When looking for academic assistance for your child leading up to the SATs and the start of high school, Key Stage 2 tuition is designed to cover that entire step of education and ensure that they are ready for the step up that high school can be.
However, whilst a lot of parents are most aware of Key Stage 2, there are five (technically six) Key Stages of education in the UK that children in the UK need to complete before they turn 18, and the national curriculum and most school structures are built around these different phases.
- Key Stage 0
Often better known as the Early Years Foundation Stage, Key Stage 0 is the transition from nursery to pre-school and is not designed around testing but around structured play and the development of children’s key skills, such as communication, creative thinking as well as building up foundational knowledge.
As it is not tested, there does not tend to be tuition surrounding Key Stage 0.
- Key Stage 1
Comprising of Year 1 and Year 2, Key Stage 1 is where the national curriculum begins and the structure of education, with several subjects being taught in a more formal fashion followed by the SATs tests to ensure that the school is adequately teaching children the knowledge they need to succeed.
Tuition focused on the SATs themselves tends to specifically cover Maths, English spelling punctuation and grammar, and science.
- Key Stage 2
The biggest stage and the one most parents are aware of, this stage covers the whole of Junior School, from Year 3 until the KS2 SATs or eleven plus exam if a child intends to enrol in a grammar school.
The test levels are typically used to determine which band or set they will be placed in at a high school for the next key stage.
- Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 has undergone significant change over the past decade. Until 2009, Key Stage 3 was the first half of High School (Years 7-9) and culminated in a series of SATs tests. However, this has since been replaced with an ongoing teacher assessment.
Tuition strategies, therefore, have changed significantly, focusing more towards ongoing development rather than upcoming tests.
- Key Stage 4
One of the biggest key stages in terms of determining a child’s future, Key Stage 4 is just two years but coincides with GCSEs, the first time a child will elect to choose the courses they want to do ahead of their post-16 academic life.
Other vocational qualifications start to appear as well in this stage.
- Key Stage 5
Also known as post-16, Key Stage 5 is not officially a Key Stage in the same way the first four are instead being used to cover the more academic focus post-GCSE.
Between the years of 16 and 18, a young person must either stay in full-time education, start an apprenticeship or work part-time whilst also taking a part-time course.