What Are The Different Key Stages And What Ages Are Children When They Pass Through Them?
Currently, education from the start of primary school at the age of about 4 years to the end of formal education at about the age of 16 is divided into four Key Stages. Children usually begin school in a reception or nursery class then, in the year in which they are five, the begin Key Stage 1. This takes three years and children pass into Key Stage 2 when they are in year four of primary school – in the year in which they are 8. Key Stage 2 lasts until the end of primary school – at the end of Year 6. Children then move up to a secondary school to begin Key Stage 3, which also lasts for three years. At the end of Year 9, students start studying for the GCSE exams and enter Key Stage 4. After that, they may stay on for two years of sixth form, and then go on to further study at university or college.
