Secondary schools will be told not to teach GCSEs early as part of a major shake-up of how children in Years 7 to 9 are taught.

The government plans to make Key Stage 3 a more distinct education phase, urging schools to focus less on exams and more on a “richer, more engaging” experience.

The changes come in response to two reviews that found pupils were increasingly becoming disengaged in their early teenage years, affecting attendance and achievement, the Department for Education (DfE) said.

The move will mark a reversal of the approach taken by the previous Conservative government to focus the first three years of secondary school on core subjects and on doing well in assessments.