School Data Updates

Databusting Surrey with The Educakers A practical one-day workshop for primary and MAT senior leaders on making assessment and data work in practice, without adding to workload.

We're really excited to announce that @insighthq.bsky.social @jpembroke.bsky.social @richardselfridge.bsky.social will be running their 'Databusting Surrey with the Educakers' event with us in June.

Have a look at the link below for more information.

We'd love to meet so many of you in person!

DfE set to ditch 'average' labels for school progress scores Government also fleshes out plans for additional progress score for low prior attaining pupils

Schools will no longer be publicly compared to the national 'average' for their progress scores in a proposed overhaul of government league tables

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-wants-to-ditch-average-labels-for-school-progress-scores/

Consultation closes in May so feasible they could implement changes by December when tables are published but 2027 more likely 🤷‍♂️. That would affect final KS1-2 progress cohort consult.education.gov.uk/school-accou...

Oh, I see. You mean this year and next. Doubt anything will happen that quickly.

Yes. Same proposal: bands based on rank rather than confidence intervals.

DfE set to ditch 'average' labels for school progress scores Government also fleshes out plans for additional progress score for low prior attaining pupils

Thanks @richardselfridge.bsky.social for sending this. Proposed change to DfE performance bands, away from confidence interval-based approach to a simpler quintile method. Whether it gives useful info is another matter schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-wants-to...

They could use the new GLD report but without the approach applied to other results (standard deviations and confidence intervals) they’re not making fair comparisons.

But no comparison yet so not sure how they’re making these judgements

Expected Standard descriptor for Early Years, p60 of Ofsted Toolkit.

In absence of EYFSP data in IDSR and without any statistical analysis of outcomes, how do inspectors judge if GLD is ‘broadly in line with national averages’?

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/690b26...

That’s a very tough 3 minutes mind

It’s a reduced version of the real thing. They should introduce a 2 day ski mountaineering event into the high Alps requiring competitors to dig a snow hole for the night.

Nordic combined is the Winter Olympics equivalent of key cutting and shoe repair.

Join @jpembroke.bsky.social and me as we look under the hood of the IDSR in the latest Insight Inform podcast.

www.insightinform.co.uk/podcast/

Please listen, comment and repost!

They should also consider adding the number of pupils to the results section of the report card for all schools. Without the actual numbers, the percentages are meaningless. Any more than 6 pupils and it’s published. Gap data especially problematic. www.insightinform.co.uk/2026/02/05/p...

Ofsted reviews data shown in special school report cards New reports currently compare metrics like capacity of special schools to other schools in their phase

Ofsted is considering removing national data comparators for special schools from its report cards, following concerns that labelling them 'well below average' for pupil numbers could confuse and mislead parents

https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-reviews-data-shown-in-special-school-report-cards/

Definitely. Pace not that far off pre-injury, last April, which is nice.

*DATABUSTERS LIVE*

Join us in beautiful Derbyshire. Details below.

Just started running again after ankle surgery in August. Limited to flat runs on tarmac - no off-road/hills for a while - but nice to be back on my feet.

The bloke who played DCI Ted Roach in The Bill once filled my bed with balloons.

I completely agree.

The idea that the PM could be brought down by this. Meanwhile, across the pond, nothing to see here.

Percentage gaps and pupil equivalence - Insight Inform If you are trying to make sense of your IDSR or any other source of data where percentages of pupils are compared to national figures, it is well worth converting gaps into the equivalent number of pu...

*NEW POST* 2nd in our series on the new IDSR. This one on making sense of gaps by converting to pupil equivalent number www.insightinform.co.uk/2026/02/05/p...

*DATABUSTERS DERBYSHIRE* join me and Richard in Ashover for a whole day of databusting www.insightinform.co.uk/event/databu...

In order to allow myself to watch the supposedly legendary final scene of 28 Years Later: Bone Temple, I am watching the films in order.

28 Weeks Later is such a pile of stinky pants.

*DATABUSTERS DERBYSHIRE* tickets now available for the first of our Databusters days. Join us in beautiful Ashover on the edge of the Peak for a whole day of data fun. Morning focused on accountability/IDSR; afternoon on assessment, tracking, reporting.

www.insightinform.co.uk/event/databu...

YouTube video by Disney Plus The Muppet Show | Official Trailer | Disney+

It’s probably easier if I just re-subscribe.

youtu.be/hSLE5Psfs6U?...

I guess I could switch banks

Yes. And now I have to re-subscribe to Disney+

I cancelled Disney+ and now they bring the Muppets back. FFS.