Dear Parent/Carer,

The National Reading and Reasoning Tests will be taking place between 30th April and 9th May 2019. The Welsh Government requires that all pupils in Years 2-9 undertake the tests. The Welsh Government is responsible for processing the tests results and reporting them back to schools; the school is responsible for the administration and marking of the tests.

The National Reading and Reasoning Tests must be taken during a set period and it is vitally important that pupils are present in school on the required dates. Please see below the dates for your child’s tests at Aberdare Community School:

Year 7

Thursday 2nd May - Numeracy – Reasoning Paper

Wednesday 8th May - Reading Paper

Year 8

Tuesday 30th April - Numeracy – Reasoning Paper

Thursday 9th May - Reading Paper

Year 9

Wednesday 1st May - Numeracy – Reasoning Paper

Tuesday 7th May - Reading Paper

Pupils in Year 7, 8 and 9 have been preparing for the tests and will continue to receive support and guidance until the tests take place. Please encourage your child to prepare at home for these tests during the next few weeks.

The National Reading Test will consist of a number of passages followed by short, closed response and multiple choice type questions.

The National Numeracy Test is split into two sections; Reasoning and Procedural. The Reasoning Paper assesses pupils’ ability to apply their knowledge to everyday problems. The Procedural Paper assesses their knowledge of numerical procedures such as; the four number operations, equivalent fractions, decimals, percentages and work on area and volume.

The date for the procedural test has not yet been set, as there has been a change to the way this test is administered. It will now be an online assessment, which can be completed at any time during the school year. Therefore, this test will be sat during the summer term, allowing pupils to have further preparation time during lessons.

Thank you for your continued support in ensuring your child gets the very best out of this process.

Yours sincerely

Mrs K Leyshon

Assistant Headteacher