Knowing Your School. A series of briefing notes for school governors from the National Governors Association produced in association with partners

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1 Knowing Your School A series of briefing notes for school governors from the National Governors Association produced in association with partners RAISEonline for Governors of Secondary Schools Briefing note 2 Second edition January 2014

2 National Governors Association The National Governors Association aims to improve the wellbeing of children and young people by promoting high standards in all our schools and improving the effectiveness of their governing bodies. We do this by providing information, advice and training to governing bodies. NGA represents governors across England in both maintained schools and academies. The NGA is a membership organisation: governing bodies can join at a Standard ( 72) or Gold ( 260) rate to receive additional benefits, including access to legal advice. Website: membership@nga.org.uk Telephone: FFT FFT is a not-for-profit company with links to the Fischer Family Trust, solely focused on providing accurate and insightful information to schools which enables pupils to achieve their full potential and schools to improve. Since 2003, FFT has been processing the National Pupil Database for the DFE and providing analyses to all LAs and schools in England and Wales. The new FFT Governor Dashboard (developed in partnership with the NGA) is used by governors in over 75% of schools to analyse pupil results and progress. Website: hello@fft.org.uk Telephone: National College for Teaching and Leadership The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) is a government agency created to enable and support the development of a self-improving, school-led system. NTCL has two key aims: improving the quality of the education workforce and helping schools to help each other to improve. The National College provides support and training for governors including National Leader of Governance support, training for Chairs of Governors and a new training programme for Clerks. Website: governors@education.gsi.gov.uk Page 2

3 What is RAISEonline? RAISEonline is a secure web-based system ( that provides schools, local authorities and inspectors with a range of analyses including: Pupil results (attainment) at the end of Key Stage 4 Pupil progress (achievement) from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4 Performance of different pupils groups and subjects within a school Absence and exclusions The characteristics (often referred to as context ) of pupils For each type of analysis, your school is compared to national averages for secondary schools. Some analyses also show you where your school sits in the national distribution of schools (e.g. top 20%, bottom 5% etc.). Tests of statistical significance are used to highlight results that are atypical. What is it for? The purpose of RAISEonline is twofold. Firstly, it is an important (but by no means the only) source of data for school governors to use in retrospective self-evaluation and school improvement planning. It should be used alongside other sources of data such as the Ofsted Data Dashboard, FFT Governor Dashboard, FFT Self Evaluation Booklet and the schools own pupil tracking data. Secondly, the analyses are used by Ofsted inspectors during their inspection of schools. It is therefore critical that you are able to interpret your school s data from an inspector s perspective and can identify apparent areas of under-performance in order to explain why they occurred; or demonstrate that you recognise them and have set out the action you are taking to address them. How should governors use RAISEonline? Both Ofsted and the Department for Education (DfE) have made it absolutely clear in recent years that school governors play a pivotal role in providing support and challenge to school leaders. To do this effectively, governors must have access to good quality, timely data to be able to ask challenging questions and get the answers to their questions. In February 2013, Sir Michael Wilshaw (HMCI, Ofsted) said that the best governing bodies know exactly how well their pupils perform across the curriculum and whether they are making sufficient progress in relation to similar schools. Ofsted will evaluate how well governors hold the headteacher and senior staff to account for the achievement of pupils. During school inspections, inspectors will consider how well governors understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school and whether governors have taken into account the data that is available. In the most recent Governors Handbook published by the DfE in January 2014, there is new guidance about how governors should use school performance data and the sources of data available to governors including in RAISEonline, the Ofsted Data Dashboard and other sources of data such as the FFT Governor Dashboard and the school s own pupil tracking data. Page 3

4 RAISEonline will help governors to support and challenge school leaders: Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school School improvement development planning What is working well and where could we improve? With a focus on pupil results (attainment), pupil progress (achievement), pupil groups and performance across different subjects Identifying areas for future improvement and ensure that these are firmly embedded in the school development plan Ofsted inspection Ofsted inspectors will expect governors to have a good understanding of pupil results and progress and see evidence that governors are supporting and challenging school leaders Performance management RAISEonline provides an external view of school performance which can be used to support headteacher performance management Setting the strategic vision for the school To set a vision and future direction for a school, governors need to understand historical performance and the current strengths and weaknesses of the school Governors will need to decide whether discussions about school performance data will primarily take place at a full governor meeting or in a smaller subcommittee with delegated responsibility for analysing school performance. A smaller committee of governors using RAISEonline and the key questions in this guide will have more time for focused and detailed discussion with school leaders. It is important, however, that a summary of the key highlights, including any strengths and areas for improvement, are reported back so that all governors understand these very clearly. How do we get access to RAISEonline? The data is presented in a range of interactive tables and charts which can be viewed online. To access the system, you need a username and password. Each school has a designated School Administrator who is responsible for generating user names and passwords. Governors can be added as users but, unlike teachers at the school, are unable to view data about individual pupils. In addition, a set of the key tables and charts have been collated into a single document known as the RAISEonline Summary Report. This can also be downloaded from RAISEonline but requires a user name and password to do so. It is this document that inspectors use during inspections. There is a lot of information in the RAISEonline Summary Report and this will be the best starting point for most school governors. The most recent 2013 RAISEonline Summary Report has highlighted with a G in the top right hand corner of tables and charts which are most important and useful for school governors. It is important for governors to have access to the RAISEonline Summary Report and the FFT Governor Dashboard, but governors will not necessarily need access to the online systems. All governors should Page 4

5 be able to use the FFT Governor Dashboard to analyse school performance. The committee dealing with monitoring pupil progress should analyse the RAISEonline Summary Report in more detail. It is advisable to have a couple of governors who are confident in understanding the more detailed data available in RAISEonline. How often is it updated? RAISEonline is updated several times in the academic year. Key Stage 4 data is typically made available in late November or early December. At this stage, the data is considered unvalidated. This means it had not been checked or corrected by schools. Once the process of checking is complete validated data will subsequently be made available in RAISEonline. To be effective, school self-evaluation should be undertaken and any necessary actions put in place in the Autumn term. For that reason, unvalidated data tends to be the most widely used. However, if a school has requested a large number of changes to unvalidated data through the DfE data checking exercise (for example changes to results following a remark), governors might also want to see the updated RAISEonline reports once validated data is published. The FFT Governor Dashboard is made available much earlier to schools using the same underlying data in September (primary schools) and October (secondary schools). Governors will be able to use the FFT Governor Dashboard early on in the Autumn term to analyse school performance and then look in more detail at the RAISEonline analysis when it is published. Key questions you should ask of the data RAISEonline is provided to schools to inform and support discussion about school improvement rather than just make absolute judgments about the effectiveness of any school. The questions you can ask of the wide range of data available for your school are almost inexhaustible. In this guide, we provide five key questions which can be used by school governors as a framework for sharply focused discussions with school leaders about school performance. The five questions are: 1. How does attainment and progress at my school compare to national averages and the government s floor standards? 2. Do we have any under-performing groups of pupils, or are there wide gaps in attainment between some groups of pupils? 3. Are we relatively stronger or weaker in some subjects compared to others? 4. How might the context of our school affect our performance? 5. How does pupil attendance compare to national averages? Page 5

6 Question 1: how does attainment and progress at my school compare to national averages and the government s floor standards? Pupil Results (Attainment) Typically the attainment of pupils can be summarised in two ways thresholds and points scores. Threshold measures are based on achieving a particular standard: pupils either achieve it or they do not. The most common threshold measure for secondary schools is the percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C grades including GCSE English and mathematics. A pupil who achieves 5 C grades is counted the same way as a pupil who achieves 10 A* grades: no additional credit is given for exceeding the threshold. Average Point Scores are a method of summarising attainment in which quality takes precedence. An A* grade achieves more points than an A grade, which achieves more points than a B grade and so forth. Points scores for GCSEs are shown below and details of points scores for other types of qualification, such as NVQ and BTEC, are published by Ofqual. Capped Average Point Scores are the total points achieved by pupils in their best 8 GCSEs (or equivalents). If a pupil is entered for 10 GCSEs, their lowest two grades are ignored and the points from the other eight are summed. A* 58 A 52 B 46 C 40 D 34 E 28 F 22 G 16 U 0 The Cavendish School (URN: DfE No ) Attainment at Key Stage 4 Chart and Table 4.1.2: Percentage of candidates achieving 5 or more A* to C (including English and mathematics) at GCSE and Equivalent (KS4.3C) Statistical significance tests have been performed on the data using a 95% confidence interval. Where the school value differs significantly from the corresponding national value for this group, sig+ or sig- is shown. Where a school figure is significantly above or below that of the previous year an up or down arrow is displayed to the right of the figure. G There are a number of different measures of pupil attainment and progress in RAISEonline. For a school with Key Stage 4 pupils, the key measures are: The percentage of pupils who achieved 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE (or equivalent) including English and mathematics (chart/table & 4.1.2) The Average Capped Point Score (best 8 subjects) (chart/table & 4.1.4) % achieving 5 or more A* to C (inc English and Maths) Cohort School 59 Dyson Perrins 70 CofE Sports College (URN: DfE No ) Attainment at Key Stage 4 National Chart Difference and Table 4.1.4: 2 Attainment, Average 12 Capped Point 2 Score, Best 8 Subjects at GCSE and Equivalent (KS4.1CandD) Sig+ Statistical significance tests have been performed on the data using a 95% confidence interval. Where the school value differs significantly from the corresponding national value for this group, sig+ or sig- is shown. Where a school figure is significantly above or below that of the previous year an up or down arrow is displayed to the right of the figure. For an explanation of why APS may vary between reports, please see FAQ. G These analyses show the performance for the school compared to the national average. Performance which is significantly above the national average is highlighted in green and performance which is significantly below the national average it is highlighted in blue. Any significant year-on-year improvement or decline is highlighted with an up or down arrow. Average capped total points score (best 8 subjects) School Page 17 of 55 National RAISEonline Summary Report based on Unvalidated 2013 data Difference Cohort For an explanation of why APS may vary between reports, please see FAQ. Page 6 Sig-

7 Pupil (Achievement) Most analysis of school performance compares school averages to national averages. Whilst it is important that schools reflect on how well their pupils are performing compared to national standards, such comparisons often say more about the ability of a school s intake rather than the quality of teaching and learning. We would expect schools with highly able intakes, such as Grammar schools, to exceed national averages. By contrast, achieving national average levels of attainment would be quite an achievement for a school with a low ability intake. Pupil progress (achievement) analyses attempt to level the playing field by taking account of the ability of schools intakes. The achievement of every pupil is compared not to the national average but to that of all other pupils nationally with the same level of prior attainment. Pupil progress or value added scores for schools provide an indication of how well a school is performing compared to other schools nationally with similar intakes. Pupil progress is measured by looking at the progress pupils make from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4, comparing the school to national averages. In RAISEonline the measures of expected progress in English and mathematics take account of pupils prior attainment as measured by National Curriculum tests at the end of Key Stage 2. A pupil who achieved level 4, considered the norm Expected for a pupil at the - mathematics end of Key Stage 2, would be expected to achieve a grade C or higher at GCSE. However, a pupil with a higher level of prior attainment, i.e. level Table 5.3.1: Expected in mathematics Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4 (KS4.EPR) 5 at Key Stage 2, would be expected to achieve a grade B or higher at GCSE. This table shows the number of pupils attaining each mathematics Key Stage 4 grade and their corresponding mathematics Key Stage 2 prior attainment. These figures should be compared with the national figures provided in the Transition Matrices held in the library on the RAISEonline website. Number of Pupils Key Stage 4 Mathematics grade Analyses in RAISEonline (tables 5.2 and 5.3) show the proportions of pupils in your school making the figure for expected the total cohort progress and better than expected progress in English and mathematics from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4. Inspectors will compare how many pupils make expected or better than expected progress compared to the national figures for each starting point (i.e. level at Key Stage 2), and proportions which are close to, Page or above, 44 of 54 the national figures will be an important aspect of good achievement. Dyson Perrins CofE Sports College (URN: DfE No ) Other or no prior available % 54% 0 0% 29% W % 2% 0 0% 2% KS % 15% 0 0% 7% Mathematics % 18% 0 0% 9% attainment % 44% 4 17% 23% % 77% 17 21% 26% The Cavendish School (URN: DfE No ) % 81% 13 33% 50% Measures Value Added Summary % 70% 34 23% 32% Key represents pupils making more than expected progress represents pupils making expected progress represents pupils making less than expected progress no KS4 result U G F E D C B A A* indicates pupils whose progress could not be determined and who have therefore been excluded from the school calculation. These pupils are included Total No. of Pupils Total Cohort Number Achieving Expected RAISEonline Summary Report based on Unvalidated 2013 data Science Cohort for VA The value added (VA) analyses in RAISEonline (table 5.1.1) show pupils progress in your school in the 95% confidence interval +/ best 8 subjects taken by each pupil, and also the English Baccalaureate subject areas (English, 153 School % Achieving Expected National % Achieving Expected Number National Achieving School % % More Achieving Achieving Than Expected More Than Expected More Than Expected Table 5.1.1: Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4 value added scores for Best 8 and Ebacc subject areas, trend (KS24.VATrd) Best 8 including English and mathematics VA: School analysis Full details of the methodology used can be found in the Library. Percentile rank mathematics, science, languages and humanities). A value added score of 1,000 indicates that progress Best 8 English Mathematics Languages Humanities Cohort for VA VA School score 95% confidence interval +/- Percentile rank Coverage Cohort for VA VA School score 95% confidence interval +/- Percentile rank Coverage Cohort for VA VA School score 95% confidence interval +/- Percentile rank Coverage VA School score Coverage Cohort for VA VA School score 95% confidence interval +/- Percentile rank Coverage Cohort for VA % 184 1, % % 1, % 51 1, Sig % , % 185 1, Sig % 185 1, % % 53 1,001.0 Page % , % 190 1, % % 1, % % 126

8 is in line with the national average. If the VA score is above 1,000 then progress is above the national average and if it is below 1,000, progress is below the national average. If progress is significantly above or below average, this is highlighted in green (above average) and blue (below average). Floor standard for secondary schools The government s floor standard for secondary schools is that at least 40% of pupils should have achieved 5 or more A*-C grades at GCSE (or equivalent) including English and mathematics. However, a school will only be considered to be below the floor standard (and therefore be targeted for intervention) if rates of expected progress are below the national average as well. Question 2: do we have any under-performing groups of pupils, or are there wide gaps in attainment between some groups of pupils? There are a number of reports in RAISEonline which show attainment (pupil results) and pupil progress (achievement) for different groups of pupils. Even in schools with above average levels of attainment there can be gaps in attainment and progress between some groups of pupils. Governors are responsible for monitoring the impact of the pupil premium (free school meals) and Ofsted pay particular attention to how schools are using the pupil premium funding and the impact that this is having on pupil results. Governors should therefore focus particular attention on pupils who receive pupil premium (free school meals) and check whether there is a gap in attainment and achievement between these pupils and other pupils. Ofsted will also be interested in any sizeable pupil groups (i.e. pupil group with 20% of pupils in school) where there is a gap in results or progress between that group and other pupils. Governors should ask school leaders what interventions or action is being put in place to improve any underperformance for pupil premium pupils or other pupil groups. Comparing the attainment of pupil groups is only worthwhile - and valid - if you have a sufficient number of pupils in each group. Fewer than 10 Measures pupils in Value a single Addedyear for an average size school would be insufficient, and any comparisons based on pupils should be interpreted with caution. However, examination of data over a number of years may reveal a persistent pattern of atypical attainment for small pupil groups. The Cavendish School (URN: DfE No ) Table 5.1.4: Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 4 value added Summary Report (KS24.VAExp) Statistical significance tests have been performed on the data using a 95% confidence interval and, where the school value differs significantly from the corresponding national values for this group, it is highlighted in green (sig+) or blue (sig-). Gender Boys Girls Free School Meals* FSM Non FSM Children Looked After CLA Not CLA Free School Meals* Or Children Looked After CLA or FSM Not CLA or FSM Prior Attainment Low Middle High Non-mobile pupils Pupils on roll throughout years 10 & 11 English as a First Language Number of pupils in latest year Value Added School National School National School National All Pupils First Language - English G Page 8

9 In RAISEonline the analyses which focus on pupil results (attainment) and pupil progress (achievement) for different pupil groups include: Area School Performance Indicators RAISEonline table/chart Pupil results (attainment) Pupil progress (achievement) Pupil Premium %5+ A*-C including English & Maths Average Point Score (best 8 subjects) English Baccalaureate subjects Average Point Score (best 8 subjects) English Baccalaureate subjects Expected progress in English & Mathematics for all pupil groups Expected progress in English & Mathematics for pupil premium pupils (free school meals) Closing the gap: overview of attainment and achievement for pupil premium pupils (free school meals) Expected results vs actual results for pupil premium pupils (FSM) & & Question 3: are we relatively stronger or weaker in some subjects compared to others? Just as the attainment of different groups of pupils can vary within a school, so too can attainment in different subjects. Within RAISEonline, there are three key reports that will help to identify relative strengths and weaknesses between departments: Attainment in full-course and vocational GCSEs by subject (table and ) Attainment in the five subject areas composing the English Baccalaureate (table ) Pupil progress in the five subject areas composing the English Baccalaureate (table ) Governors might also want to look at the pupil progress (achievement) made by pupils in all GCSE subjects which is only provided in the FFT Governor Dashboard. The FFT value added analyses for each subject show the progress made by pupils in all GCSE subjects, taking into account of the starting point for pupil (key stage 2 results) and the results achieved at the end of key stage 4. RAISEonline contains a breakdown of attainment in full course (and vocational) GCSEs by subject (table and ). As well as showing the percentage of pupils who achieved A*-C grades, it also shows percentages who achieved A*-A and A*-G grades. The final column in the table shows another method of summarising attainment data - an average point score (APS). This is calculated having converted pupils grades into points. A* 58 A 52 B 46 C 40 D 34 E 28 F 22 G 16 U 0 Page 13

10 Oxford Spires Academy (URN: DfE No ) Attainment at Key Stage 4 G Some care must be exercised in interpreting this report. With the exception of English and mathematics, most subjects are optional. In some schools, some options may have only been available to certain groups of pupils, for instance the most academically able. Pupil progress in each of the five English Baccalaureate subject areas (English, maths, science, languages and humanities) is shown in CHEMISTRY table Value School added 53 scores 34.2 above 32.1 or 84.9below , show 45.0 pupil Table progress 5.1.5: Key which Stage 2 is to above Key Stage or 4 National 138, below value added the national Summary average Report by Ebacc and significant subject areas differences (KS24.VAExp_EB) from the national average are highlighted in green (above) or blue (below). Question Non-mobile pupils 4: how might the context of our school affect our 10 & 11 English as a First Language performance? Unclassified Decades Special Educational of Needs research into school effectiveness have shown National 214,021 that some 37.0groups 26.2 of 67.3 pupils, 98.3particularly those from SEN without less a statement advantaged backgrounds, tend to achieve less well than other groups This 12has led to a range School Action of School government Action Plus interventions to raise attainment, including City Challenge under Labour 2 or the pupil premium Ethnicity Group under the current coalition government. Irish Economic disadvantage should not excuse low attainment. However, it should be recognised that Traveller of Irish Heritage Gypsy/Roma apparent variations in levels of attainment between schools are influenced by variations in intakes. Such variations are often caricatured by descriptions of the areas served by schools such as tough innercities and leafy suburbs. Table : Attainment, Summary of full GCSE Results for All Pupils (KS4.21) Statistical significance tests compare school data against the corresponding national data. Subject ADDITIONAL SCIENCE School ART & DESIGN School BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Number of entries Entry as a percentage of cohort BUSINESS STUDIES School 47 Dyson Perrins 30.3 CofE Sports 2.1 College 51.1 (URN: DfE No ) Measures Value Added CORE SCIENCE School Statistical significance tests have been performed on the data using a 95% confidence interval and, where the school value differs significantly from the corresponding national values for this group, sig+ or sig- is shown. National 305, Key Stage 2 to 4 Value Added By Subject 2013 Total English English English Maths DRAMA Maths Maths Science School Science 42 Science Languages 27.1 Languages 0.0 Languages 45.2 Humanities Humanities Humanities number entries Value Value entries Value Value entries Value Value entries Value Value entries Value Value of pupils Added Added Added Added National Added 61,978 Added 10.7 Added 19.6 Added Added Added in 2013 (School) (National) (School) (National) (School) (National) (School) (National) (School) (National) All Pupils ENGLISH School Gender National 140, Boys Girls ENGLISH LANGUAGE School Free School Meals* FSM National , Non FSM Children Looked After ENGLISH LITERATURE School CLA Not CLA National , Free School Meals* or Children Looked After FRENCH School CLA or FSM Not CLA or FSM National , Prior Attainment Low GEOGRAPHY School Middle High National , Pupils on roll throughout years GERMAN School National 55, First Language - English First Language - Other HISTORY School Moreover, even within a school, there may be significant variation (especially in attainment and prevalence of special educational needs) between one year group and the next. Simply comparing a school s attainment to the national average will not necessarily identify those schools which are performing extraordinarily well in challenging circumstances. Or will it identify those schools in more advantaged circumstances which could be doing better. % A*-A % A*-C % A*-G % Fail Average Point Score National 237, National 141, School National 139, National 60, Non-SEN Page of RAISEonline Summary Report based on Unvalidated 2013 data SEN with a statement White British Page 38 of 54 RAISEonline Summary Report based on Unvalidated 2013 data Page 14

11 Dyson Perrins CofE Sports College (URN: DfE No ) Context G Table 1.1.1: Basic Characteristics of your school (PriSec2.1) RAISEonline provides a comprehensive overview of the context of your school. The following reports will be particularly useful for governors: Basic characteristics of your school including gender, free school meals, minority ethnic groups, English as a first language, special educational needs, pupil mobility and school deprivation (Table 1.1.1) Prior attainment (key stage 2 results) of pupils in all years groups in your school (Table 3.1.1) % of pupils from minority ethnic groups Table 3.1.1: The prior attainment of pupils School at Key Stage and Key 6.5 Stage 4 (PriorKS3_4) This shows some key indicators for your school, together with national averages for maintained mainstream Secondary schools. The information is based on the January School Census return. The Quintile graphs display the indicators for the current year only. These figures are divided into five intervals, each containing approximately 20% of schools. The interval boundaries are shown below the line, and your school's position in the distribution is indicated by a shaded box. Number on roll School National ,060 1,307 2,543 % girls th percentile School National % of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM)* Dyson Perrins CofE Sports College (URN: DfE No ) School Prior Attainment 40th percentile 60th percentile 80th percentile National National % of pupils first language not / believed not to be English The tables below show the prior attainment in terms of Key Stage 2 average fine points score, of pupils studying School at Key Stage 4 and Key Stage 3 in your school in 2012/13. This has been broken down by year group. The tables also show the national picture for maintained mainstream National schools. From , 13.0teacher 13.6assessments 0.0 have 1.5 been included which will align with the methodology used for % 2011 of pupils value supported added and at school expected actionprogress. When interpreting the tables the level of coverage should be taken Schoolinto account National Average fine points score at KS2 % of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of SEN NC Year starting Sept 2012 School National Difference Sig % Coverage School Year National % stability Year School National Year School deprivation indicator Year School National Year Sig G The categorisation of pupils eligible for FSM changed in 2012, see important page for details. Low Middle High Low Middle High Question 5: how does Year 11 pupil 13.3 attendance compare 32.8 to national averages? RAISEonline provides information to help you identify whether there are any groups of pupils who were Year more likely to be absent. National averages are also presented to allow you to consider whether patterns of absence by pupil group differ from national patterns. As Ofsted pay particular attention to how schools are using the pupil premium and achievement for different pupils groups, you may want to examine the difference in absence between different pupils groups and pay particular attention to Absence and exclusions absence for pupils eligible for free school meals. In RAISEonline a number of analyses are provided that show: School level absence and exclusions Census collects compared data in arrears. to the national average (table 2.1.1) School absence for different pupil groups compared to the national average (table 2.1.2) Some of the absence reports show overall absence and persistent absence. Persistent absence highlights those pupils who missed more than 15% or 20% of schools sessions in the last academic year. School % by Prior Attainment Band Page 7 of 54 National Year Year Year Page 16 of 54 RAISEonline Summary Report based on Unvalidated 2013 data Dyson Perrins CofE Sports College (URN: DfE No ) Table 2.1.2: School Level Absence by pupil groups (Abs_2) These data relate to the 2013 academic year. This is the most recent year for which we have a full data set, since th Absence indicators are based on 2 terms data (autumn and spring) for mainstream schools and 2.5 terms of data (a spring and summer first half-term) for special schools. Exclusions indicators are based on 3 terms of data. For consis national comparator for secondary schools is also presented. % of sessions missed due % Persistent absentees - to Overall Absence absent for 15% or more RAISEonline Summary Report based on Unvalidated 2013 data sessions School National School National average for average for secondary secondary schools schools All Pupils Gender Male Female Free School Meals* FSM Non FSM English as a First Language English or believed to be English Special Educational Needs Page 15 Other than English or believed to be other than English Unclassified

12 Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of your school Governors need to know and understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of their school, when compared to other similar schools. It is one of the questions which Ofsted will ask governors during a school inspection. More importantly, a good understanding of strengths and weaknesses will underpin: School self-evaluation (including completing a school self-evaluation document) Development of a school development plan (focused on school improvement) Setting the strategic vision and direction for the school Headteacher performance management Governors and school leaders might want to use this simple table to summarise discussions about school performance using data from RAISEonline, the FFT Governor Dashboard and also the schools own pupil tracking data. The table can be used to clearly capture the strengths and weaknesses and, mostly importantly, any follow on actions, questions or investigations for school leaders and governors. The NGA has published a briefing note (Knowing your school: Questions for governing bodies to ask) which provides a useful set of additional questions which might help governors when analysing the school s strengths and weaknesses. Pupil Results (attainment) Strengths Weaknesses Questions & actions for governors & school leaders Pupil (achievement) Subject Performance Pupil Premium Other Pupil Groups Absence & Attendance Page 16