The government will rebrand its school performance website to “reduce the emphasis on comparison” after a backlash among school leaders at resuming league tables despite Covid’s impact.
The Department for Education said last year key stage four and post-16 performance data would return this year, defending it as an “important” measure to help parents and students choose schools and colleges. Publication of key stage 2 performance data will return next year.
But it has now advised those using secondary data not to compare schools without considering Covid’s impact – and should ask schools for this context.
Leaders’ union ASCL said earlier this year members felt “thrown to the wolves” by the decision, given the level of Covid upheaval faced by students and impact on “careers and reputations”.
The DfE has always pledged to put messages alongside data to “advise caution drawing conclusions”, but has now set out how it will do so over the “coming months”.
A survey of ASCL’s members earlier this year found 82.6 per cent disagreed with plans to resume KS4 performance tables. Some highlighted significant national variations in student and staff absence, as well as disadvantaged pupils being more negatively affected by Covid.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of leaders’ union ASCL, welcomed steps to “reduce the potentially damaging impact”, calling it a “step in the right direction”.
But publishing the information at all is “hugely disappointing”, as the varied impact of Covid makes for an “inherent flaw”.
It would still result in data being published that “affects public perceptions”. He called for a further year’s suspension to “allow some sort of return to normality before returning to the full barrage of accountability measures to which educational institutions are subjected”.
The DfE’s update on 2021-2022 secondary accountability measures published today says it recognises the “uneven impact” of Covid.
Its efforts will “advise caution when comparing a school’s performance” with averages, and it is “vital” parents and others talk to schools to “understand the broader context” and Covid impact.
Users are urged not to draw “firm conclusions” and advised “strongly” against direct comparisons of schools without taking context into account. Meanwhile Ofsted will be “sensitive in their use of this data” and it should not be used “in isolation” for staff performance management.
But the DfE said publishing data is key “for transparency and as a starting point” for choosing which schools and colleges pupils attend.
