Exam and Assessment Results
Statutory Assessments
Throughout their time at primary school, children take part in a range of statutory assessments set by the Department for Education. These assessments help teachers, parents and schools understand how children are progressing within the national curriculum and identify where additional support or challenge may be needed.
At St Mary’s, we believe assessments should support children’s learning, confidence and development. Alongside statutory assessments, teachers use ongoing assessment, observations and professional judgement to build a full understanding of each child’s progress and achievements.
The information below explains the statutory assessments that children complete at different stages throughout their primary school journey, alongside St Mary’s strong 2026 outcomes and comparisons with national results.
Early Learning Goals (EYFS)
At the end of Reception, children are assessed against the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) within the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework.
Children are assessed as:
- Emerging – not yet reaching the expected level of development
- Expected – reaching the expected level of development for the end of Reception
The Early Learning Goals assess children across the prime and specific areas of learning, including:
- Communication and Language
- Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Physical Development
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Understanding the World
- Expressive Arts and Design
Children achieving the expected level across the key areas are said to have achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD).
Our 2026 outcomes
In 2026, 84% of children at St Mary’s achieved a Good Level of Development, compared with approximately 72% nationally.
In addition, 80% of children achieved the expected level across all Early Learning Goals, compared with approximately 71% nationally.
Further information and school outcomes can be found in the documents below.
Phonics Screening Check
The Phonics Screening Check takes place in Year 1 and assesses children’s phonic decoding skills and early reading development.
Children read a total of 40 words, including both real and pseudo (alien) words, to demonstrate their understanding of phonics.
The check helps identify children who may need additional support with early reading skills.
Children who do not meet the expected standard in Year 1 will retake the check in Year 2.
Our 2026 outcomes
In 2026, 92% of our Year 1 pupils met the expected standard, compared with approximately 82% nationally.
One pupil with an EHCP did not take the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, as they were not yet working at this level.
By the end of Year 2, 96% of pupils had met the expected standard, compared with approximately 91% nationally.
Further information and school outcomes can be found in the documents below.
Multiplication Tables Check (MTC)
The Multiplication Tables Check takes place in Year 4 and assesses children’s fluency in recalling multiplication facts up to 12 × 12.
The check is completed online and consists of 25 questions.
The purpose of the check is to ensure children develop rapid recall and confidence with multiplication facts, supporting wider mathematical understanding and problem-solving.
There is no official “pass mark”; however, the national benchmark is based on pupils accurately recalling multiplication facts within the allocated time.
Our 2026 outcomes
In 2026, our Year 4 pupils achieved an average score of 22.8 out of 25, compared with approximately 21.6 nationally.
53% of pupils achieved full marks of 25/25, compared with approximately 44% nationally.
Further information and school outcomes can be found in the documents below.
Key Stage 2 SATs
At the end of Year 6, pupils complete Statutory Assessment Tests (SATs) in:
- Reading
- Mathematics
- Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling (GPS)
Writing is assessed by teachers using national assessment frameworks.
Tests are developed to the same specification each year. However, because the questions must be different, the difficulty of tests may vary. This means raw scores are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time.
Pupils achieving a scaled score of:
- 100 or more are working at the expected standard
- 110 or more are working at the higher standard
Writing is teacher assessed and pupils may be judged as:
- Working Towards the Expected Standard
- Working at the Expected Standard
- Working at Greater Depth within the Expected Standard
Our 2026 outcomes
74% of pupils achieved the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Mathematics combined, compared with 63% nationally. 19% achieved the higher standard, compared with 9% nationally.
Two pupils with EHCPs did not sit the statutory SATs, as the tests were not appropriate for their level of need. Both made positive progress from their individual starting points.
| Measure | St Mary’s | National |
|---|---|---|
| Reading, Writing & Maths combined – Expected Standard | 74% | 63% |
| Reading, Writing & Maths combined – Higher Standard | 19% | 9% |
| Reading – Expected Standard | 87% | 75% |
| Reading – Higher Standard | 48% | 31% |
| Writing – Expected Standard | 74% | 73% |
| Writing – Greater Depth | 26% | 13% |
| Mathematics – Expected Standard | 77% | 75% |
| Mathematics – Higher Standard | 32% | 27% |
| GPS – Expected Standard | 87% | 74% |
| GPS – Higher Standard | 61% | 30% |
For further information about assessment at St Mary’s, including how we assess and support progress across the curriculum, please visit the Assessment section of our website.
Information about our results, attendance, intake and other school data are available on the DfE website link below: