Updated 29 October 2026

Key stages explained

The British curriculum groups school years into blocks called key stages. Here is each one, with the year groups, ages, and the names schools in the UAE use.

EYFS (early years): FS1 and FS2, ages 3 to 5. KS1: Years 1 and 2, ages 5 to 7. KS2: Years 3 to 6, ages 7 to 11.

KS3: Years 7 to 9, ages 11 to 14. KS4: Years 10 and 11, ages 14 to 16 (GCSEs). KS5 is the informal name for the sixth form, Years 12 and 13.

Every key stage at a glance

Key stage	Year groups	Ages	Tests in England
Early years foundation stage (EYFS)	Nursery (FS1) and Reception (FS2)	3 to 5	Reception baseline assessment in the first 6 weeks; EYFS profile between April and June
Key stage 1 (KS1)	Years 1 and 2	5 to 7	Phonics screening check in Year 1; optional tests in Year 2
Key stage 2 (KS2)	Years 3, 4, 5 and 6	7 to 11	Multiplication tables check in Year 4; national tests (SATs) in Year 6
Key stage 3 (KS3)	Years 7, 8 and 9	11 to 14	No national tests
Key stage 4 (KS4)	Years 10 and 11	14 to 16	GCSEs (or IGCSEs)
Key stage 5 (KS5), the sixth form	Years 12 and 13	16 to 18	A levels and other post-16 qualifications

Ages are the age range during those years, as the UK government lists them: a child turns the higher age during the final year. Schools in the UAE apply their own regulator's age rules when they place a child, so check with the school if your child's birthday is near a cut-off.

What happens in each key stage

Early years foundation stage (FS1 and FS2)

The EYFS covers learning from birth to age 5. In school it means the Nursery and Reception years, which many UAE schools call FS1 and FS2. Children learn mostly through play, across seven areas of learning. At the end of Reception, teachers judge each child against 17 early learning goals. See FS1, FS2 and the EYFS.

Key stage 1 (Years 1 and 2)

Reading starts with phonics, and maths with confident counting, place value and number bonds to 20. In England, children take the phonics screening check in June of Year 1.

Key stage 2 (Years 3 to 6)

The last four years of primary school. By the end of Year 4 children are expected to know their times tables up to 12 × 12, which England checks with the multiplication tables check. In May of Year 6 come the KS2 national tests, often called SATs. For what is taught each year, see maths, Year 1 to Year 6 and English, Year 1 to Year 6.

Key stage 3 (Years 7 to 9)

The first three years of secondary school. Compulsory subjects in England include English, maths, science, history, geography, a modern foreign language, citizenship and computing. There are no national tests at this stage.

Key stage 4 (Years 10 and 11)

Most students work towards GCSEs or similar qualifications such as IGCSEs, sitting the exams at the end of Year 11. English, maths and science stay compulsory.

Key stage 5 (Years 12 and 13)

The sixth form. The national curriculum itself stops at 16, but the Department for Education uses 'key stage 5' for 16 to 18 year olds, and schools use it too. Most students take A levels or other post-16 qualifications.

Key stages at British schools in the UAE

The national curriculum is a legal requirement for state schools in England only. British-curriculum schools in the UAE follow it by choice, and they answer to their emirate's regulator: KHDA in Dubai, ADEK in Abu Dhabi, SPEA in Sharjah and the Ministry of Education in the other emirates. The key stage and year group names are the same. The two Foundation Stage years are usually called FS1 and FS2, and the Year 1 class matches what the UAE Ministry calls KG2. For a full comparison with UAE and US grades, see UK year groups vs US grades.

Many UAE schools also use tests that are not part of the English system at all, such as CAT4. The CAT4 level a child sits depends on their year group: see CAT4 levels by year group.

Questions parents ask

What age is Key Stage 2?

Key Stage 2 covers Years 3, 4, 5 and 6, so children are 7 at the start of Year 3 and 11 by the end of Year 6. It ends with the national tests (often called SATs) in May of Year 6.

What age is Key Stage 1?

Key Stage 1 is Years 1 and 2, for children aged 5 to 7. Children take the phonics screening check in June of Year 1.

What age is Key Stage 3?

Key Stage 3 is Years 7, 8 and 9, for children aged 11 to 14. It is the first part of secondary school and has no national tests in England.

Is there a Key Stage 5?

Not officially. The national curriculum has four key stages, ending at 16. 'Key stage 5' is the everyday name, also used in Department for Education statistics, for the 16 to 18 sixth-form years (Years 12 and 13), when most students take A levels.

What do FS1 and FS2 mean?

They are the names many British-curriculum schools in the UAE use for the two early years classes. FS1 (Foundation Stage 1) is the Nursery year, for children aged 3 to 4. FS2 (Foundation Stage 2) is Reception, for children aged 4 to 5. Both follow the early years foundation stage (EYFS).

What are lower and upper Key Stage 2?

Lower Key Stage 2 is Years 3 and 4; upper Key Stage 2 is Years 5 and 6. The English, maths and science programmes of study are presented this way as guidance for teachers. Legally, schools must cover the whole Key Stage 2 content by the end of Year 6.

Do British schools in the UAE have to follow the key stages?

The national curriculum is the law for state schools in England. Even private schools in England do not have to follow it. British-curriculum schools in the UAE choose to use it, and they are regulated by their emirate's authority (for example KHDA in Dubai or ADEK in Abu Dhabi), not by England's Department for Education. So the key stage names are the same, but the tests in England are not automatically part of school life in the UAE.

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