Age ranges you could teach

Deciding to be a teacher is one thing – but deciding which age range to teach can be a different matter.

Of course, you may already have made up your mind. Perhaps you want to work with younger children to set them on the right path or you may want to teach pupils through the latter stages of their school lives, sending them off with confidence and optimism.

If you haven’t made up your mind, here’s a brief summary of the different year groups which may help.

Year 1 to Year 13 

Year groups are divided in English schools, as follows: 

• Reception year: 3/4 and 4/5-year-olds
• Year 1: 5/6-year-olds
• Year 2: 6/7-year-olds
• Year 3: 7/8-year-olds
• Year 4: 8/9-year-olds
• Year 5: 9/10-year-olds
• Year 6: 10/11-year-olds
• Year 7: 11/12-year-olds
• Year 8: 12/13-year-olds
• Year 9: 13/14-year-olds
• Year 10: 14/15-year-olds
• Year 11: 15/16-year-olds
• Year 12: 16/17-year-olds
• Year 13: 17/18-year-olds.     

These year groups are then broken down in to key stages. Key stages are the different stages of compulsory schooling in the UK. The teacher training you receive will be provided according to the needs the key stages you intend to teach. 

Foundation stage 

The earliest years of schooling for UK children (three to five years of age). This might involve working in reception classes in primary schools. The foundation stage is the first stage of the national curriculum that focuses on the distinct needs of children aged three until the end of the reception year of primary school.

 The foundation stage curriculum is organised in six areas of learning:

• personal, social and emotional development
• communication, language and literacy
• mathematical development
• knowledge and understanding of the world
• physical development
• creative development.    

Each learning area has Early Learning Goals. The curriculum is delivered through planned play activities and individual pupil progress is measured through teacher observation and the development of the statutory Foundation Stage Profile.  

The Foundation Stage Profile provides a way of assessing children’s development based on the early learning goals. It is expected that teachers will fill the profile for each child periodically throughout the year. At the end of Reception, the completed profile will form the basis for reports to parents and will be passed on to the Year 1 teacher.

Key stage 1

Working in a junior or primary school involves teaching children at key stage 1, between 5 and 7 years of age. Key stage 1 lasts two years and culminates in national curriculum tests.

These tests are primarily to enable teachers to learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of each individual pupil with the aim of attesting each child’s progress in relation to national expectations; to tell the next school or teacher what each child needs to learn next; and to inform each school about how well it is teaching aspects of the national curriculum.

There are two steps to this process, which ensure that each child only tackles those parts of the assessment which are appropriate for him or her. The first step is 'Teacher Assessment'. This is ongoing. 

The second step is the use of nationally designed curriculum tests. The key stage 1 test for seven-year-olds covers: 

• reading
• writing (including handwriting and spelling)
• maths.     

The tests can be administered at any time of the school's choosing to fit around other school work. All the tests added together will last less than three hours. The Teacher Assessment covers:

• speaking and listening, reading and writing
• maths
• science.     

The final levels of attainment will be based on the teacher's assessment of each child's work in class and takes account of the results from the national tests. The statutory curriculum within this key stage covers the following subjects:

• English  (speaking and listening; reading; writing)
• mathematics (number; space, shape and measures; handling data)
• science (scientific enquiry; life processes and living things; materials and their properties; physical processes)
• design and technology
• information technology
• history
• geography
• art
• music
• physical education
• additional statutory: religious education
• non-statutory: personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship.    

Key stage 2

Key stage 2 pupils aged between seven and 11 are taught within primary or middle schools. Key stage 2 lasts four years, culminating in national curriculum tests. These tests are designed to measure the progress of each individual pupil in relation to national expectations; to tell the next school or teacher what each child needs to learn next; and to inform each school about how well it is teaching aspects of the national curriculum. These tests often cause pressure within schools as they are linked to performance tables.

The statutory curriculum within this key stage covers the following subjects:

• English (speaking and listening; reading; writing)
• mathematics (number; space, shape and measures; handling data)
• science (scientific enquiry; life processes and living things; materials and their properties; physical processes)
• design and technology
• information technology
• history
• geography
• art
• music
• physical education
• additional statutory: religious education
• non-statutory: PSHE and citizenship.    

Key stage 3

Key stage 3 pupils, aged between 11 and 14 are taught within secondary schools. Key stage 3 lasts three years culminating in national curriculum tests. These tests are designed to measure the progress of each individual pupil in relation to national expectations; to tell the next key stage what each child needs to learn next; and to inform each school about how well it is teaching aspects of the national curriculum. These tests often cause pressure within schools as they are linked to performance tables.

The statutory curriculum within this key stage covers the following subjects:

• English  (speaking and listening; reading; writing)
• mathematics (number; space, shape and measures; handling data)
• science (scientific enquiry; life processes and living things; materials and their properties; physical processes)
• design and technology
• information technology
• history
• geography
• modern foreign languages
• art and design
• music
• physical education
• citizenship
• additional statutory: religious education
• non-statutory: PSHE  

14-19

This is an area which is undergoing a significant amount of change at the moment. It encompasses key stage 4 which leads to GCSE examinations, AS and A-levels, International Baccalaureate, NVQs  and vocational qualifications.  

You can work with this age group within secondary schools and Further Education colleges. For further information about the pathways within this age group, please go to the 14-19 section on the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority website. 

 Download ATL's free publication for students, Into the classroom, for further advice on how to get the most out of your studies.

Useful websites

• http://www.qca.org.uk/14-19/

Resources

• Into the classroom, Pdf document, 1627 KB