Practical guide · Updated
Leave space for the week that does not go to plan
A revision planner is more useful when it includes a way to adjust. School events, illness or an unexpectedly difficult topic can make a perfectly filled grid unrealistic.
A practical example
Mark one task as the week’s essential learning goal and leave a small review space. If a session is missed, decide whether to shorten, move or drop the task rather than automatically doubling the next evening. Record why the change was made.
Use school feedback to revise the following week. Confirm the assessment-year dates directly with the school or current official guidance; an old planner should not determine a new cohort’s timetable. The aim is a routine that supports learning alongside ordinary schoolwork and rest.
Schedule a review before filling the next week
At the end of the week, choose one task that became more independent and one that still required help. Write the next teaching or practice action beside each before copying tasks into the following week.
If a planned activity was missed, decide whether it is still needed rather than automatically carrying it forward. Keep the school’s current guidance and the child’s wider workload in view. The planner should help prioritise learning, not create an accumulating backlog of unchecked boxes.
Set a useful baseline
Before week one, use a recent school assessment or one age-appropriate practice paper to identify the three areas that lose the most marks. Do not begin by completing paper after paper. A baseline is useful only when it changes what is taught next.
The six-week plan
| Week | Maths focus | English focus | End-of-week check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 Accuracy first | Revisit written and mental methods for the four operations. Complete two short arithmetic sets without a timer. | Read one short text closely. Practise retrieval questions and underline the exact evidence used. | Can the child explain two corrected errors without a prompt? |
| Week 2 Fractions and inference | Fractions, decimals and percentages: equivalence, ordering and finding fractions or percentages of amounts. | Inference: explain what a character thinks or feels and support the answer with words from the text. | Repeat five questions from earlier in the week and compare accuracy. |
| Week 3 Reasoning and GPS | Two-step word problems, units, ratio and deciding which operation is needed before calculating. | Sentence structure, word classes, punctuation choices and a focused spelling pattern. | Sort errors into method, reading, arithmetic or carelessness. |
| Week 4 Shape, data and vocabulary | Area, perimeter, angles, coordinates, tables, graphs and reading scales accurately. | Meaning in context, synonyms, summary and explaining how a word or phrase affects the reader. | Complete one mixed 25-minute session, then correct it without looking at the answers first. |
| Week 5 Timed sections | One arithmetic section and one reasoning section on separate days. Practise moving on and returning. | One reading section and one short GPS set. Keep a list of recurring spelling and punctuation errors. | Check pacing: were easy marks lost because too long was spent on one question? |
| Week 6 Consolidate | Revisit the three Maths topics that still produce errors. Avoid introducing a large new topic. | Revisit two reading question types and the highest-frequency GPS errors. Include normal reading for enjoyment. | Finish with a short confidence review: what is now easier, and what is the plan if a question feels difficult? |
A repeatable weekly rhythm
Use the same simple pattern each week. Predictability reduces negotiation and makes it easier to notice progress.
| Session | Length | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | 20-25 minutes | Teach or review one method, then complete five carefully chosen questions. |
| Session 2 | 20-25 minutes | Apply the same skill in a different context and correct mistakes immediately. |
| Session 3 | 20-30 minutes | Mix the skill with earlier learning so the child must choose the method independently. |
| Optional session 4 | 15-20 minutes | Retrieve spellings, arithmetic facts or vocabulary. Keep this session light. |
Weekly planning sheet
Week beginning: __________________ Main priority: __________________________________________
What improved:
What needs another explanation:
What the statutory tests cover
The current Key Stage 2 test structure includes English grammar, punctuation and spelling; English reading; Mathematics Paper 1 arithmetic; and Mathematics Papers 2 and 3 reasoning. Writing is judged through teacher assessment rather than a separate externally marked SATs paper.