Why SATs Matter5 min readLatest
When Do KS2 SATs Results Come Out in 2027?
KS2 SATs results for 2027 are scheduled to reach schools on Tuesday 6 July 2027. Here's when parents get them, and when the secondary school sees them.
M
MichaelWhat helps children remember (and what wastes their time)
I write about the research behind SATs practice.
What Works3 min read
Fronted Adverbials: 30 Examples Your Child Will Actually Recognise
Thirty fronted adverbial examples grouped by what they tell you, why children who know the definition still drop the mark, and a five-minute fix.
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What Works3 min read
Thirty School Weeks Until SATs 2027
About thirty school weeks separate September from SATs 2027. Turn them into a calm Year 6 practice plan — fifteen minutes at a time.
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Why SATs Matter3 min read
The September Before SATs: What Actually Matters in the Autumn Term
Your child starts Year 6 next month and sits SATs in May 2027. Three things worth doing in the autumn term, and one thing not to.
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Why SATs Matter3 min read
SATs 2027: What's Changed, and What Hasn't
Same six papers, same four days, same scaled scores. What actually moves between years, what does not, and the test parents keep confusing with SATs.
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Access & Fairness3 min read
The Families Who Started in September
Two children, same class. One gets a tutor in September, one in March. The gap that opens is mostly calendar, and calendar is free.
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Why SATs Matter4 min read
Why the Year That Matters Most for SATs Isn't Year 6
Parents assume Year 6 decides SATs. The evidence points earlier — to Year 5 and the foundation years. Here's why, and what to do about it.
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The Product1 min read
A Daily Code to Crack and a Spelling Ladder to Climb
New this month: Vault Breaker, a daily code-cracking game the whole family can puzzle over, and a spelling ladder in Brainwave that shows the words your child has truly mastered.
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The Product2 min read
New Free SATs Tools and Guides for Every KS2 Parent
New this month: three free tools to plan revision, check SATs readiness and gauge reading — plus guides on the mistakes children make most and a Year 6 revision hub.
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Access & Fairness4 min read
SATs Aren't Won in Year 6: The Four-Year Head Start Any Family Can Give
The early-start SATs advantage isn't bought with tutoring — it's four years of little-and-often. Here's the head start any family can give.
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Why SATs Matter5 min read
The Multiplication Tables Check: A Parent's Complete Guide (2027)
Your child sits the Multiplication Tables Check in Year 4. What it is, when it happens, how it's scored, and how to help them prepare without the panic.
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What Works4 min read
Why the 9-Times Finger Trick Won't Beat the 6-Second MTC Clock
Your child knows their tables but froze in the check? Tricks compute the answer; the MTC tests recall. Here's the difference — and how to bridge it.
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Motivation & Engagement4 min read
The Best Order to Learn Times Tables (and Why 1 to 12 Is Backwards)
Most children learn their times tables 1, 2, 3 in order, which is almost backwards. The right sequence clears half the grid fast and leaves only the hard bit.
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Motivation & Engagement4 min read
What Is the Hardest Times Table? Really, It's Just 6 Facts
Strip out the easy patterns and repeated facts and only six times-table facts are genuinely hard. They are the same for almost every child, and very beatable.
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The Product1 min read
Brainwave: a Daily Word Game That Teaches Spelling
There's a new daily word game at SATs Arcade. It's free, there's a fresh word every day, and it teaches spelling as your child plays — at a level that suits them.
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What Works3 min read
How to Help Your Child With Inference Questions (KS2)
Inference is where Year 6 children lose the most reading marks — not because they can't read. Here's the simple home routine that builds the skill.
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What Works4 min read
The Year 3 to Year 6 Roadmap: What to Expect Each Year Before SATs
KS2 SATs are a four-year build, not a Year 6 sprint. Here's what to expect — and what actually matters — in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6.
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The Product2 min read
From Year 3 to 11+: What's New This Month
Big news this month at SATs Arcade — there's something for every age. New practice modes for Year 3, 4 and 5, parent guides for SATs week, and 11+ Prep is now live.
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Our Story6 min read
Reading Over Summer: The Year 6 to Year 7 Reading List That Won't Feel Like Homework
The summer before Year 7 is the best time of your child's reading life — six weeks, no curriculum, no pressure. Here's how to make it count without making it feel like school.
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Why SATs Matter7 min read
Year 6 to Year 7: What Changes in September (and What Doesn't)
From one teacher to fourteen. From a school bag to a locker. From the top of the school to the bottom. What actually changes in Year 7 — and what doesn't.
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Why SATs Matter6 min read
The Quiet Summer Skills That Matter More Than Your Child's SATs Score
The six weeks of summer holidays before Year 7 are when the most important secondary school skills are built — and almost none of them are academic.
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Why SATs Matter6 min read
Year 6 After SATs: What the Last Half of Summer Term Is Really For
Six or seven weeks of Year 6 left after SATs. Many families assume it's a write-off. It's actually the most important part of the year — here's what it's really for.
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Our Story4 min read
It's Over: How to Mark the End of KS2 SATs Without Overdoing It
Thursday afternoon, the final paper is done. The instinct is a big celebration. The right move is something quieter, warmer, and more memorable. Here's why.
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Our Story5 min read
Between the Maths Papers: A 10-Minute Confidence Reset
Wednesday evening of SATs week. Maths Paper 1 is done. Papers 2 and 3 are tomorrow. Here's the short, specific routine that calms the brain and walks into Thursday warm.
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Our Story5 min read
After the Reading Paper: Why Your Child Has Gone Quiet (And What It Means)
Tuesday evening of SATs week. The reading paper is the hardest of the four for most children. If yours is quiet, that's not bad news — but the response matters.
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Our Story5 min read
After Paper 1 (GPS): How to Wind Down a Year 6 Child Without Wind-Up
Monday evening of SATs week. GPS Paper 1 is done. Reading is tomorrow. The single biggest mistake parents make tonight is asking about today. Here's what to do instead.
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Our Story5 min read
The Night Before KS2 SATs: A Parent's Quiet Survival Guide
Sunday evening before KS2 SATs week. What to do in the last 12 hours that actually helps — and what to absolutely avoid, even though every instinct says otherwise.
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What Works4 min read
The KS2 SATs Equipment List: Sharpened, Packed, Ready
A specific, practical equipment checklist for KS2 SATs week. What goes in the pencil case, what stays at home, and the one thing nearly every parent forgets.
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Our Story6 min read
Parent Scripts for the Week Before SATs: What to Say, What Not to Say
The week before SATs is when most parents accidentally make it worse. Specific words to use — and specific ones to skip — across school runs, dinners and bedtimes.
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Our Story5 min read
What Year 6 Children Actually Eat the Week of SATs (and What to Avoid)
There's no magic SATs breakfast. But there are real, boring, evidence-based decisions about food, sleep and screens that move the needle in the final days.
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What Works7 min read
One Week to KS2 SATs: The Calm Last-Seven-Days Plan
The last full week before SATs, day by day. A plan that does less than you think and more than it looks.
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Wellbeing5 min read
When Year 6 Tears Mean 'I Can't' Not 'I Won't': Spotting Revision Overwhelm
Not all revision meltdowns are the same. Some are tiredness. Some are tactical. And some are the brain saying 'I have nothing left' — and that one needs a completely different response.
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What Works7 min read
Mock SATs at Home: How to Run One That Actually Helps (Without Tears)
Running a mock SATs at home is one of the highest-value things a parent can do — and one of the easiest to do badly. Here's the protocol that works.
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Our Story5 min read
Car Journeys, Walks and Washing Up: Year 6 Revision Hidden in Plain Sight
The most valuable revision your Year 6 child does this term won't happen at the kitchen table. It'll happen in the car, on the walk, and while you're washing up. Here's how.
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Wellbeing6 min read
The Last Holiday Before SATs: How to Revise Without Ruining It
The Easter break is the last real block before SATs. How much should your child actually revise over it? Less than you think, and a different kind too.
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Our Story6 min read
What Your Year 6 Child Is Actually Thinking About SATs (And What to Say Back)
They don't say much. That's not because they don't care. We've collected the things Year 6 children say about SATs — and the responses that land.
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What Works7 min read
Reading Paper Ambush: The Question Types That Catch Year 6 Children Out
The KS2 reading paper isn't won on vocabulary. It's won on the four question types that most Year 6 children answer the wrong way round. Here they are.
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What Works6 min read
The Three-Week Taper: Building KS2 SATs Stamina Without Burnout
Athletes don't train hardest the week before a race — they taper. With three weeks until KS2 SATs, here's how to apply the same principle to revision.
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Motivation & Engagement5 min read
Why Your Year 6 Child Sleeps Through Maths but Wakes Up for Roblox
It's not attention. It's not laziness. It's activation energy — and once you understand it, you understand why the SATs revision sheet stays in the bag and the iPad doesn't.
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Access & Fairness3 min read
53% of Affluent Families Have a SATs Advantage. It Has Nothing to Do With Ability.
53% of affluent families access private tutoring vs 31% of disadvantaged. The SATs gap starts at age 5 and never closes. Here's what actually works.
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What Works3 min read
Why 20 Minutes Every Evening Beats Two Hours on Sunday
Distributed practice is rated HIGH utility. Cramming produces tears. Here's what 20 minutes of evidence-based revision actually looks like.
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Our Story6 min read
What Makes Digital Learning Work (and What Doesn't)
The EEF says digital learning adds +4 months of progress — but only when designed well. A systematic review of gamification research reveals what "well" actually means.
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Our Story6 min read
368,000 Children Said the Same Thing
The largest ever survey of UK children. 368,000 voices. Their number one concern? Mental health. 61% feel their opinions aren't listened to. It's time to pay attention.
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What Works6 min read
The Science Says: Practice Testing Beats Highlighting
The most comprehensive review of learning techniques ever published rated highlighting LOW and practice testing HIGH. Here's what that means for your child's revision.
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Why SATs Matter7 min read
How Secondary Schools Use SATs Scores to Set Year 7
Many secondary schools use KS2 results to help place children in Year 7 sets. Once placed, children rarely move up. Here's what parents need to know.
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Wellbeing5 min read
SATs Stress: What 76% of Teachers Are Seeing
76% of primary teachers say SATs preparation increases pupil stress. But the problem isn't the test — it's how we prepare for it.
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Why SATs Matter6 min read
The £157,500 Question: KS2 Results and Lifetime Earnings
DfE research links a one standard deviation rise in KS2 English and maths to £157,500 more in lifetime earnings: a link, not a cause. We unpack what it means for Year 6 parents.
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Motivation & Engagement5 min read
Why Your Child Can Memorise 400 Pokémon but Not Their Times Tables
Your child can name every evolution chain but freezes at 7×8. It's not a memory problem — it's a design problem. Here's what gaming gets right that revision gets wrong.
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Practice built on this research
SATs Arcade puts these ideas to work in short KS2 practice sessions. The parent dashboard shows where your child may need help.
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