SATs can feel like a big deal for Year 6 pupils in Horsham — and their parents. While they're not the be-all and end-all, strong results set children up well for secondary school. Our teaching team help with the specific content and question types that SATs test, making sure children aren't caught out by unfamiliar formats or topics they haven't covered fully in class.
The GPS Test
The GPS paper tests grammar terminology (subordinate clauses, modal verbs, relative pronouns) alongside spelling and punctuation. It's often the paper that children in Horsham find most unfamiliar, because the metalanguage can be confusing. Our teaching team teach this vocabulary explicitly, using examples and practice questions to make abstract concepts concrete. Spelling lists are practised regularly, and common patterns are taught systematically.
Getting Started
If your pupil in Horsham is approaching SATs, we can help them feel ready. Get in touch to discuss where they are now and what support would make the most difference.
Reading Comprehension
The reading paper presents three texts of increasing difficulty and asks questions that test retrieval, inference, vocabulary, and summary. Many Horsham children find the final text challenging — it's often a pre-1900 extract or a piece of non-fiction with unfamiliar language. Our teaching team prepare students by practising with real SATs papers and teaching strategies for each question type: how to find evidence, how to explain an author's word choice, how to summarise a paragraph concisely.
Early vs Late Preparation
Starting in Year 5 gives the most time to fill gaps — particularly in maths, where foundational weaknesses can be hard to fix quickly. Year 6 preparation then focuses on applying those skills under test conditions. For Horsham families who come to us in Year 6, we can still make a significant difference by targeting the topics most likely to appear and building answering approach rapidly. But earlier is always better, especially for children who find reading or maths genuinely difficult.
How We Track Improvement
Progress should be visible, not assumed. For Horsham families, our approach includes regular feedback — what was covered, what improved, and what the next priorities are. At exam level, we use marked practice papers to give parents and learners a clear picture of where grades stand. This transparency keeps everyone aligned and ensures that each week of work builds meaningfully on the last.
A Note for Parents
Tutoring works best when there is clear communication between the tutor, the learner, and the family. In Horsham, we encourage parents to share what they observe at home — frustration with homework, avoidance of certain topics, comments about lessons. This context helps the tutor target the right areas. We also keep families informed of what is covered each week, so there is never any guesswork about whether things are on track.
Number Skills
The arithmetic paper tests calculation skills: long multiplication, long division, fractions, decimals, and percentages. There's no room for reasoning here — it's about speed and accuracy. Our teaching team in Horsham build these skills through regular practice, focusing on the methods children are expected to use and the common errors that cost marks. Fluent arithmetic is also the foundation for the two reasoning papers, so time spent here pays off twice.