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Lift Schools has unveiled an ambitious new initiative, the Key Stage 3 Futures programme, designed to tackle the growing problem of student disengagement felt nationally, particularly among pupils in key stage 3 (Years 7 to 9). Data from sources like PISA confirm a significant engagement problem among this group of UK students.
The goal of the Lift Schools initiative is to understand why so many young people withdraw from school during their early secondary years and to pilot practical solutions.
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The announcement, made by our CEO Becks Boomer Clark at our November Principals' conference, comes as schools across the country face what many are calling a national engagement crisis.
Read: The KS3 'cliff edge' report
Read: Project H: Lessons from our Culture & Climate survey
The new KS3 Futures programme will be incubated by Lift Schools’ Innovation Lab and launched in partnership with the Reach Foundation.
Using the data from pupil and staff responses, Lift Schools aims to identify, innovate and recommend practical ways to improve the experience, engagement and outcomes of pupils so that they are supported and inspired to learn and enjoy school.
The initiative will be led by the Reach Foundation’s Managing Director Ed Vainker and Jon Hutchinson, an independent member of the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review panel. The programme will use extensive evidence, including our survey of 21,000 pupils and 1,700 staff, to inform its work and explore national and international best practice to make key stage 3 unforgettable.
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The KS3 Futures programme will officially begin in January 2026.
I am delighted to be leading KS3 Futures on behalf of Lift to explore what matters and what works in the first years of secondary school - Ed Vainker, Managing Director of the Reach Foundation.
Adding to the focus on student experience, Lift Schools also announced it will be partnering with UCL on a £225k research project funded by the Nuffield Foundation, an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance social well-being.
The three-year project will use Lift Schools' survey data to explore the causal links between school climate, classroom climate, student belonging, attendance, and attainment. It will also explore how teachers and leaders can use climate data to drive school improvements, a theme directly inspired by the early analysis of the data that prompted The KS3 'cliff edge' report and the KS3 Futures initiative.
Speaking at the conference, held for the first time at the trust’s offices at EdCity, Becks Boomer-Clark, said:
“The findings in The KS3 'cliff edge' report are sobering – but they are also hopeful. They show with absolute clarity that the challenge we face is not unique to Lift Schools; it is national. Chronic absenteeism is the visible symptom of a deeper problem. England’s schools do not just face an attendance crisis – we face an engagement crisis. Our youngest secondary students are telling us, consistently and powerfully, that school does not yet feel designed for them.
She continued: “At the end of primary school, pupils are at the height of confidence, belonging and connection. Yet as they enter key stage 3, too many move into environments that feel less personal, less relational and less responsive. We see steep drops in belonging, trust and motivation precisely at the moment when adolescence opens an extraordinary window of opportunity for learning and identity formation. When students tell us they no longer feel known, valued or able to succeed, we cannot ignore them.
“KS3 Futures is our response to this challenge. It builds on the evidence in this report and reflects our belief that the KS3 ‘cliff edge’ is not inevitable. By focusing on relationships, agency, and the developmental needs of early adolescents, we have an opportunity to redesign the KS3 experience so every young person feels seen, supported and inspired to learn.
“I’m delighted that Ed Vainker and his team are leading this work with ambition and rigour. I look forward to their recommendations – and to piloting new, evidence-informed ways of reconnecting our students with school at the moment it matters most.” - Lift Schools CEO Becks Boomer-Clark
Ed Vainker, Managing Director of the Reach Foundation, said:
“We know that the transition to secondary school is a challenging one for many pupils, and that only 8% of children who are not at the expected standard at the end of Year 6 go on to get good GCSE passes in English and Maths.
“There is a huge opportunity to make sure that the early years of secondary build on the positive experiences that many young people have in primary and sets young people up to go to achieve well at GCSE and post-16 and enjoy a life of choice and opportunity.
“This is why I am delighted to be leading KS3 Futures on behalf of Lift Schools to explore what matters and what works in the first years of secondary school. We want to find a series of solutions that help students everywhere enjoy a positive and engaging start to their secondary school experience, building the necessary knowledge and skills that young people need to thrive.”
The KS3 Futures team will work within schools in the Lift Schools network to redesign the key stage 3 journey for young people to feel supported, engaged and give them inspiration to learn.
