Key stage 2: Ages 7 - 11 years old

Children's learning in school starts in the foundation stage from 3 years old, and runs through to age 15 at GCSE level. The National Curriculum, which sets out the areas of children's learning, is followed by all state schools is broken down into 4 key stages following the age bands of the children.

At key stage 2, all state schools have to teach all the National Curriculum subjects:

English
Mathematics
Science
Design and Technology (D&T)
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
History
Geography
Art and Design
Music
Physical Education (PE).

Although there is no formal requirement in personal, social and health education and citizenship, many schools choose to teach it. Not every subject will be taught in separate lessons, which means that family learning at home to supplement the lessons at school can have a significant complementary benefit.

Crucial to all learning for kids is the element of fun and enjoyment that helps develop confidence. keen2learn offers a growing selection of teaching resources to support key stage 2. Developed by teachers and educationalists they are ideal educational games to help a child develop all subject areas of Key Stage 2. They include learning games and software to complement kids learning against all key stages and SAT's revision such as KS2 English and KS2 Science.

Statutory Assessment Tasks (SAT's) operate throughout the National Curriculum. The 4 key stages in a child's development are assessed against local and national standards of achievement. It is important to note that a child does not pass or fail these tasks; they are a means of revealing the progress of your child compared to local and national standards. The achievement of your child from the SAT's is assessed over 8 levels (2 levels for each of the 4 key stages). It takes, on average, two years to complete each level so at the end of Key stage 1 an average ability child is expected to have gained level two and level four at the end of Key Stage 2 (7 years old). A child who achieves level five is doing very well. A child who passes GCSE at grade C has achieved level seven.

At the end of each key stage, each National Curriculum subject has a target - your child should have reached skills, knowledge and understanding at a particular level.

Targets and tests?

Schools use them to see where children need to improve, so that they can tailor their teaching.
Children get a sense of achievement from a milestone and going beyond it.
The government uses them to see how many children are making the right kind of progress (especially in English, Maths and Science where children take National Curriculum tests at age 11).

Of course, some children may not make as much progress as others and some have Special Educational Needs. As a parent or carer you have a very important role to play in helping your children learn. The most important thing you can do is be interested in what your child is learning at school and encourage them to tell you about it and explain it. Some parents are afraid of doing the wrong thing. Remember, you can never go wrong by showing interest in your child's learning. Don't feel you have to do all of them but any you do find time to do will support your child's learning at school.

The aim of the targets is to give a level that most children should have reached by a certain age. There will always be some children below and others beyond the target.

If your child finds their work easy, talk to their teacher about which target they should be aiming for - they may need to aim higher! If your child is likely to find level 2 hard when they get to age 7, the school will tell you in good time. Every school must give parents an annual report on how their child is progressing in each National Curriculum subject (the school is not obliged by law to give a level for each subject in this annual report, but some will).

You may hear your child's teacher talking about level 2a, 2b or 2c. These are finer divisions of the level: 2a is high, 2c is low. If your child achieves level 2c at age 7, they will have to work hard to reach level 4 by the time they are aged 11.

If the school says that your child is likely to find it hard to reach the target, remember:

Children develop at different rates. Some may not reach the level at the given age, but will catch up later
At the moment, however, your child may need extra help from their school and from you. Talk to his or her teacher about how you can help with teaching resources for key stage 2 and family learning at home. Compelling evidence proves this activity to hold significant benefits.

Key Stage 2 tests for 11 year olds cover: