Why does Ofsted release FSM data on its website dashboards?

[jimmyjoejamtoe]

Attendance, results, etc, but why the number of students on FSM? What is the relevance of this data when a parent is viewing the school's info online and deciding whether to send their child there? Genuine question, baffled.

It is a rough and ready measure of relative deprivation, so if you look at two schools which both get 75% A-C grades but one has 20% FSM and the other has 2%, the second might be doing far better in difficult circumstances. It can also indicate hidden biases in intake, for example if both schools are supposed to be comprehensive in a similar area, well the first is selecting in some way, religion?

Sorry I just got my two schools mixed.
Obviously the one with 20% FSM is doing well with a deprived intake.
The one with 2% could have biase in its intake.

Because in general, children on fsm don't achieve as highly as none fsm. So it's handy to know when interpreting the data.

League tables are unfair as different schools face different challenges. OFSTED provide information about the school's intake so that parents can make a fair assessment. Attendence is a rough and ready indicator of whether the children are happy since unhappy children are more like to fake illness for a day off school.