What the 2026 KS2 SATS tell us about teaching Reading, Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling

The 2026 KS2 SATs are now complete and, once again, they offer a clear message for schools: success in reading and GPS depends less on memorisation and more on secure understanding built over time.

Across the papers, pupils were expected to apply grammar, vocabulary, spelling and comprehension knowledge confidently in unfamiliar contexts. The strongest outcomes will come from schools where English was taught through a carefully sequenced, connected curriculum rather than isolated SATs revision.

This year’s grammar, punctuation and spelling papers held few real surprises. However, they continued to reward children who could apply grammatical knowledge flexibly rather than rely on memorised word class lists or spotting tricks.

1.       Grammar Knowledge Must Be Secure and Flexible

Over the last few years, many questions have included familiar grammatical terminology while increasingly testing whether pupils truly understand how those terms function within context.

For example:

Question 18
Circle the conjunction in the sentence below.

Salma decided to cook dinner while her mum enjoyed a rest after a tiring day at work.

Many children may have identified both while and after as possible conjunctions. However, in this sentence, after functions as a preposition. This question tested whether pupils genuinely understood grammatical function within context rather than simply recognising conjunctions from memorised lists.

Similarly:

Question 29
Tick one box to show which word is a preposition in the sentence below.

The bridge over the stream was broken so we had to paddle across.

Again, pupils may have recognised two possible prepositions, but in this sentence over is the correct answer, with across functioning as an adverb.

These questions reinforce an important message from this year’s papers: children must understand how grammar works within authentic language through regular daily practice in the context of real writing.

2.       Children Need Exposure to Varied Sentence Structures

This year’s paper also challenged pupils by presenting familiar concepts within less familiar sentence structures.

Question 19
Which sentence uses the past progressive?

The correct answer:
What were you doing?

This question tested understanding of verb tenses through a question structure rather than a simple statement. Because the sentence was presented in a less familiar way, some pupils may have struggled to identify the tense confidently.

Similarly:

Question 41
Rewrite the sentence below in the active.

The trees are being harmed by pollution.

This question tested both active and passive voice alongside tense knowledge. Some children may have correctly changed the voice while accidentally altering the tense, showing how pupils need secure understanding of multiple grammatical concepts working together.

And:

Question 26
Underline the relative clause in the sentence below.

One of the greatest inventions was the wheel, which first appeared over 5000 years ago.

Like last year, the relative clause appeared at the end of the sentence rather than embedded in the middle. Children who had only practised identifying relative clauses in one position may have found this more challenging.

All these examples demonstrate why grammar teaching must move beyond isolated exercises and instead expose children to varied sentence structures and authentic language patterns over time.

3.       Prior Knowledge Still Matters

The papers also highlighted the importance of revisiting earlier curriculum content regularly.

Questions 17 and 47 revisited Key Stage 1 understanding of exclamation sentences. Pupils needed to recognise that a true exclamation sentence must begin with How or What.

Children who had not revisited this knowledge regularly across KS2 may have found these questions more difficult despite the content originating lower down the school.

4.       Moving Beyond Simplified Grammar Rules

Some questions also highlighted the dangers of oversimplified grammar teaching.

Question 39
Circle the three nouns in the sentence below.

They were so excited about going to Cardiff that they wouldn’t let the bad weather dampen their enthusiasm.

One of the correct answers was the abstract noun enthusiasm rather than a concrete noun such as Cardiff or weather.

Similarly:

Question 49
Circle all the adverbs in the sentence below.

I’ll always remember the day that we won the cup. Dad and I sang jubilantly as we walked through the park.

The correct answer included both always and jubilantly. While many pupils confidently identify adverbs ending in -ly, always demonstrates that adverbs can take different forms.

Overall, this year’s GPS paper reminds us that grammar teaching should move beyond simplified rules and patterns. Pupils benefit from encountering grammatical features in varied and meaningful contexts so they can apply understanding flexibly.

How Ready Steady Write Supports This

Ready Steady Write teaches grammar through purposeful, contextualised writing rather than isolated exercises. Through Daily Sentence Accuracy practise, children apply grammatical concepts continuously within meaningful writing opportunities, helping them understand both the purpose and effect of grammar every time they write.

Pupils encounter ambitious model texts, varied sentence structures and explicit grammatical teaching from the earliest stages of learning.

Sentence-level teaching is carefully sequenced so children revisit grammatical concepts across different text types, sentence positions, year groups and writing purposes. This systematic retrieval and revisiting helps pupils build secure long-term understanding while developing the flexibility to apply grammatical knowledge confidently in unfamiliar SATs questions.

Rather than relying on simplistic shortcuts or memorised rules, children explore grammar through authentic language, ambitious vocabulary and purposeful communication. This deeper understanding supports confident and successful application in both assessments and independent writing.

‍What We Learnt from the 2026 Grammar, Punctuation and Spelling Paper 2

Just like in previous years, the 2026 spelling paper reinforced an important message for schools: spelling success depends on secure understanding built over time.

As always, the paper consisted of 20 dictated words within contextualised sentences, assessing a wide range of spelling knowledge from across KS2 (and KS1).

Importantly, the paper once again reinforced that KS2 spelling is an end-of-key-stage assessment rather than simply an end-of-Year-6 test and a substantial proportion of words (14 of the 20 words) continued to draw upon lower KS2 spelling knowledge (examiner, crystal, machines).

This means children need repeated opportunities to revisit and apply spelling patterns across multiple years so that knowledge becomes embedded within long-term memory.

The 2026 paper also highlighted how closely spelling and vocabulary knowledge are connected. Several spellings such as hazardous, antique and differed may have been challenging not because of the spelling pattern itself, but because pupils were less familiar with the vocabulary.

This is why spelling teaching must go beyond weekly spelling lists and isolated tests.

Strong spelling teaching should include:

• explicit teaching of spelling patterns and spelling strategies
• regular retrieval and revisiting
• discussion of morphology and word structure
• links between spelling and vocabulary meaning
• opportunities to apply spellings within reading and writing

The paper also reinforced the importance of teaching spelling patterns rather than focusing solely on statutory word lists.

How Ready Steady Spell Supports This

Ready Steady Spell supports this through a carefully sequenced curriculum that systematically revisits spelling knowledge across KS2.

Patterns, strategies and vocabulary are explicitly taught and revisited so that children build secure, transferable spelling knowledge over time.

Importantly, spelling is never treated in isolation. Because spelling is closely connected to reading and writing, Ready Steady Spell works effectively alongside Ready Steady Read Together and Ready Steady Write.

This interconnected approach helps children move beyond memorising spellings for a test and instead develop confidence and accuracy in day-to-day writing that supports both SATs success and independent writing long after Year 6.

What We Learnt from the 2026 KS2 Reading Paper.

The 2026 reading paper continued to assess a broad range of reading skills across different text types, with inference, retrieval and vocabulary remaining central to success.

1.       Inference Continues to Be Central

Inference questions once again formed a significant proportion of the paper. Children were expected to interpret meaning, explain characters’ thoughts and feelings and justify answers using evidence from across the text.

These questions required children to combine evidence from multiple parts of the text rather than simply retrieve one obvious fact.

This means pupils need regular opportunities to discuss texts deeply, explain their thinking and explore author intent throughout KS2.

Importantly, inference cannot be taught in isolation. To infer successfully, children need excellent fluency and secure understanding across all reading domains, including vocabulary and retrieval.

This year’s paper reinforced the importance of teaching comprehension through rich, high-quality texts that encourage discussion, reflection and deeper thinking.

2.       Vocabulary Remains a Key Barrier

Vocabulary knowledge continued to play a major role in this year’s paper

Pupils needed to understand ambitious and sometimes unfamiliar language in context, including nuanced word choices and figurative language. Some pupils may have struggled with vocabulary that required contextual understanding rather than direct definition recall.

This reinforces the importance of explicit vocabulary instruction across the curriculum.

Children benefit from:

• repeated exposure to ambitious vocabulary
• opportunities to explore meaning in context
• discussion of figurative and idiomatic language
• regular application of vocabulary in speaking and writing

Vocabulary development is not something that can be left to chance. It must be planned, revisited and embedded over time.

How Ready Steady Read Together Supports This

Ready Steady Read Together supports this through carefully structured reading lessons built around ambitious, engaging texts, with vocabulary teaching embedded throughout every unit.

Through explicit modelling, purposeful discussion and carefully sequenced comprehension opportunities, children develop the confidence and depth of understanding needed not only for SATs success, but for lifelong reading.

Children are encouraged to justify responses, discuss interpretations and explore meaning collaboratively, helping them build deep comprehension skills and secure, transferable vocabulary knowledge. This integrated approach prepares children to meet the increasingly demanding language and comprehension expectations of KS2 SATs.

Why a Connected English Curriculum Matters

The 2026 SATs reinforced an important truth: successful English teaching is not built around test preparation alone. It is built through rich reading, explicit teaching, meaningful application and careful curriculum design over time.

When grammar, spelling, vocabulary, reading and writing are taught as connected elements of one coherent curriculum, pupils experience less cognitive overload and are far better prepared not only for SATs, but for confident lifelong literacy.

Ready Steady Read Together, Ready Steady Write and Ready Steady Spell are designed to work together to build connected understanding.

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