School Data Updates Month: April 2018

This is the 5th and final part in a series of blog posts on data for primary governors. Part 1 covered statutory data collection, part 2 was on sources of data, part 3 explained progress measures, and part 4 dealt with headline measures. In this post we’re going to discuss those all-important pupil groups. When […]

The DfE recently announced that they would cap the extremely negative progress scores (but not the extremely positive progress scores by the way) in order to reduce the impact that such scores can have on school’s overall measures. This is a welcome move considering how damaging these scores can be, particularly for schools with high […]

Many schools are using standardised tests from the likes of NFER, GL and Rising Stars to monitor attainment and progress of pupils, and to predict outcomes; and yet there is lot of confusion about how standardised scores relate to scaled scores. The common assumption is that 100 on a standardised test (eg from NFER) is […]

This is fourth part in a series of five blog posts for primary governors. Part 1 covered statutory assessment, part 2 dealt with sources of data, and part 3 explained the progress measures. Here, we will look at the headline measures governors need to be aware of. Inspection Data Summary Report (IDSR) Areas to investigateThis is an important place to start. […]

Following the release of further details on the proposed reception baseline and future progress measures this week, and the inevitable battle for the soul of primary education already in full swing, I find myself distracted by the possible mechanics of these measures, specifically what will happen to those pupils that change schools. The issue of measuring the progress of […]

The key stage 1-2 (KS1-2) progress measure is a value added (VA) measure, and this is nothing new. We have had VA measures for years, both at KS2 and at KS4. But previously these VA measures – which took up pages of the old RAISE reports – played second fiddle to the levels of progress […]

In part 1 we dealt with statutory assessment – the data that the DfE collects from primary schools. In part 2 we’re going to look at the main sources of data that governors should be aware of: the key reports, when they’re made available, who has access, and what they contain. Here we will focus on four […]

Data is a minefield. It’s hard enough for head teachers and senior leaders to find their way through it all, but for many  governors it is a minefield in a swamp, with ditches filled with spikes, and pits of burning tar. And crocodiles.  It is vital that governors have a sound working knowledge of school […]