Schools will be able to make changes to their Sats timetable to allow Muslim children to celebrate Eid in 2021, when the religious holiday will fall during Year 6 Sats week.
Guidance issued today by the Standards and Testing Agency, part of the Department for Education, says that the tests are timetabled for 10-13 May 2021.
Find the key dates and information for the KS1 and KS2 Sats
But it adds: “In 2021, Eid is due to begin on the evening of Wednesday 12 May. We understand that, given the significance of Eid, Muslim pupils may be absent from school on Thursday 13 May, the scheduled day of the final KS2 test.
“Timetable variations may be appropriate for pupils who will be absent due to observing Eid. Schools should read the timetable variation guidance, which will be updated for the 2020-21 academic year, before applying. Schools are advised to discuss arrangements for the tests with their pupils’ parents before the test period.”
More than 500,000 Year 6 children sit tests in spelling, punctuation and grammar (Spag), reading and maths each year. Their writing is assessed by teachers using work completed during the year.
Sats test dates schedule
The results of the tests and assessments are used to judge how well a school has performed.
The guidance also confirms the test dates for 2019, which were published earlier this year, as being Monday 13 May for the Spag test, Tuesday 14 May for the reading test, Wednesday 15 May for maths papers 1 and 2, and Thursday 16 May for maths paper 3.
The phonics check will be held during the week beginning 10 June 2019.
In 2020, Sats will be held from Monday 11 May to Thursday 14 May, but there is no information yet on which papers will be taken on which days.
The 2020 phonics check will be held during the week beginning 8 June.
The first multiplication-tables check is due to take place for Year 4 pupils within the three-week period from Monday 8 June 2020.
The science sampling tests are taken every two years and will be taken in 2020. Selected schools will be notified and will need to test pupils in the two-week period from Monday 8 June 2020.
