is statutory for Year 4 pupils in maintained schools and academies, including maintained special schools and special academies. Schools must administer it unless the headteacher decides participation is inappropriate, in which case the reason must be recorded on the MTC service. Non-maintained special schools may choose to participate but are not required to do so. Independent schools cannot participate (ARA sections 10.2, 4.1 and 14.1).
- The check covers tables up to 12, using 25 timed questions (section 10.1).
- The main check period is Monday 7 June to Friday 18 June 2027. Schools must use Monday 21 June to Friday 25 June 2027 for pupils absent during the main period or delayed by technical difficulties (section 10.1).
- Headteachers must submit the MTC declaration by 5pm on Friday 25 June 2027, once every pupil has completed the check or been recorded as not taking it (section 10.1).
- Results are available from Monday 28 June 2027, provided the declaration has been submitted and pupils' statuses are complete. DfE does not publish school-level MTC results (section 10.3).
Reporting to parents and leading assessment
Headteachers of maintained schools, including maintained special schools, must prepare annual reports for parents and arrange for parents to discuss them with their child’s teacher. Reports must be available before the end of the summer term. Academy trusts’ requirements are set out in their academy agreements. At the end of KS2, the report must include national curriculum test results, including scaled scores and whether the pupil met the expected standard, writing and science teacher assessment outcomes, and an explanation where tests were not taken or teacher assessment was not completed (ARA sections 12.1–12.2).
Read the community's SATs week discussion alongside the official arrangements. The assessment lead, subject leader, headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher role pages cover the wider role. Prepare with the headteacher interview guide and organise the assessment year with the School Leader Planner®.