Key Stage 3 (commonly abbreviated asKS3) is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known asYear 7,Year 8 andYear 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14. InNorthern Ireland the term also refers to the first three years of secondary education.
The term is defined in theEducation 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"[1] (i.e. a three-year period).
ThisKey Stage normally covers pupils during their first three years ofsecondary education, although in some cases part or all of this stage may fall in amiddle or high school. Some middle and high schools have been piloting accelerated Key Stage 3, by teaching the same curriculum over only two years.[2][3]
The term is used to define the group of pupils who must follow the relevant programmes of study from theNational Curriculum. All pupils in this Key Stage must follow a programme of education in at least 15 areas:[4]
(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 ofNational Curriculum assessment. Until 2008 this involved a series of externally marked tests.[5] 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 toKey Stage 4.
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".[6] Notably, the foundation stage andKey Stage 1 andKey Stage 2 are defined as lasting for seven years in total from the start ofcompulsory education.
The term is used to define the group of pupils who must follow the relevant programmes of study from theNational Curriculum. 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:[7]