Schools told to stop teaching GCSEs before Year 10 in shake-up of early secondary years

Secondary schools in England are to be told to stop teaching GCSE courses early, under a shake-up of how children in Years 7 to 9 are taught. The Department for Education (DfE) announced the plan on Sunday. It intends to make Key Stage 3 a more distinct phase of schooling, with less emphasis on exams and what the government calls a "richer, more engaging" experience.

The department says the change responds to two reviews. Both found that pupils were becoming increasingly disengaged in their early teenage years, with consequences for attendance and achievement. The DfE points to its own figures showing that persistent absence rises from 13% to 15% between Year 6 and Year 9. It also cites a recent survey commissioned by the International Baccalaureate, which found that GCSE preparation dominated Key Stage 3 in England. Some 57% of teachers said it was the leading influence on the curriculum.

The move reverses the approach of the previous Conservative government, which focused the first three years of secondary school on core subjects and on performing well in assessments. Michael Gove, as Education Secretary, put English, maths and science first. He raised grade boundaries, made exams harder and limited resits. He also made GCSEs linear, so that they are sat all at once at the end of Year 11 rather than spread across Key Stage 4. The effect, according to the source, was that teachers began preparing pupils for exams earlier, at the expense of the parts of their subjects that are not examined.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell said the early years of secondary school should be a time when children are excited to go to school. She said they should be able to engage with specialist, much broader teaching, find their passion and develop a love of learning. Ringfencing Key Stage 3, she said, would give "more time to develop deeper understanding" and a richer experience. She argued that exam pressure and an overcrowded curriculum leave too many children with a narrower offer, rushed towards exams without grasping the fundamentals. "I'm putting a stop to that," she said.

The DfE has promised a "more engaging offer" in drama, PE, music and languages, subjects that have seen fewer students taking them. Details are expected when the department publishes its new curriculum later this year.

The worry about these years is not new. A 2015 Ofsted report suggested Key Stage 3 might be "wasted years", reflecting a view at the time that pupils aged 11 to 14 lacked clear motivation to work hard. The government of the day, however, faced criticism that its reforms made each exam far more significant, leading teachers to refocus lessons on only what could come up in them.

Lib Dem education spokeswoman Munira Wilson MP said school was "more than drilling kids for exams", but cautioned against "micromanaging" teachers. She said a new curriculum "alone won't get children back into the classroom", because too many pupils miss school through anxiety and unmet mental health needs. She added that schools cannot offer more drama, music and languages without teachers to deliver them.

The test will come with the curriculum due later this year: whether it gives schools the specifics, and whether staffing and pupil wellbeing are addressed alongside it.