KS2 SATs results explained: what scaled scores mean for your child

KS2 SATs results arrive in July of Year 6, formatted as a scaled score from 80 to 120 for each paper. Here's how to read them and what they actually mean for your child's Year 7.

Scaled score 100 — the "expected standard"

A scaled score of 100 means your child has met the expected standard in that subject. Around 60% of children nationally hit 100+ in Reading, GPS and Maths. Hitting expected standard means your child is ready for the Year 7 curriculum at the standard pace.

Scaled score 110+ — "greater depth"

Children scoring 110+ are working at greater depth — meaning they comfortably exceed the expected standard. In many secondary schools they'll go into the top set for that subject. Roughly 25–30% of children hit 110+.

Below 100

A scaled score below 100 means your child is working towards the expected standard. They'll likely receive extra support in Year 7 — either through general setting, intervention groups, or pastoral check-ins. This isn't a label that follows them — secondary schools are well practised at supporting catch-up.

What the school does with the results

Secondary schools use SATs results (alongside CAT4 tests and the school's own baselines) to set children into ability groups, particularly for maths and English. Most schools re-assess by half-term to confirm initial setting.

What it doesn't mean

SATs results don't:

• Determine your child's eventual GCSE grades — KS2 to KS4 outcomes are weakly correlated for individual children
• Affect grammar-school admissions (grammars use the 11+, not SATs)
• Follow them into adulthood — these are formative, not summative

If you're disappointed

Year 6 SATs are one data point. A child who scores 95 isn't doomed; a child who scores 115 isn't guaranteed. The far more important predictors of long-term success are reading volume, work habits, and confidence — all of which you and the school can support in Year 7.

If you'd like targeted catch-up before Year 7 starts, our primary tutoring runs summer programmes specifically for this transition.