Legal definition The term is defined in the
Education Act 2002 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" (i.e. a three-year period). This
Key Stage normally covers pupils during their first three years of
secondary education, 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. All pupils in this Key Stage must follow a programme of education in at least 15 areas: • English •
Mathematics •
Science •
Computing •
Design and Technology •
History •
Geography •
Modern Foreign Language •
Art and design •
Music •
Physical education •
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. Until 2008 this involved a series of externally marked tests. However, from 2009, this will be based on on-going teacher assessment, with results for each school being published in performance tables. They also undergo tests before moving up to
Key Stage 4. ==Northern Ireland==