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"[1] (i.e. a three-year period).
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 the National Curriculum.
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 the nine areas of learning in the curriculum, some of which include specific subject strands:[7]