Guidance

Guidance for headteachers about when pupils should and shouldn't take the key stage 2 tests

Published 5 September 2014

This guidance was withdrawn on 27 May 2016

Further information is available in our guidance on 2016 Key stage 2: assessment and reporting arrangements (ara).

This publication was withdrawn on 27 May 2016.

Further information is available in the 2016 assessment and reporting arrangements for key stage 2.

The headteacher’s decision regarding participation in the key stage 2 (KS2) national curriculum tests is final. You should refer to this guidance before making your decision. All pupils taking the tests must have completed the key stage 2 programme of study.

Pupils who complete key stage 2 early or late

Pupils should only be entered for the KS2 tests once they have completed both the English and mathematics programmes of study.

If a headteacher wishes a pupil to take the 2015 KS2 tests early or late they:

• should have completed both the English and mathematics programmes of study
• must be working at level 3 or above
• must take all of the levels 3-5 tests

This is because from 2016, the Department of Education (DfE) will not count results from previous years’ tests in the performance tables.

Pupils must take the levels 3-5 and corresponding level 6 test in the same year.

Pupils working below the level of the tests

Pupils who are assessed as working below level 3 of the national curriculum and who are not expected to reach this level by May 2015 should not sit the tests. They must be:

• registered as below the level during the pupil registration process
• marked as ‘B’ on the test attendance register

Pupils can’t be registered as below the level for individual components of a test. If they are not below the level of the entire test they must take all components of the test. For example, a pupil can’t take Paper 1 of the English grammar, punctuation and spelling test and be marked as ‘B’ on the attendance register for Paper 2. In this scenario the Standards and Testing Agency would correct the pupil’s status to ‘A’ (Absent) and the pupil would be recorded as absent overall.

If the 2015 tests are administered to pupils working below the level of the tests, their completed test scripts must be sent for marking. These pupils will be awarded levels based on their achievements in those tests. Their test results must be included when reporting results to the DfE and in the annual report to parents.

Teacher assessment data must be submitted for pupils working below the level of the tests. Headteachers must submit teacher assessment data using P scales for those pupils with special educational needs who are working towards level 1.

Pupils working at the level of the tests but who are unable to access them

Schools are responsible for making arrangements to determine whether a pupil is working at the level of the tests but is unable to access them. Headteachers can make final decisions without permission from their local authority (LA).

Some examples of pupils who may fit this category are:

• pupils with a physical or sensory disability
• pupils who have spent time in hospital towards the end of the key stage
• pupils who have been educated at home or excluded from school and need time to adjust to regular school life
• pupils who are experiencing or have recently experienced severe emotional problems

You should refer to the access arrangements guidance which explains specific adjustments which may enable pupils to access the tests. If you decide a pupil won’t be able to access the tests using these arrangements then the pupil must not take them. The pupil must be:

• registered in the ‘Pupil registration’ section of the NCA tools website
• marked as ‘T’ on the test attendance register

If the 2015 tests are administered to pupils who are working at the level of the tests but are unable to access them, their completed test scripts must be sent for marking. Pupils will be awarded levels based on their achievements in those tests.

Pupils whose level cannot be established

Schools may not have enough time to determine a pupil’s level before the tests, eg because a pupil has recently arrived from a different education system. In this case the pupil must be registered as part of pupil registration but should not sit the test. They must be marked as ‘T’ on the test attendance register.

If the 2015 tests are administered to pupils whose level has not been established, their completed test scripts must be sent for external marking. Pupils will be awarded levels based on their achievements in those tests.

Pupils with English as an additional language

Pupils with English as an additional language must be registered for the levels 3-5 national curriculum tests even if there is a valid reason why they will not take them.

English tests

If pupils can’t communicate in English then they will be working below the level of the English tests and should not take them.

Mathematics tests

To establish the pupil’s level for mathematics, teachers and language-support staff should work together to translate national curriculum work into the pupil’s preferred language. Care should be taken to ensure that any translation doesn’t provide additional support or understanding of mathematical terms.

If a pupil is working at the level of the mathematics tests, the school should administer the tests using appropriate access arrangements.

Pupils working below the level of the mathematics tests should not take them.

Pupils with a profound hearing impairment who are unable to access the tests

A pupil with a profound hearing impairment may not be able to participate in the spelling aspect of the English grammar, punctuation and spelling test or the mental mathematics test even with the full range of access arrangements.

You should apply for a compensatory mark. For pupils to be awarded a compensatory mark they must be marked as ‘A’ on the attendance register for the test component where compensatory marks have been sought and take the remaining components of the test.