SATs are over, so why do I still feel exhausted?
You might have expected relief.
Instead, you feel flat, snappy, tearful, wired, or completely wiped out. Your class might be giddy one minute and falling apart the next. Someone has already mentioned transition, production, residential, reports, writing moderation or “fun post-SATs projects”, and part of you wants to hide in the stock cupboard.
Then there is the feeling that everyone else thinks the hard bit is over.
But you know what you have been carrying: the child who cried before the reading paper, the parent who kept asking whether their child was “on track”, the booster groups, the data pressure, the pep talks, and the effort of keeping everyone calm while you were running on adrenaline.
So if SATs are finished and you still feel awful, that makes sense.
What is the post-SATs slump?
The post-SATs slump is the dip some Year 6 teachers feel once the tests are over.
It can look like:
feeling annoyed that everyone assumes you are “basically done now”
dreading the sudden shift into production, transition and leavers’ events
finding your class more unsettled than expected
feeling flat even though the timetable is meant to be more fun
not having the energy to become “fun Year 6 teacher” overnight
feeling exhausted but unable to properly rest
For months, everything has been building towards one week. Once that pressure lifts, you may only then notice how much you have been running on adrenaline.
Your pupils may feel it too. Some children bounce into post-SATs freedom. Others become silly, anxious, emotional, avoidant or harder to motivate. That does not mean you have lost the class. It may mean they are decompressing as well.
If your classroom feels unsettled after SATs, you may also find this helpful: How to Create a Calmer Classroom Without Carrying All the Stress Yourself.
SATs week is not just four days of tests
SATs week is months of revision, parent questions, anxious pupils, booster groups, data conversations and trying to act calm while quietly wondering whether you have done enough.
And then, almost overnight, the expectation shifts.
Now you are supposed to make memories, prepare pupils for secondary school, manage behaviour, plan leavers’ events, finish reports, support transition, keep parents informed, and somehow become the fun version of yourself again.
No wonder you are tired.
Do not replace SATs pressure with post-SATs pressure.
This is the bit to watch.
After SATs, it is easy to swap one form of pressure for another.
You go from:
“They need to be ready for SATs.
to:
“Now I need to make the rest of Year 6 magical.”
But your post-SATs timetable does not need to be magical by Monday morning. It needs to be steady.
The first week after SATs does not have to be packed with brilliant memories. Sometimes ordinary, calm and predictable is exactly what your class needs.
Yes, pupils need joy, creativity, movement and connection. But they also need routine, calm expectations and a teacher who is not running on empty.
You are allowed to build the next phase gradual
If you are trying to reduce pressure without feeling like you are letting people down, you might also like: Work–Life Balance for Teachers: Setting Boundaries Without the Guilt.
A simple post-SATs recovery reset
At the end of the first day after SATs, take five minutes and ask yourself three questions.
1. What can I stop carrying now?
This might be revision pressure, test anxiety, intervention guilt, or the feeling that every lesson needs to prove something.
Write down one thing you are allowed to put down.
2. What does my class need next?
Not what looks impressive. Not what fills a display board.
What do they actually need?
It might be structure. It might be outdoor time. It might be quiet reading, low-stakes creative work, PSHE, class discussion, or space to feel proud.
3. What do I need tonight so I am not running on empty tomorrow?
This might be a proper lunch before the end of the day. A quiet evening. A walk after school. An earlier night. A conversation with someone who gets it. Or not taking work home for one evening.
This is not another thing to do perfectly. It is just a way to notice what might help.
Make this week 5% lighter
Here is the actionable bit.
Choose one thing to reduce this week.
Not ten things. One.
You might reduce:
taking work home
checking emails after school
squeezing too much into the timetable
saying yes automatically
trying to make every post-SATs activity exciting
carrying guilt that does not belong to you
Ask yourself:
What would make this week 5% lighter?
That is your starting point.
When to pay attention
Feeling tired after SATs is understandable. But if you feel completely flat, tearful most days, unable to switch off, resentful, panicky, or like you cannot face the rest of term, it may be worth pausing properly
SATs being over should not mean ignoring what the last few months have taken out of you.
If you recognise the feeling of still showing up while running on empty, this blog may resonate: Still Showing Up, But Running on Empty?
Final thought
The hard bit may look over from the outside.
But you are the one who carried the room: the tears, the nerves, the silliness, the parent emails, the pressure to keep smiling, and the push to get everyone through.
Start with one thing you can put down this week.
Gentle call to action
If SATs are over but you still feel wound up, flat or close to tears, it may be worth talking it through.
An intro call can help you work out what is normal end-of-term tiredness, what needs firmer boundaries, and what might need more support.