Year 6 Maths — SATs Preparation and What Your Child Will Learn
Year 6 is SATs year. KS2 maths SATs take place in May 2026 across three papers — Paper 1 Arithmetic, Paper 2 Reasoning and Paper 3 Reasoning. Year 6 maths covers order of operations, algebra, ratio, advanced fractions and statistics. But analysis of the 2025 SATs papers shows the majority of marks test content from Years 3–5, so revision must cover the full primary curriculum.
What Your Child Will Learn in Year 6 Maths
What Children Often Find Difficult
What children struggle with
Common mistakes to watch for
How You Can Help at Home
Show working — method marks matter
KS2 SATs award method marks even when the final answer is wrong. A child who shows clear working on a 3-mark question can still score 2 marks with an arithmetic slip. Train this habit from September.
SATs week is May 2026
Paper 1 arithmetic is 30 minutes with no calculator. Papers 2 and 3 are reasoning. Calculations + FDP = 59% of all marks based on 2025 SATs analysis. Paper 2 is consistently the hardest paper.
Start in September, not January
Children who begin structured SATs preparation from September consistently achieve higher scaled scores than those who start in January. Early tuition builds confidence as well as knowledge.
KS2 SATs May 2026 — Full Paper Breakdown
Three papers: Paper 1 Arithmetic, Paper 2 Reasoning, Paper 3 Reasoning. 2025 breakdown: calculations 29%, fractions/decimals/percentages 30%, geometry 14%, statistics 11%, ratio 9%, algebra 7%. A scaled score of 110 or above is the expected standard. Structured tuition from September makes a measurable difference to outcomes.
Example Homework Questions
Question
3 + 4² × 2 = ? (use BODMAS)
Expected Answer
35
Skill Tested
Order of operations (BODMAS)
Question
Share £120 in the ratio 3:5.
Expected Answer
£45 and £75
Skill Tested
Ratio and proportion
Question
n + 15 = 32. What is n?
Expected Answer
17
Skill Tested
Simple algebra
KS2 SATs Are in May — Know Exactly Where Your Child Stands
Out of School gives parents a clear picture of SATs readiness across all three papers. You can see which arithmetic topics are secure, which reasoning skills need work, and exactly what homework has been set. No surprises in May — just a clear view of progress from September.
Topic-by-topic tracking
See which curriculum areas are strong and which need work — broken down by individual topic, not just a single percentage.
Homework visibility
Every piece of homework set is visible to parents in real time — questions, answers, and accuracy — as soon as the session ends.
Tutor reports
After every session, parents receive a progress update covering what was covered, what went well, and what to focus on next.