EVERY pupil at one primary school who is due to start secondary school in September failed to meet the ‘expected standard’ for writing in their SATs.

A total of 22 year six pupils at St Helen’s Catholic Primary School in Hoyland part of the Corpus Christi Foundation received the lowest score possible - zero.

The Chronicle understands a member of the teaching staff at the centre of the fiasco is not currently in school although the Corpus Christi Foundation declined to elaborate when pressed on the issue.

SATs or standard assessment tests are national curriculum tests that take place in primary schools at the end of key stage one and key stage two just before pupils are about to leave.

They assess a child’s knowledge and skills in subjects such as English and maths and are used to measure educational performance as well as individual progress.

Key stage two SATs in writing are no longer formal exams and instead are a school’s own informal test.

These tests are called teacher assessments and they are marked in-house.

Pupils who score at least 100 out of a possible 125 will have met the expected standard on their test though it was confirmed this week that every pupil in year six at St Helen’s received a score of zero.

A spokesperson for the school told the Chronicle: “We are very disappointed to have submitted a judgement of zero per cent expected standard for writing this year.

“At the point of determining the judgements for the year sixes’ writing this year, leaders assessed the children’s writing and established that the evidence available at the time did not meet the standards needed for ‘expected’ for any of the children in year six.

“The school was moderated for writing by the local authority, and the moderators confirmed leaders’ judgements that none of the children had the evidence needed to secure an ‘expected’ level.”

Parents say they are angry and frustrated with the news, with one telling the Chronicle it is down to ‘school incompetence’.

They said: “These children are all moving into secondary school without writing data.

“Ofsted and the local authority should be looking into this. As a parent, I’m disgusted and let down.

“Seven years of writing work for our children and a score of zero due to school incompetence.”

SATs results are particularly important in year six as they are shared with secondary schools and are often used to place children in certain sets and to help their new teachers understand pupils’ needs.

And despite the poor scores, the school leaders have confirmed they have been in touch with new schools to discuss the children directly with them. The spokesperson added: “The levels that have been awarded at the point of submitting the judgements do not reflect the children’s true ability for writing.

“In order to ensure that this has no detrimental impact on the children as they move to their secondary schools, leaders have contacted each of the schools our children are moving to and discussed this with them.

“We have explained that the levels submitted are not a true reflection of the children’s ability for writing and that further work has been done since the levels were submitted, early in June, to ensure all of the evidence and knowledge needed to be in line with the expected standard has now been taught.

“In September 2025, we will be launching our new writing strategy which encompasses all of the guidance stated in the Department for Education’s writing framework.”

Barnsley Council has been working with the school and has pledged to support the pupils.

Coun Trevor Cave, cabinet spokesperson for children’s services, said: “We are supporting St Helen’s Catholic Primary School during this time and will continue to provide support throughout the next academic year.

“It’s crucial to emphasise that this judgement does not reflect the true potential and abilities of the children.

“The school has been working hard to ensure that its pupils receive the necessary support and guidance as they transition to their new secondary school in September.”