Which year group should my child be in?

The English National Curriculum is organised into blocks of years starting with the Early Years Foundation Stage, which caters to students aged 3 - 5. The students then move into ‘Key Stages’ (KS).

  • KS1 and KS2 are referred to as Primary Education, while KS3 is the start of Secondary School.
  • KS4, is the start of the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (I/GCSE), Years 10 and 11.
  • KS5 or Sixth Form, is when the students start their A-Levels (Years 12 and 13).

Your child must have turned the age to enter the appropriate year group before 30 September of each year.

Please note:

1.The MoE&HE Guidelines state that all students must complete a full academic school year before they can move to the next year group. If your child has not completed part of a school year, they may have to repeat the year, irrespective of their age.

2. Students cannot be more than two years older than the year group age they are applying to join.

3. If you are moving from a different curriculum to the English National Curriculum (ENC), please check the MOE Guidelines below as to the equivalency of your child's curriculum to the English National Curriculum, e.g. Scotland Prim. 2 = ENC Year 1, whereas US Grade 1 = ENC Year 2.

Further information on this can be found on the MoE&HE Guidelines, read more here.

For the 2023-24 academic year, we are enrolling students up to Year 10 (age 14-15), and for 2024-25 we are enrolling up to Year 11 (age 15-16).

YEAR GROUP FINDER - 2024-25 ACADEMIC YEAR

AgeDate of Birth BetweenYear GroupKey Stage
3-41 Sep 2020 – 30 Sep 2021FS1Early Years Foundation Stage
4-51 Sep 2019 – 30 Sep 2020FS2Early Years Foundation Stage
5-61 Sep 2018 – 30 Sep 2019Year 1Key Stage 1
6-71 Sep 2017 – 30 Sep 2018Year 2Key Stage 1
7-81 Sep 2016 – 30 Sep 2017Year 3Key Stage 2
8-91 Sep 2015 – 30 Sep 2016Year 4Key Stage 2
9-101 Sep 2014 – 30 Sep 2015Year 5Key Stage 2
10-111 Sep 2013 – 30 Sep 2014Year 6Key Stage 2
11-121 Sep 2012 – 30 Sep 2013Year 7Key Stage 3
12-131 Sep 2011 – 30 Sep 2012Year 8Key Stage 3
13-141 Sep 2010 – 30 Sep 2011Year 9Key Stage 3
14-151 Sep 2009 – 30 Sep 2010Year 10Key Stage 4
15-161 Sep 2008 – 30 Sep 2009Year 11Key Stage 4
16-171 Sep 2007 – 30 Sep 2008Year 12Key Stage 5
17-181 Sep 2006 – 30 Sep 2007Year 13Key Stage 5

Please note that for the 2024-25 academic year, we will be open up to Year 11. However, enrollment into Year 11 is dependent on the student's IGCSE subjects aligning completely with those on offer at USI.

Further Admissions Information

English National Curriculum Overview
  • The English National Curriculum is organised into blocks of years starting with the Early Years Foundation Stage, which caters to students aged 3 - 5.The students then move into ‘Key Stages’ (KS).
  • KS1 and 2 are referred to as Primary Education, while KS3 is the start of Secondary School.
  • KS4, is the start of the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (I/GCSE), Years 10 and 11.
  • KS5 or Sixth Form, is when the students start their A-Levels. Years 12 and 13.
Ministry of Education Guidelines
  • The MoE&HE Guidelines state that all students must complete a full academic school year before they can move to the next year group. If your child has not completed part of a school year, they may have to repeat the year, irrespective of their age.
  • Students cannot be more than two years older than the year group age they are applying to join*.
  • If you are moving from a different curriculum to the English National Curriculum (ENC), please check the MoE Guidelines as to the equivalency of your child's curriculum to the ENC. For example, Scotland Prim. 2 = ENC Year 1, whereas US or IB Grade 1 = ENC Year 2.

Further information on this can be found on the MoE&HE Guidelines, read more here.

*Please note that any requests for children to enter a different year group to the one corresponding to their age will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.