UK government don announce big change for how secondary school pupils for Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 go learn, as dem plan to stop schools from teaching GCSEs early and make Key Stage 3 a clear three-year phase of secondary education. The Department for Education, DfE, talk say the decision follow two reviews wey find say many pupils dey lose interest for early teenage years, and e dey affect attendance and achievement.
Education Secretary Lucy Powell talk say the early years of secondary school suppose be time when children dey happy to go school, dey engage with broad and specialist teaching, and dey find wetin dem love. She add say pressure from GCSEs and overcrowded curriculum dey make too many children get narrower learning and dem dey rush dem towards exams without grasping fundamentals or developing deeper understanding. Lucy Powell talk say she dey put stop to am.
Under the plan, government go restore Key Stage 3 as clearly defined three-year phase, and new National Curriculum wey subject experts develop dey expected later this year. The DfE promise more engaging offer in subjects like drama, PE, music and languages, wey don see decline in students taking dem. The department also note say persistent absence nearly double among pupils between Year 6 and Year 9. E point to survey commissioned by International Baccalaureate wey find say GCSEs preparation dominate Key Stage 3 learning for England, with 57% of teachers saying na im be leading influence on curriculum.
The change go reverse approach of previous Conservative government, wey focus first three years of secondary school on core subjects and doing well for assessments. Former Education Secretary Michael Gove prioritise English, maths and science, raise grade boundaries, make exams harder and limit resits. He also make GCSEs linear, meaning pupils dey sit dem all at once at end of Year 11 instead of over Key Stage 4. Those reforms mean teachers start preparing pupils for exams earlier, at expense of teaching parts of subject wey no dey examined.
Becks Boomer-Clark, chief executive of Lift Schools and co-chair of KS3 Alliance, support the move. She talk say first three years of secondary school na critical phase on their own, but for too long dem don treat am like preparation ground for GCSEs. She say protecting the years no mean lowering academic expectations; na to give young people time to build secure foundations, explore, discover new interests and develop confidence.
A 2015 Ofsted report suggest say Key Stage 3 fit be wasted years, echoing view at the time say pupils aged 11 to 14 no get clear motivation to work hard. But government face criticism at the time say the reforms make each exam carry more significance, and teachers begin focus lessons only on wetin exam go cover.
