ofsted schools dashboard

[MerryMingeWhingesAgain]

Sorry I can't link from
phone, has anyone else looked at their school on this? It gives a brief summary/overview of how well the children in the school are doing.

My school looks truly appalling.

It's infuriating, isn't it? I don't know what similar schools means. But the small schools that I'm talking about are in rural areas. It's just that they're on the edge of a large town and in the commuter belt. So, statistically speaking we, you and I, could be discussing two village schools with less than fifty pupils each and yet the schools' intake couldn't be more different. Are they then similar schools?

I have also just compared two schools i know well, and are of similar sizes (though one has a much higher index of social deprivation than the other).

One has - rightly, for reasons of teaching, learning, management, progress and pupil safety - just plunged into Special Measures and is haemorrhaging pupils. It has shrunk in size by 50% in the last 2 years, and has only stopped shrinbking because no other local schools have space for any more of its children. Those children transferring to new schools are way behind where they 'ought' to be given their relatively advantaged starting points.

It appears fine on the dashboard, a first quintile, a few 2nds, nothing bad.

The other has gone up to a solid Good. It has grown by 30% or more over the last couple of years. It's a sparky, lively place with teachers who can't do enouygh for the [very socioeconomically challenged] kids they teach, many with SEN.

It appears poor on the dashboard.

Have lost my faith in it as anything other than a crude measure of relative pupil deprivation.

L&S, Ofsted say that it is 'schools with similar pupil levels of ability on entry'. But since in the school I mentioned virtually all joined after the normal point of entry, what does 'attainment on entry' mean??

This one, btw, is genuinely funny:

dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk/dash.php?urn=136353

[I searched for it because it was in the news as one of the most successful schools in the country, but with 0% EBacc last year because they do iGCSE English)

As well as the English, I do love the Science. 100% of children get A to C ... but it's only in the 3rd quartile of similar schools. How on earth can they improve???? 110% of the children get A to C????

dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk/dash.php?urn=136353

Sorry, forgot the brackets

Thanks for that teacherwith2kids - what a great example of the fact that this is another example of 'lies, damned lies and statistics'.

The primary my DCs will be going to gets 4th and bottom quintiles more or less across the board in KS1 and then lots of 1sts and 2nds at KS2. Given that it has 40% FSM and 60% EAL, inner city area and is sneered at by most local MC families it doesn't take a genius to add some context to that and see that this demonstrates some of the fantastic work the school is doing. Will still put some people off though. Precisely the sort of people the school needs to attract IMO.

Parent view is of no use for a great number of schools where the parents don't comment - including my example.

Are these the stats that Ofsted are now using to make their decisions?

Really reassuring to look at, as a snapshot, as we've just moved to the area for the schools, and the primary and secondary are both in the top 20% for mostly everything!

Interestingly, the pattern at the local very very oversubscribed (have to live withing 350 metres) primary where the local houses sell for millions is the exact opposite. Scores brilliantly at KS1 but at KS2 some 3rd quintiles, mostly 4th and a few 5th. The school has been rated Outstanding and so doesn't need another Ofsted again?

(I do know it is only a small picture though.)

My DC local primary school is pretty bog standard (rated satisfactory) scored pretty poorly in KS1 results (3rd or 4th from bottom in everything).

But KS2 is much better (which I knew anyway).

What does testing at the point of entry entail? EYFS goals and categories or exhaustive testing of the child's capabilities? Super selective primaries sometimes do the latter.

Can anyone tell me where (other than the dashboard) I can get KS1 data for a school? Loads of KS2 stuff, with different ways of cutting the data, on the DfE website but can't find anything on KS1.

There's no specific on entry testing for state primary schools, lands. The on entry data they are using to decide similar schools in primary is the KS1 data. Its a decision that's so bizarre I can't even begin to fathom why they have chosen it.

I don't think KS1 data has been published before. As a Governor you see it in RAISEonline but that is not available to the public.

What do we mean by similar schools?

Each school has its own group of ?similar schools?. These are defined as schools whose pupils arrived with a similar average level of attainment. For Key Stage 2 primary schools this will be the Key Stage 1 assessment results, for Key Stage 4 secondary schools this will be the Key Stage 2 tests and assessments. The measure does not take into account other contextual factors such as deprivation or levels of special needs, because these factors should already be reflected in the prior attainment of the pupils. Key Stage 2 schools are compared with the most similar 110 schools, for Key Stage 4 with the most similar 60. The similar schools group sizes were chosen by grouping those schools which had very similar pupil attainment on entry. The group sizes differ because, as a minimum number, all schools with the same prior attainment must be in the same group. This minimum number is larger for Key Stage 2. There is no similar school comparison for Key Stage 1 data.

The website has all info if you look. I think the tool is useful, but you have to understand what you are looking at, and if not go find out.
JWIM - KS1 data is published in performance tables.

The primary school that all the boys have been to and DS3 is currently in year 1 at is mixed ? mostly middle 20% or above with some lower. We have small year groups and quite a high level of SENs so the figures are more easily skewed.

The secondary school that DS2 goes to (and DS1 went to) is excellent ? mostly top 20% of similar and all schools - all the exam result comparisons were top 20% and nothing was below the top 40%. He has asperger?s and the support given to him there has been brilliant,

Ours is top 20% but it is a really good school, intake went from 4/5 per year to 20ish last year so word must be spreading!

The senior school near us that's just gone into Special measures looks way better than other schools that got good in the old frame work.

DDs primary looks awful and has just got a good too

(Well actually not confused by the primary. Small group, Ofsted will have given credit for the high number of L5's, the dashboard average doesn't. Very unfair on DD2, the rest of top table and the HT who put in work after school to allow the class teacher to get the very best she could out of the rest).

Plainjayne, I'll go and have a look at the website if you want me to. But attainment on entry, are you referring to EYFS profiles? A super selective primary wouldn't accept that as proof of anything and would run its own tests. And as you say, I'll look at the website, but will it tell me if a school with an intake of eleven pupils who go on to all get 4c in Y6 is considered as a similar school to one with and intake of 90+ who all leave Y6 with 4c?

Unless going to the website involves more than reading the FAQ dashboard.ofsted.gov.uk/faq.php from which you seem to have quoted verbatim, then I can answer my own question: No it won't tell me.

I'm confused as a school I've recently looked at has results showing 50 percent reading 5s for reading but their results according to the dashboard says 86 percent reach a level 4.

Also if said school has the same results as our children's current school but 168 pupils compared to our 43 which is determined 'better'? This school stuff is driving me crazy

A quick look round local primaries makes me very indeed.

The dashboard is reporting green highest and red lowest for schools with 9 and 7 pupils, the league tables are giving data that I can work out that we had one more L5 child than I thought we'd get.

Huge year to year variations and totally meaning less.

I think I'll just carry on with the league tables and the ofstead reports. I think this dashboard with its similar schools which in fact could often not be more different if they tried is just going to make things worse.