Watch Lift Schools’ CEO, Becks Boomer-Clark, discuss the KS3 Futures project with Ed Vainker, Managing Director of the Reach Foundation.
Lift Schools are partnering with the Reach Foundation to dig deeper into the reasons why so many students disengage in KS3. Our data led us to the problem and reflected a national trend - now we are leading the way looking for possible solutions.
Beginning in January 2026, KS3 Futures will bring in sector specialists to test out practical new solutions to engage students and consider what changes may be needed. The programme will be supported by data from our Culture & Climate survey, first published in our KS3 Cliff Edge report - available below.
In January 2025, we surveyed 21,000 pupils in our schools all across England: from Middlesbrough, to Clacton, to the Isle of Wight. We found a stark drop in positive measures of school experience from Year 6 to Year 7, which worsened in Year 8 and again in Year 9:
This data was collected using our annual Culture and Climate survey, piloted in 2024 and rolled out across our 57 schools this year.
By openly sharing our anonymised data and insights, we want to spark a sector-wide conversation and drive collective action.
Read the full report below:
