Key Primary School Assessments: Academic Year 2024 - 2025
In the 2024 - 2025 academic year, primary school teachers and headteachers need to implement several Department for Education (DfE) assessments to test for reading, writing, and numeracy skills at KS1 and KS2.
Here are the most important dates that primary school teachers and headteachers need to know when it comes to reading and writing (literacy) at KS1 and KS2 for the 2024 - 2025 academic year.
Since the new government came into office, we know the DfE is conducting several reviews of the education system. However, as we don’t yet know what changes will come in or when (or whether it will depend on the budget), these assessment dates for KS1 and KS2 stand for this academic year.
KS1 & KS2 Assessments: 2024 - 2025 Year
The Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA)
Since September 2021, it’s statutory that primary schools conduct a reception baseline assessment (RBA) to understand children’s abilities in:
- Language, communication, and literacy
- Mathematics
The Standards and Testing Agency (STA) contracted the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) to develop and deliver the RBA.
As per the guidelines, the RBA must be carried out in the first 6 weeks of a pupil starting in a reception class (Y1, KS1). In most cases, this needs to be completed
The final deadline is 5 November for headteachers to submit the headteacher’s declaration form (HDF) on the BeP. This means the RBAs need to be fully completed before then.
Early Years Foundation Stage Profile Assessment (EYFS)
The EYFS profile is a statutory assessment of children’s development at the end of the academic year in which children turn 5 in KS1 ⏤ before they’ve finished reception. Last year, the deadline was 30 June 2024.
For the 2024 - 2025 acedemic year, the DfE guidance remains unchanged (at the time of writing): "Schools must complete the early years foundation stage profile assessment between April and June of the acedemic year in which children turn 5, which is usually the reception year."
Optional Key Stage 1 tests (KS1)
Since 1 September 2023, it’s no longer statutory for teachers to administer tests at the end of Key Stage 1. The reception baseline assessment (RBA) was designed to replace this. However, if teachers want to give children these tests, they can do so in May 2025.
Key Stage 2 Tests (KS2): SATs
The statutory Key Stage 2 tests, also known as SATs, are an important assessment in the academic life of every primary school. These are the tests children, parents, and teachers worry about the most. Although they aren’t like GCSEs, the SATs show how far a child has come since starting primary school and can be compared against RBA scores from reception year.
When are the Key Stage 2 Tests in 2024 - 2025?
The KS2 SATS tests help to assess how well students are performing and the reading and numeracy abilities of children before they enter secondary school (KS3). According to the DfE, the 2025 SATs "are timetabled from Monday 12 May to Thursday 15 May 2025."
- Monday 12 May 2025: English grammar, punctuation, and spelling papers 1 and 2
- Tuesday 13 May 2025: English reading
- Wednesday 14 May 2025: Mathematics papers 1 and 2
- Thursday 15 May 2025: Mathematics paper 3
Schools must also administer the multiplication tables check within the 2-week period from Monday 2 June 2025. As we only focus on literacy, we haven’t published an article about this, as it’s unfortunately not something ReadingWise can help primary school teachers with.
Phonics Screening Check
The 2025 Phonics Screening Check will happen the week commencing Monday 9 June 2025.
ReadingWise Resources for Primary School (KS1 - KS2) Assessments 2024 ⏤ 2025
In 2018, as part of a government-funded study, the impact of ReadingWise Zip was explored in 17 schools across Year 1. The impact was promising, as the reading gap between chronological age and reading age closed in a short space of time.
ReadingWise Zip is extremely easy to deliver and, in effect, "fills in the gaps" in learners' phonics knowledge. The programme understands each child's strengths and weaknesses and focuses on the areas that need more work. ReadingWise Zip is not a full phonics programme, but a supplementary resource that can support and reinforce your phonics programme.
To trial ReadingWise Zip, please arrange a demo through the link below. We look forward to discussing your needs.
Find out everything you need to know about Zip and other ReadingWise modules for your primary school with our friendly, knowledgeable team.
Useful Links
Take a look at our other modules that could benefit your school. Over 300,000 pupils in UK schools have completed a ReadingWise programme to date.
ReadingWise programmes deliver significant improvements in reading fluency, reading skills, and literacy over a short timescale. A Department for Education (DfE) funded RCT study found ReadingWise increased reading ages by 9.5 months in 1 term, and ReadingWise pupils' average reading age improved twice as fast compared to the control group.
Over 300,000 pupils in UK schools have completed a ReadingWise programme. We hope to help you and your pupils too.
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Boost your school's literacy results: Arrange your 20-minute demo at a time to suit you.
Find out everything you need to know about ReadingWise with our friendly, knowledgeable team.
Header photo by CDC on Unsplash
