Transition from KS3 to KS4

This is a significant transition point in the child’s journey towards adulthood. It also has the potential to be problematic. For many children the move into the world of adult life beyond school is not far away and they will have established a view of themselves in relation to what education has to offer them. Some will hold on firmly to the notion that obtaining qualifications will be the route to a better job and provide access to things that are important to them. Others will feel that education has little to offer and through the latter stages of Key Stages 3 and 4 become increasingly disaffected. Many of these will display their disaffection by truanting or misbehaving. Research (Parsons, 1999) shows that the rate of exclusion rises steadily through Years 7, 8 and 9 before peaking in Year 10. There is another group, however, who continue to come to school, do not cause much disruption but who gain very little. This group was termed ‘the disappointed’ by Barber (1994) and ‘passively disaffected’ by Parsons (1999). Significant numbers of children do of course exhibit these forms of disaffection long before they make the transfer to Key Stage 4 but it would seem at this point that they are confronted with the stark reality and often make what is sadly a realistic assessment of what the remainder of compulsory education has to offer them. The vulnerability of children already identified as having behavioral, emotional social difficulties is obvious at this transition point. In a surprisingly blunt and succinct pair of sentences the DfES sums up the problem: ‘Too many young people truant in their last two years of compulsory education. And the behavior of some who turn up makes it hard for teachers to teach and others to learn’ (DfES, 2002b: 4). In many ways as important as the transition point itself therefore is the need to keep children motivated and engaged during Key Stage 3 so that they feel education still has something to offer and therefore can move positively into Key Stage 4.

As children approach the transition from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4 it is essential that they are supported in making informed decisions about their future options. This is a significant period in the child’s life as the choosing of options represents the first real academic and career choice they are required to make. The choices made at 14 begin to map out longer-term opportunities such as further study and future employment. Schools can implement a number of measures to support children in making their choices. These might include:

■ involving parents/carers in the options process by holding open evenings and careers conventions to provide a forum for questions and concerns;

■ producing written materials to assist with discussions at home;

■ arranging individual careers interviews where plans for future study, or job interests are discussed in relation to the ‘options’ being considered now;

■ the Form Tutor taking an active role talking through any worries or complications with the child before final decisions are made;

■ group talks on career-related topics as part of the school careers education and guidance programs.

The DfES document Careers Education and Guidance in England (DfES, 2003) sets out a Careers Education Program for Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Post-16 to support schools in helping pupils to make informed decisions and manage transitions.

The Connexions Service Personal Advisors are another resource in the support available to a child at this stage in their school career. The Connexions Service aims to help all children and young people make decisions about their future and offers advice on routes into employment, training, or further education. It has a particular focus on supporting disadvantaged children and young people or those likely to under-achieve, including those with SEN but without statements. It is envisaged that all children and young people in the 13–19 age group will have access to a Connexions Personal Advisor. For some children and young people this will be at the level of careers advice, for others it may involve more in-depth support to help identify barriers to learning and find solutions. Much of the work will involve one-to-one support, especially at times of transition or when decisions have to be made which will affect the child’s or young person’s future education and training.