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A message from Patrick Leeson:

4 February 2016 weekly update

4 February 2016

This week we have the Primary School Accountability in 2016, The Floor Standard, Progress Measures and National Apprenticeship Awards.

Dear Colleagues

Primary School Accountability in 2016

The DfE has just published new guidance, Primary School Accountability in 2016, which sets out the performance measures for pupil attainment and progress at the end of Key Stage 2. This is a summary.

In 2016, a school’s progress will be measured from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2 and the assessments used to calculate progress will be:

  • Key Stage 1 results in reading, writing and mathematics teacher assessments, that took place in summer 2012 when the 2016 Year 6 cohort were aged 7
  • Key Stage 2 results in reading and mathematics tests, reported as scaled scores, and the writing teacher assessments that will take place in summer 2016.

The headline measures, which will appear in the performance tables, will include the following attainment and progress measures:

  • the percentage of pupils achieving the ‘expected standard’ in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2
  • the pupils’ average scaled score: in reading and in mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2
  • the percentage of pupils who achieve at a high standard in reading, writing and mathematics
  • the pupils’ average progress: in reading, writing and mathematics.

The percentage of pupils achieving the expected standard is a combined measure across the three subjects. To be counted towards the measure, a pupil must have a scaled score of 100 or more in reading and  in mathematics; and have been teacher assessed in writing as ‘working at the expected standard’ or ‘working at greater depth in the expected standard’.

The Floor Standard

In 2016, a school will be above the floor if at least 65% of pupils meet the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics or the school achieves sufficient progress scores in all of reading, writing and mathematics. To be above the floor, the school needs to meet either the attainment or all of the progress elements.

Progress Measures

The new progress measures aim to capture the progress that pupils make from the end of Key Stage 1 to the end of Primary school. They are a value added measure, by which pupils’ results are compared to the achievements of other pupils nationally with similar prior attainment.

This progress measure rewards schools for making progress with all of their pupils. A school’s progress scores in reading, writing and mathematics will be calculated as the average of its pupils’ progress scores. These scores will give an indication of whether pupils in the school made above or below average progress in a subject compared with pupils with similar starting points in other schools.

Individual pupil level progress scores are calculated by a comparison to other pupils nationally. For all pupils nationally, the average progress score will be zero.

A school’s progress scores for reading, writing and mathematics are calculated as its pupils’ average progress scores. This means that school level progress scores will be presented as positive and negative numbers either side of zero. For example, a score of 0 means pupils in the school, on average, do about as well at Key Stage 2 as those with similar prior attainment nationally. A positive score means pupils in the school on average do better than those with similar prior attainment nationally, and a negative score means pupils do worse than those with similar prior attainment nationally.

Schools should continue to focus on improving the attainment of all their pupils and report on their attainment and progress to parents, as specified in the Assessment and Reporting Arrangements for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. For more information, including on assessment without levels, see the Standard and Testing Agency's pages on GOV.UK. And for advice locally please speak with your School Improvement Adviser or contact Margo.Barraclough@kent.gov.uk.

National Apprenticeship Awards

Last week KCC attended the National Apprenticeship awards and was recognised as one of the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for 2015. A supplement in The Guardian features the list and you can view a photo of the Top 100 employers alongside Skills Minister Nick Boles MP here.

Patrick Leeson
Corporate Director for Education and Young People's Services