Key Stage 3 to be restored as a three-year stage before GCSEs in England
The new national curriculum, due out in full later this year, will say schools should not start GCSE courses early for large groups of pupils.
Secondary schools in England will be expected to keep Years 7, 8 and 9 as a stage in their own right rather than an early run at GCSEs, under plans the Department for Education announced on Sunday morning.
The department says it will restore Key Stage 3 as a distinct three-year phase. The rules will be set out in the new National Curriculum, which it expects to publish in full later this year.
That curriculum will say schools should not start GCSE specifications early for large groups of pupils. Nor should children routinely be made to narrow their subject choices sooner, or be entered for exams earlier. Teachers will keep the freedom to stretch high-achieving pupils, or groups who are ready to go further, as long as their options are not narrowed.
GCSE content is not meant to be taught until Year 10. According to the department, more than half of teachers say GCSE courses are taking over the first three years of secondary school, and some schools begin GCSE teaching as early as Year 7.
It also points to attendance. Between Years 7 and 9, the share of pupils who are persistently absent almost doubles, reaching one in four children.
Changes to lessons
The department says the new curriculum, drawn up by subject experts, will slim down overcrowded content and put it in a better order across all school stages, leaving more time for pupils to understand topics properly. Alongside that will come:
- higher expectations on speaking confidently, reading fluently, reading for pleasure and numeracy
- more in drama, PE, music and modern foreign languages, along with technical and digital skills
- a new enrichment framework to help schools find room for activities from practical experiments to debating
The changes follow the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the independent review chaired by Professor Becky Francis that the government commissioned in July 2024.
