What will my child learn in Year 6?

What's new this year

The Key Stage 2 tests (SATs) run from Monday 10 to Thursday 13 May 2027:

• Monday: grammar, punctuation and spelling (two papers).
• Tuesday: reading.
• Wednesday: maths paper 1 (arithmetic) and paper 2 (reasoning).
• Thursday: maths paper 3 (reasoning).

Writing and science aren't tested; teachers assess them. Schools receive results on 6 July 2027, and you'll get your child's before the end of the summer term. Scores are scaled from 80 to 120, and 100 or more means your child met the expected standard. Our SATs 2027 guide covers the detail.

Year 6 is also about moving on. You apply for a secondary place through your local council in the autumn term, and transition days usually happen in the summer.

Maths in Year 6

• Numbers to 10,000,000, long multiplication and long division, and the order of operations.
• Fractions with different denominators, multiplying and dividing fractions, and moving between fractions, decimals and percentages.
• Ratio and proportion, and early algebra: simple formulae, missing numbers and sequences.
• Area of triangles and parallelograms, volume of cuboids, and converting units.
• Angles in shapes, parts of a circle, and coordinates in all four quadrants.
• Pie charts, line graphs and the mean average.

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Place Value to 10 Million: A Space Mission with Digi

Learn place value to 10 million: read, write, compare and order big numbers by building millions on a chart a… Ages 9–1145 min ♡

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Long Multiplication and Division: A Puffin Harbour Job

Learn long multiplication and long and short division by two-digit numbers, then help Pip the puffin pack cra… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 10–1160 min ♡

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Multiplying and Dividing Fractions: A Fudge Factory Game

Learn multiplying and dividing fractions and how to turn fractions into decimals, by cutting, sharing and sim… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 10–1160 min ♡

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Ratio and Proportion: Sail Ratio Island with Pip

Learn ratio and proportion for Year 6: use 'for every' and a : b, scale recipes, enlarge similar shapes and s… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 9–1160 min ♡

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Order of Operations: Climb the Priority Tower with Ordo

Learn the order of operations: brackets, then multiply and divide, then add and subtract. Solve calculations… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 10–1140 min ♡

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Pie Charts and Line Graphs: A Day at the Great Graph Fair

Learn to read and draw pie charts and line graphs, then solve problems with them as you visit six stalls at a… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 10–1160 min ♡

English in Year 6

• Reading: comparing books, telling fact from opinion, and backing up views with evidence from the text.
• Writing: choosing formal or informal language to suit the reader, and organising longer pieces.
• Grammar: the passive voice ("the window was broken"), the subjunctive ("if I were you"), and synonyms and antonyms.
• Punctuation: colons, semicolons and dashes between clauses, hyphens and bullet points.
• Spelling and handwriting: the rest of the Year 5 and 6 word list, and fast, legible handwriting.

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Word Classes: Sort Every Word with Dot the Robot

Learn the eight word classes, from nouns and verbs to determiners and conjunctions, by sorting word parcels i… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 9–1160 min ♡

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The Subjunctive Form: Help Percy Speak Like Royalty

Learn the subjunctive form, from If I were you to Were they to come, by helping Percy the parrot turn chatty… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 10–1150 min ♡

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Active and Passive Voice: Showtime at the Voice Theatre

Learn active and passive voice: find the subject and object, then flip sentences around on a theatre stage wi… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 9–1145 min ♡

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Colons, Semi-colons and Dashes: Bridge the Clause Islands

Learn how to use colons, semi-colons and dashes between clauses and in lists. Build punctuation bridges betwe… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 9–1160 min ♡

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Formal and Informal Language: Swap Hats with Mina

Learn formal and informal language: swap chatty words for formal ones, spot question tags, use If I were and… Members · chapter 1 freeAges 10–1150 min ♡

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Synonyms and Antonyms: A Word Islands Adventure

Learn synonyms and antonyms, from big and large to big and little, by sailing round Word Islands, building br… Ages 9–1145 min ♡

Science and other subjects

Year 6 science covers classifying living things (including micro-organisms), the heart and circulation, and how diet, exercise and drugs affect the body, evolution and inheritance, how light travels, and electrical circuits. Other subjects carry on alongside the tests; schools choose topics, for example the Second World War or a study of a region of the world.

This year's topics, subject by subject

The roadmaps below show the order in which topics usually build up through Year 6, subject by subject. Schools teach in different orders, so treat them as a guide to what's coming rather than a timetable.

How you can help at home

• Keep reading for pleasure going. It helps with the reading paper and much more.
• Short, regular practice on what your child finds hardest beats long revision sessions. See preparing for SATs without stress.
• Build independence for secondary: packing a bag, practising the route, managing a little money.
• Talk about worries, about tests or moving schools, and share them with the teacher.
• In SATs week, protect sleep and breakfast more than extra practice.