The Standards and Testing Agency have confirmed that they took the celebration of Eid into consideration before making a final decision about the scheduling of the KS2 tests for 2021.
The Standards and Testing Agency will publish specific guidance for schools with Muslim pupils in their year 6 cohort at the beginning of the 2020/21 academic year so schools can put arrangements in place to ensure that pupils celebrating Eid are not disadvantaged.
This will include guidance on using timetable variations for individual pupils, or for a group of pupils or the whole cohort.
The Standards and Testing Agency also acknowledge that some pupils may be fasting during Ramadan and may be tired during the administration of the English tests. In these circumstances, the school will be able to allow rest breaks during the tests. Rest
breaks can be managed by the school and allow a pupil suffering from tiredness to refocus their attention before continuing with a test. Schools will also be able to apply for timetable variations for individuals or a whole cohort if that is appropriate and
they will also have recourse to vary the start time of tests if they feel that will be helpful to pupils who are fasting.
The Standards and Testing Agency will be publishing further guidance for schools nearer to the KS2 test week in 2021.