Teacher-approved KS2 revision timetable: 2-week plan and strategies

As you enter the final furlong before the KS2 SATs, you’re probably considering a SATs revision timetable, or perhaps beginning to share SATs revision strategies with pupils and parents. How to structure revision so it actually makes a difference can be a bit of a minefield. Some teachers follow a SATs revision plan set by the school, but if you do have freedom to go your own way, we’ve got just the person and strategy.

Sophie Bartlett is a primary school teacher with over 10 years’ of experience teaching year 6s. In this SATs revision blog, she shares her practical two-week revision timetable (that works for mixed year group classes too!), strategies she has used that maintain engagement and structure in the run up to KS2 SATs, as well as techniques to send home with pupils. If you’d like a full breakdown to KS2 SATs, our Ultimate guide to KS2 SATs is just the ticket.

Sophie Bartlett’s SATs revision strategy: key takeaways

• Use a 2-week focused timetable before SATs, keeping foundation subjects to reduce stress.

• "Mark My Paper" and "Paper in Pairs" are two proven, low-prep classroom revision techniques that boost engagement and error-spotting.

• Share "little and often" revision tips with parents: 10-minute daily skills, car journey quizzes, and real-world reading/maths.

• Use one full past paper before Easter for gap analysis, then target only those specific group and individual weaknesses.

When should I start SATs revision?

I have always stuck with starting prep early, but leaving revision for the back end of Spring 2 and early Summer 1. I’m not alone with this approach: according to data from Learning by Questions* preparation for SATs starts for many in September (32%). But revision is more likely to begin in April or May. Again, the Learning by Questions platform sees a surge of use in April and May from year 6 teachers and their pupils, with a significant drop after SATs week.

Some teachers choose not to do SATs revision at all. You know your pupils and your school approach; all approaches are valid.

An expert approach: Sophie Bartlett’s practical SATs revision strategy from the classroom that works for year 6 (and year 5!)

For the past five years, I’ve taught in a mixed Year 5/6 class, which means revision has always been a bit of a juggling act. Half the class won’t sit their SATs until the following year, so we’ve had to find a rhythm that works for everyone. Oddly enough, this has made our approach feel much calmer: we stick to our usual afternoon timetable of foundation subjects rather than switching to wall-to-wall maths and English, and we keep teaching the core curriculum for as long as possible. The actual SATs revision comes later, and that’s often when it works best.

Find out more: How to teach a mixed year group class

My KS2 SATs revision timetable: a 2-week plan to reduce stress

Here is my exact revision timetable for the two weeks preceding SATs week last year.

Last minute cramming is not only ineffective but is more likely to put unnecessary stress on the children (and let’s face it, no matter how good a teacher you are, sitting through maths and English all day every day for a few weeks in a row is just not enjoyable for anyone!).

I had kept my revision timetables from previous years which have been really interesting to peruse. I’ve updated them each year, but my approach has been largely similar each time.

What to revise for SATs and using practice SATs papers

Complete one whole set just before Easter to identify learning gaps through question-level analysis. Of course, a lot of this is down to personal preference, but I find it useful for the question-level analysis specifically. There is usually little that can be done by that point (if they haven’t learnt it by now, a handful more lessons won’t make much difference!), but question-level analysis (QLA) of these papers can inform your plans for those aforementioned last handful of lessons:

Group learning gaps: which concepts or topics need re-teaching to the whole cohort?

Individual learning gaps: which concepts or topics need re-teaching to individual children?

Find out more: Which SATs papers to use when

SATs revision strategies for the classroom

Paper in pairs

This is fairly self-explanatory – the children complete a practice SATs paper in pairs! Sometimes I let them choose their pairs and sometimes I choose (I have tried both mixed-ability and same-ability pairs – there are pros and cons to both, so do whatever works for your class). Ask them to write in a different colour pen each so you can make sure there has been equal contribution. Encourage the children to teach each other if their partner isn’t sure of an answer.

“Mark my paper”

This is my favourite SATs revision technique. Take a practice SATs paper and complete it yourself, but make deliberate mistakes that match the common misconceptions in your class (there are incorrectly completed versions of SATs papers online for you to use, but I find it much more useful to complete it yourself to mirror the errors your own class make).

Here are some errors that seem to make an appearance every year:

• Arithmetic paper: not copying answers from working box into answer box; ambiguous number formation (e.g. a 7 that looks like a 1); invisible decimal points; misreading the operation

• Reading paper: writing more than one word for a ‘Find and copy one word’ question

• Grammar paper: omitting a capital letter or full stop for questions that ask children to ‘punctuate correctly’

• General errors: ticking the wrong amount of boxes for a ‘Tick one/two box/es’ question; missing out a question (or entire page of questions!)

Find out more: KS2 SATs: The 5 most common grammar mistakes

10 most common SATs maths mistakes and how to fix them

Ask the children to then be the teachers and mark your paper – if the answer is wrong, they should write the correct answer (this is more fun and efficient when done with a partner). Once they’ve finished marking, they should tally up the final score: the closest to the real score wins! (Just make sure you’ve worked out your score yourself beforehand!)

Wrong answers only

Challenge pupils to provide you with deliberately wrong answers to a question with extra respect going to those who give wrong answers that are close or represent a key misconception. This helps to develop critical thinking skills and might reduce careless errors - ticking the wrong amount of boxes, anyone?

Silent gallery revision

Set a timer for ten minutes where pupils must revise in silence. You could perhaps display an image of a gallery or library to emulate spaces where quiet is needed.

To begin with, you could guide this time with a question everyone has a go at. But over time, when children have more of an idea where their gaps are, you could provide them with some questions they struggle with. Differentiation to this extent can be a big workload. A piece of edtech like SATs Springboard from Learning by Questions can provide pupils with questions related to the exact gaps each pupil has. Children do a diagnostic, using questions based on past SATs-papers, and then the teacher is presented with follow-up tasks based on class and individual pupil gaps. It’s perfect for SATs prep and revision. Find out more and get a free trial of SATs Springboard.

At the end of the timer, ask some pupils to share one thing they have learnt. This activity has the benefit of helping pupils fill gaps personal to them, but it also has the potential to build exam-condition stamina.

Brain breaks

Time leading up to the KS2 SATs can get quite intense and the practice of brain breaks will benefit pupils far beyond SATs revision. Revise for 15 minutes and then take a more active 5-minute brain break. It might include stretching, dancing or a quick game. Even a quick run around the playground might help!

SATS revision strategies and activities to do at home

When it comes to revision at home, little and often is definitely key. But specifics? Share these top home revision strategies with parents and pupils. Of course, many of them would work for the classroom as well.

Parents after more info on SATs? Send them this free downloadable, Spill the beans on SATs, a guide written for parents and pupils alike.

1. Little and often

This is the number one rule when it comes to SATs revision at home. We’re still talking 10 and 11 year olds, so short bursts of practice is always going to benefit.

2. Small skills, big reward

Given revision for SATs is best done in 10-minute bursts, encourage parents to focus on one tiny skill: their 3 times tables, 5 spellings or maybe 2 comprehension questions. Whatever it is, make it short and targeted.

3. Share mistakes

Parents could share mistakes they’ve seen during their day and ask children to spot the mistake. It could be a mistake they ‘made’ or one they spotted. This works particularly well with spelling and punctuation. If they’re struggling for examples, they could peruse the Apostrophe Protection Society website for plenty of examples of errant plural apostrophes, a key gap in knowledge often found in year 6.

4. Quick-fire quiz car drives

Turn cars into a gameshow stage! Parents give children quickfire questions during short drives, eg. Give me a multiple of 7, What’s a synonym of ‘big’?

Zero pressure, and great verbal practice.

5. Utilise family boardgames

Games like Scrabble and Boggle are fantastic ways to expand vocabulary and practice spellings. Encourage parents to have a dictionary handy to make sure the meaning of words is understood as well as knowing spellings!

6. Adverb and adjective challenges

When watching TV adverts, or even out on a walk, challenge parents and pupils to describe what they see with adjectives and adverbs. This makes vocabulary selection a habit and pushes pupils to be creative.

7. Real-world maths

Parents can involve children in the maths used for the weekly shop, and supermarkets can involve lengthy problem solving maths! "If this is £1.80, and we have two, how much change from £5?" Recipe conversions can also make for great real-world maths problems.

8. Real-world reading

Parents can choose any text from the house: a cereal box, news app, recipes, etc. Then ask questions about the texts, eg. Find a word that means the same as big, what do you think will happen next, etc. This will encourage their skimming and scanning skills, as well as practice comprehension.

9. Progress tacking

Parents can use star stickers on a calendar or a dedicated progress chart to celebrate successes. It might be good to chart ‘days I tried’ vs ‘Marks I got’ to build resilience over perceived academic ‘success’.

Frequently asked questions about SATs revision

How early should I start SATs revision?

Most teachers begin focused revision 2-4 weeks before SATs, while continuing to teach new curriculum content until then.

Should I stop teaching foundation subjects during SATs revision?

No! Maintaining art, PE, music etc. reduces stress and maintains routine.

How can I help children scoring 98-101 in practice tests?

Focus interventions on their specific QLA-identified gaps, often just 1-2 marks from passing.

Target gaps. Reclaim time. Trial SATs Springboard.

Let SATs Springboard turn diagnostic insights into personalised practice for every pupil. Start your free trial and see why teachers up their usage in the crucial revision weeks.

**Data taken from 859 SATs Springboard users who have used a diagnostic resource since 2024.