Setting and Streaming in UK Schools: What Parents Need to Know

Setting places pupils in different groups for specific subjects based on their performance in that subject. Streaming places pupils in a single ability group used across all or most subjects. Both are common in UK secondary schools, both are contested, and neither is compulsory. What the evidence actually shows may surprise you.

What is setting?

Setting is subject-specific ability grouping. A student might be in Set 2 for maths, Set 1 for English, and Set 3 for science — their group in each subject reflects their attainment in that subject separately. Sets are, in theory, permeable: a student who improves can move up, and one who struggles can move down.

Setting is widely used in UK secondary schools, particularly for English, maths, and science at KS3. It is among the most common school-level decisions affecting a student's day-to-day experience in Years 7, 8, and 9.

What is streaming?

Streaming places a student in a single group used across all (or most) subjects, based on a general assessment of ability. A student in Stream A would be in the highest group for every subject; Stream C would apply across the board. Streaming was more common in UK secondary schools before the comprehensive system expanded in the 1970s and 1980s.

Full streaming is now relatively rare in state secondary schools. When schools describe "streaming," they are often describing broad setting across core subjects, not a single all-subjects group. Pure streaming is more common in some independent schools.

What the evidence says about setting and streaming

The Education Endowment Foundation's Teaching and Learning Toolkit gives setting and streaming one of its lower impact ratings: on average, zero additional months of learning progress, and in some studies a small negative impact. The EEF notes this is a counterintuitive finding given how widely ability grouping is used, and explains the mechanisms behind it.

Why setting often does not improve outcomes on average:

Students in lower sets frequently receive lower expectations, less experienced teachers, and a slower curriculum pace

The label of being in a lower set can negatively affect student self-belief and motivation

Movement between sets is less common in practice than the theory suggests

Teachers in higher sets may over-differentiate upward, leaving borderline students behind

Where setting does show benefits:

High-achieving students in top sets do sometimes show modest positive gains — the EEF notes a small benefit for higher-attaining pupils

In maths specifically, where content is highly sequential, setting that keeps pace appropriate to prerequisite knowledge can prevent students being lost

Where sets are small and teachers are skilled, outcomes improve compared to large, mixed-ability classes

The EEF concludes that mixed-ability teaching with strong within-class differentiation tends to produce better outcomes on average than setting, but acknowledges this is dependent on teacher skill and whole-school structures.

How setting works in practice at KS3

Most English secondary schools set students in Year 7 based on primary school data (SATs results, teacher assessments, Year 7 assessments) and then review set placement at the end of each year. Reviews typically happen in July, with movement effective from September.

The number of sets varies: a school with four forms in a year group might have four sets per subject, or might band students into broad upper/lower groups within which further differentiation occurs in class.

What being in a particular set usually means:

Different textbooks, resources, or scheme of work pace — the top set may cover more content, or the same content in more depth

Potentially a different exam tier at GCSE: in maths and science, schools set students for Foundation or Higher tier entry based partly on set membership in Year 10 and 11

Access to the same teachers as other sets in most schools — though research suggests less experienced or less specialist teachers are more frequently assigned to lower sets

How parents can find out about their child's sets

Schools are not always proactive about communicating set levels. Strategies that work:

Ask at the Year 7 parents' evening (typically October or November) — staff will confirm which set your child is in for each subject

Check the student planner or any set-specific homework assignments, which often list the set number

If the school uses a parent portal or communication platform (ParentMail, Arbor, SIMS), set information is sometimes listed there

If you are concerned about a subject, ask the class teacher directly at the next parents' evening

What should parents do if their child is placed in a lower set?

First, understand what "lower set" means in that school. In a school with five maths sets, Set 4 is not the same as in a school with three sets. Ask the teacher about the curriculum your child is following, whether movement between sets is possible, and what improvement would look like.

Second, do not catastrophise. EEF evidence suggests set placement affects outcomes less than the quality of teaching and the student's own engagement. A student in Set 3 with a strong work ethic and targeted support often outperforms a student in Set 1 who coasts.

Third, consider targeted support. If your child's set placement reflects genuine gaps rather than a bad placement decision, identifying and closing those gaps is the most productive response. Tutoring, AI-supported practice, and consistent homework completion all contribute.

Fourth, if you believe the placement is wrong — for example, if your child is genuinely working well beyond the group's level — raise it with the subject teacher and ask what the criteria are for a set review. Most schools will review set placement mid-year if the evidence clearly supports it.

Setting and GCSE tier entry

In maths and science, GCSE papers are tiered: Foundation tier covers grades 1–5 and Higher tier covers grades 4–9. Schools must enter students for a tier in Year 11, and this decision is often influenced by set membership in Year 10.

A student in a Foundation-tier set cannot achieve above a grade 5. For students who may want to pursue A-level maths, science, or engineering, being tracked into Foundation entry can close options. This is the most consequential downstream effect of KS3 setting — not the Year 7 or 8 set itself, but whether the set trajectory leads to Foundation or Higher tier entry by Year 11.

Parents of Year 9 students should ask, at the options stage, whether their child is on a trajectory for Foundation or Higher entry in maths and science, and what would need to change to move to Higher if they are currently tracking Foundation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between setting and streaming in UK secondary schools?

Setting groups pupils by ability separately for each subject — a student might be in a high group for English and a middle group for maths. Streaming places a pupil in a single ability group used across most or all subjects. Setting is much more common in current UK state secondary schools; full streaming is relatively rare. Both describe forms of ability grouping, but they have different implications for how broadly a student is labelled.

Does being in a lower set damage my child's chances at GCSE?

Not automatically, but set placement does affect the curriculum pace and, in maths and science, potentially the GCSE tier for which the school enters students. The EEF evidence suggests that teaching quality and student motivation matter more than set level. The key concern for parents is whether a lower-set trajectory is moving toward Foundation-tier GCSE entry in maths or science, which caps the achievable grade at 5. Asking the school about tier expectations early — ideally by Year 9 — is important if your child may want academic sixth-form or degree-level progression.

Can my child move up a set during KS3?

Yes, in theory — and in many schools, in practice. Most schools conduct formal set reviews at the end of Year 7 and Year 8. Movement mid-year is possible but less common. If your child has improved significantly, ask the subject teacher what a set-review request involves and what evidence the school needs. Consistent high performance in assessments is usually the key criterion. Waiting passively for the annual review is not always necessary.

How many sets do secondary schools typically have?

This varies by school size and policy. A secondary school with five forms in a year group might have five or six sets per subject, or might use broad bands. Most schools have three to five sets for core subjects at KS3. Some schools use "mixed ability with differentiation" for Years 7 and 8 and only introduce setting from Year 9 onward. Asking the school's head of year or department heads at the Year 7 induction event is the easiest way to understand the specific structure.

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