Key Stage 2 SATs data for Secondaries
10am update: the Scaled Scores (AND Raw Scores) are now available on the Portal.
I will update this post later this afternoon with new screengrabs, but you can go on and fill your boots!
Welcome back for 2026! We have a NEW system, now the Primary Assessment Gateway has gone the way of the dinosaurs (or, at least, Capita).
Inspired by @resourceaholic's blog post on how secondaries can learn from the Key Stage 2 SATs papers, this is a guide for Heads of Maths and English (or their chosen minions) on downloading test data, both on the day results are released, and in the Autumn when QLA (Question Level Analysis) data is available.
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PART ONE: JULY
What you need:
1) a login for the National Curriculum Assessments Portal ("The Portal")
2) a list of the UPNs (Unique Pupil Numbers) for your Year 7 intake
3) Excel
4) a cool head and a steady hand
This year's information is taken from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/key-stage-2-tests-how-to-access-results-and-test-scripts which will be kept updated
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PART ONE: JULY
What you need:
1) a login for the National Curriculum Assessments Portal ("The Portal")
2) a list of the UPNs (Unique Pupil Numbers) for your Year 7 intake
3) Excel
4) a cool head and a steady hand
This year's information is taken from https://www.gov.uk/guidance/key-stage-2-tests-how-to-access-results-and-test-scripts which will be kept updated
Each secondary school has a "Super User". This is the person who gives you school data access on The Portal. It may be the Exams Officer. It may be the Data Deputy. It may even be the Head's PA. But you need to find out who. They will be able to add you to the list of users.
You should register with a school-based email address (not Gmail, Hotmail or other web-based email). Once you are on the list, The Portal is at https://www.ncaportal.education.gov.uk/
Your password must have uppercase, lowercase, numeric and a special character (eg ! $ %).
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Now it's up to you! If you have any questions, feel free to email me or contact me on Bluesky or X.
I'll be adding more notes here in 2026 as I explore the data in more detail.
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** In fact there is a work-around. But it means submitting each student's UPN one at a time, then looking at the question-level analysis. Nobody in their right mind would do this. Just pretend I didn't mention it.
You should register with a school-based email address (not Gmail, Hotmail or other web-based email). Once you are on the list, The Portal is at https://www.ncaportal.education.gov.uk/
Your password must have uppercase, lowercase, numeric and a special character (eg ! $ %).
Don't try to use the same login you have for SATs marking or anything else - this one needs to be linked to your school.
Each new student will have a UPN created by their primary school. Whoever handles transition in your school will have these in a database. You need to be emailed them in a Word or Excel document.
While every student has one, some will not have KS2 scores, if they were educated abroad, or attended an independent school.
Each new student will have a UPN created by their primary school. Whoever handles transition in your school will have these in a database. You need to be emailed them in a Word or Excel document.
While every student has one, some will not have KS2 scores, if they were educated abroad, or attended an independent school.
Click on the 'KS2 results for new pupils'.
Read the instructions, then click on the 'KS2 results for new pupils'.
But STOP! If you have more than 150 UPNs in the file, it won't allow it.
Click on "Generate template" and it downloads a blank CSV file that looks like this:
Paste your UPNs into Column A below the heading.
When you save it, you need to save as a CSV - so don't just click Save, choose Save As, and look for this in the options (especially if you are on a Mac):
Now you are ready to upload your file:
So make sure you create a separate CSV for each set of 150 UPNs, you will download them separately but can recombine them at the end.
Click "Submit" and you will get this message.
And then, as if by magic, the email instantly appears. FAR quicker than on GCSE Results Day!
And then, as if by magic, the email instantly appears. FAR quicker than on GCSE Results Day!
Open the email(s) and download the CSV file(s).
Open the CSV file with Excel and save as an XLSX version. This will save you a LOT of hassle later on.
It will show if any UPNs are not recognised (this could mean an error in your list, or just that they didn't do the SATs at a prep school or abroad).
You get data that looks like this:
It will show if any UPNs are not recognised (this could mean an error in your list, or just that they didn't do the SATs at a prep school or abroad).
You get data that looks like this:
For each subject you have codes.
- AS means 'at the expected standard' (for Maths, Reading and GPS)
- NS means 'not at the expected standard' (for Maths, Reading and GPS)
- EXS means 'has met the expected standard' (Writing and Science only)
- WTS means 'working toward the expected standard' (Writing only)
- GDS means 'greater depth than the expected standard' (Writing only)
- HNM means 'has not met the expected standard' (Science only)
Update: You NOW get scaled and raw scores.
I will update the post later today with screengrabs showing you how to analyse it.
Anyway, now it's up to you!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me or contact me on Bluesky or X.
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PART TWO: SEPTEMBER - WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN
What you need:
1) a login for the DfE Sign-in website
2) a list of Year 7 UPNs - hey, you already have them
3) a lot of patience with Government websites
4) Adobe Reader
So with perfect logic, the Question Level Analysis* site is on a totally different system to the PAGs. It's called "Analyse School Performance".
*It isn't at Question Level. That's a big fat lie. You get summary data for different aspects of the curriculum for each student, or question-level data for the whole cohort of students. It is really useful though. But it is not a spreadsheet of all 110 Maths marks for every single student.**
You will probably need to set up another login, even though the sign-in screen looks just like the PAG. Make sure you are writing these passwords down, otherwise you'll get them mixed up
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PART TWO: SEPTEMBER - WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN
What you need:
1) a login for the DfE Sign-in website
2) a list of Year 7 UPNs - hey, you already have them
3) a lot of patience with Government websites
4) Adobe Reader
So with perfect logic, the Question Level Analysis* site is on a totally different system to the PAGs. It's called "Analyse School Performance".
*It isn't at Question Level. That's a big fat lie. You get summary data for different aspects of the curriculum for each student, or question-level data for the whole cohort of students. It is really useful though. But it is not a spreadsheet of all 110 Maths marks for every single student.**
You will probably need to set up another login, even though the sign-in screen looks just like the PAG. Make sure you are writing these passwords down, otherwise you'll get them mixed up
First visit https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/ to create a login
Then visit https://www.analyse-school-performance.service.gov.uk/
In the top menu bar, click on 'QLA'
In the top menu bar, click on 'QLA'
Got your list of UPNs ready? Good.
Click on 'Create a custom view'.
Paste the list of UPNs into the box (you can do this straight from a spreadsheet) and click on 'Search'.
Click on 'Go to custom view'
Paste the list of UPNs into the box (you can do this straight from a spreadsheet) and click on 'Search'.
Click on 'Go to custom view'
In the Maths section you can see the success rate in each of 9 strands (only 4 for the arithmetic paper) and the overall total.
The paper 1 strands are:
1) calculations
2) fractions decimals percentages
3) place value
4) ratio and proportion
The paper 2 and 3 strands are:
1) calculations
2) algebra
3) fractions decimals percentages
4) position and direction
5) properties of shapes
6) measurement
7) place value
8) ratio and proportion
9) statistics
Underneath each of the separate papers, you can download the data by question or by pupil.
The first lists all the questions on the paper (which you can also download) and has their completion and success rate.
The second lists all the students in your cohort, and gives their overall success rate, and their success in each strand as a percentage.
These tables can be downloaded as Excel or PDF.
If you want to work with a subset of your cohort, eg a specific class or even one student, you go back to the top of the page and select:
so you can start again with different UPNs.
Now it's up to you! If you have any questions, feel free to email me or contact me on Bluesky or X.
I'll be adding more notes here in 2026 as I explore the data in more detail.
==
** In fact there is a work-around. But it means submitting each student's UPN one at a time, then looking at the question-level analysis. Nobody in their right mind would do this. Just pretend I didn't mention it.
