Attainment and Performance

In order to assist schools, pupils and parent/guardians in keeping track of the progress children are making, all pupils take national tests at the end of each of four key stages.

The key stages are:

Key stage 1
Applies to pupils aged between 5 and 7. It covers Years 1 and 2

Key stage 2
Applies to pupils aged between 8 and 11. It covers Years 3 to 6

Key stage 3
Applies to pupils aged between 12 and 14. It covers Years 7 to 9

Key stage 4
Applies to pupils aged between 15 and 16. It covers Years 10 and 11

Information about the performance of your child in these or other assessments will be available from his or her school.

If you want more information about standards across a whole school, the school itself is again often the best place to start. However, some information is also made public both by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) and OfSTED.

For information about end of Key Stage assessments, General Certificate of Secondary Education(GCSEs), A Levels, and other national assessments, see the DfES website

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