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Lift Schools CEO Becks Boomer-Clark and North East Learning Trust CEO Dame Lesley Powell DBE have officially launched the KS3 Alliance at the House of Lords, leading with a national Call for Evidence to transform early secondary education.
Schools Minister Georgia Gould also spoke at the launch, which brought together senior leaders from schools, trusts, local authorities, Westminster and Whitehall.
Backed by the Department for Education, the sector-led initiative aims to raise standards, boost engagement, and improve outcomes for students in years 7 to 9.
The Call for Evidence will gather insights, data, best practices, and proven models from across the entire sector to help shape national policy and elevate standards during these crucial years, and will open until 5pm on Monday 9 November 2026.
While schools, trusts, and researchers are invited to contribute, the Call for Evidence places an important emphasis on hearing directly from students currently in their early secondary years.
Find out more about the KS3 Alliance and contribute to the call for evidence.
Why key stage 3?
Key stage 3 plays a vital role in shaping a young person’s academic and personal future. However, the KS3 Alliance argues it is too often treated as a bridge to GCSEs, rather than a distinctive, purposeful phase of education in its own right.
As a sector, we now have an opportunity to tackle the challenges of Years 7 to 9 - from student belonging and behaviour to closing the disadvantage gap.
While these issues have historically lacked a coherent strategy, the KS3 Alliance aims to provide a shared framework to support schools and make the transition into secondary education an intentional, inspiring experience for every student.
The collaborative approach of the Alliance directly reflects Lift Schools' core belief that trusts are a powerful force for good - building capacity across the system so every child receives an excellent education, in every classroom, every day.
We believe (KS3) holds transformative power for the way we organise learning - Lift Schools CEO Becks Boomer-Clark
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Becks, who will build on her foundational work with the KS3 Cliff Edge report and the KS3 Futures project alongside The Reach Foundation, said: “For too long, key stage 3 has been a seriously overlooked phase of education. We have lacked a clear, shared understanding of what these years are for and what every young person should experience during them.
“Schools see the consequences in attendance, engagement and belonging. Too many young people begin Year 7 with enthusiasm, only to gradually lose confidence, curiosity and connection. Yet the early secondary years could be England’s greatest untapped educational opportunity. They offer the chance to build strong academic foundations, sustain engagement and help every pupil reach the end of Year 9 with broad horizons and genuine choices.
“The answers do not sit in Whitehall or within any single organisation; expertise already exists across schools, trusts, colleges and communities. Our Call for Evidence is about bringing that knowledge together, understanding what works and for whom, and identifying what the Alliance should test, evaluate and help to spread.”
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Speaking at the House of Lords launch, Schools Minister Georgia Gould said that key stage 3 is currently a period where too many pupils lose engagement, belonging, and momentum - but insisted it does not have to be this way. Instead, she described KS3 as a vital "springboard" in a child’s education, with the potential to become "a real beacon of the power of education."
The Alliance’s work is “by schools for schools" - North East Learning Trust CEO Dame Lesley Powell DBE and co-chair of the KS3 Alliance
Key focus areas
The Alliance bridges the gap between policy and classroom reality across five key areas:
Following the national launch, a regional roadshow will begin across the country, with events taking place in Addlestone, Cambridge, Doncaster, Exeter, Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle and Worcester.
The Regional Alliance chairs are as follows:
North East
North West
Yorkshire and the Humber
East Midlands
West Midlands
East of England
South East
South West
London:
