Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated as KS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in
maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as
Year 7
Year 7 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is the seventh full year (or eighth in Australia) of compulsory education and is roughly equivalent to grade 6 in the United ...
,
Year 8
Year 8 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is the eighth or ninth year of compulsory education. It is known as Seventh grade in the United States and Canada, and First ...
and
Year 9
Year 9 is an educational year group in schools in many countries including England and Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It is the tenth or eleventh year of compulsory education.
Australia
In Australia, Year 9 is usually the tenth year of compul ...
, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. In
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
the term also refers to the first three years of secondary education.
England and Wales
Legal definition
The term is defined in the
Education Act 2002
The Education Act 2002 (c.32) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that gave schools greater autonomy to implement experimental teaching methods.
Main provisions
The act significantly amended legislation relating to academies, publ ...
as "the period beginning at the same time as the school year in which the majority of pupils in his class attain the age of twelve and ending at the same time as the school year in which the majority of pupils in his class attain the age of fourteen"
[Defined in section 82 of th]
Education Act 2002
/ref> (i.e. a three-year period).
This Key Stage normally covers pupils during their first three years of secondary education
Secondary education or post-primary education covers two phases on the International Standard Classification of Education scale. Level 2 or lower secondary education (less commonly junior secondary education) is considered the second and final pha ...
, although in some cases part or all of this stage may fall in a middle or high school. Some middle and high schools have been piloting accelerated Key Stage 3, by teaching the same curriculum over only two years.
Purpose
The term is used to define the group of pupils who must follow the relevant programmes of study from the National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or other ...
. All pupils in this Key Stage must follow a programme of education in at least 15 areas:[Set out on th]
National Curriculum website
*English
*Mathematics
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
*Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
*Computing
Computing is any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computing machinery. It includes the study and experimentation of algorithmic processes, and development of both hardware and software. Computing has scientific, e ...
*Design and Technology
Design and Technology (D&T) is a school subject offered at all levels of primary and secondary school in England. It is used so children develop a range of designing skills and technology skills for example, using media to design their project. It ...
*History
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
*Geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
* Modern Foreign Language
*Art and design
A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design'' ...
*Music
Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...
*Physical education
Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorati ...
* Career education
*Welsh (in Wales only)
(The reference gives three additional areas: religious education, citizenship education and sex education.)
At the end of this stage, pupils aged 14 or almost age 14 – in Year 9 – are assessed as part of the national programme of National Curriculum assessment
The National Curriculum assessment usually refers to the statutory assessments carried out in primary schools in England, colloquially known as standard attainment tests (SATs).
The assessments are made up of a combination of testing and teacher ...
. Until 2008 this involved a series of externally marked tests.Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31. ...
Northern Ireland
Legal definition
The term is defined in The Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 as "key stage 3 is the period beginning at the same time as the next school year after the end of key stage 2 and ending at the same time as the school year in which the majority of pupils in his class complete three school years in that key stage".[Defined in paragraph 3 of th]
Education (Northern Ireland) Order 2006
/ref> Notably, the foundation stage and Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are defined as lasting for seven years in total from the start of compulsory education
Compulsory education refers to a period of education that is required of all people and is imposed by the government. This education may take place at a registered school or at other places.
Compulsory school attendance or compulsory schooling ...
.
Purpose
The term is used to define the group of pupils who must follow the relevant programmes of study from the National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or other ...
. All pupils in this Key Stage must follow a programme of education in the nine areas of learning in the curriculum, some of which include specific subject strands:[Set out on th]
Northern Ireland National Curriculum website
/ref>
*Language and Literacy
**English
**Irish (in Irish-speaking schools)
**Media Education
*Mathematics and Numeracy
**Mathematics
**Financial Capability
*Modern Languages
*The Arts
**Art and Design
**Music
**Drama
*Environment and Society
**History
**Geography
*Science and Technology
**Science
**Technology & Design
*Learning for Life and Work
**Employability
**Local and Global Citizenship
**Personal Development
**Home Economics
*Physical Education
*Religious Education
See also
* Key Stage
* Key Stage 1
* Key Stage 2
*Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31. ...
*Key Stage 5
Key Stage 5 is a label used to describe the two years of education for students aged 16–18, or at sixth form, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, aligning with previous Key Stages as labelled for the National Curriculum.
Key Stage 5 is als ...
References
External links
Official National Curriculum websiteKey Stage 3 at The Standards SiteDepartment for Education and Skills Performance Tables
{{Education in England
School terminology
Educational stages
Secondary education in England
Secondary education in Wales
Secondary education in Northern Ireland