what is key stage 2

Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when the pupils are aged between 7 and 11 years. It is part of the national curriculum, which means children in different schools study the same subjects to similar standards. The purpose of Key Stage 2 is to define the group of pupils who must follow the relevant programmes of study from the National Curriculum. The subjects taught in Key Stage 2 include English, maths, science, design and technology, history, geography, art and design, music, physical education (PE), computing, and ancient and modern foreign languages. Children are assessed at the end of each key stage, and at the end of Key Stage 2, they take national tests in English and maths to test their skills.