KeyData guide

Log in to My School (opens new window) to see your school's KeyData information.

This guide explains each area of KeyData.

Feedback and queries

Email irc.schoolperformance@norfolk.gov.uk if you have feedback or queries about the data.

Source - January school census

General - School figures are expressed as numbers and percentages with an explanatory key on the column headings. Norfolk and national figures are only displayed as percentages.

Numbers on Roll (NoR) - The number of pupils on roll for the whole school, including nursery, where relevant.

Cohort size - The number of pupils in the year group who were included in the calculations for attainment.

PP: FSM6/CLA - The number and percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals now or in the past 6 years, AND pupils classed as Looked After. This data is not based directly on the school census, but on a data file supplied by the DfE to all schools and LAs in the summer. The first release of this data is based on up-to-date FSM6 data and the previous year’s numbers of Looked After pupils. If revised data is received from the DfE, then this section will be updated with final data (tbn).

FSM6 - The number and percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals now or in the past 6 years. This data is not based directly on the school census, but on a data file supplied by the DfE to all schools and LAs in the summer. The first release of this data is based on up-to-date FSM6 data. If revised data is received from the DfE, then this section will be updated with final data (tbn).

SEN - The number and percentage of pupils in each type of SEN category, and a total for all SEN pupils (all types of SEN)

Methodology

The methodology used to calculate the contextual data in KeyData is the same as the methodology used in the DfE performance tables. Use the Contact us/Please let us know link on each KeyData/KeyDataPlus webpage if you have any queries.

A KeyData quick guide which briefly describes each feature of the attainment and progress section of KeyData is available in the main guidance section. This guidance article describes the data in more detail.

Data sources:

EYFSP/Yr 1 Phonics/KS1 – Assessments submitted by schools to the Local Authority

KS2 – assessments and test results as submitted by schools to the STA, and subsequently provided by the DfE to the local authority (LA). School-level figures are based on the latest data available to the LA (see Status of Data section, below). Note: Blank or greyed out boxes mean there is no valid result or score available.

Information about methodology

Where there have been changes in the methodology used to calculate attainment and progress results then the revised methodology is applied to the year in which it was introduced, and is not normally applied to previous years, unless otherwise stated.

Trends

This is an indicator to show the trend over the past three years (so any measure that does not have 3 years of data will not display).

The different trend indicators are as follows:

• ↑↑ - Improvement over previous two years
• ↑ - Improvement over previous year
• ↓↓ - Decline over previous two years
• ↓ - Decline over previous year
• ↓↑ - Volatility/variability (decline followed by improvement)
• ↑↓ - Volatility/variability (improvement followed by decline)
• = - No change from previous year(s)
• (blank) - (Any other changes in results or data not available)

Gender gap and FSM6/CLA gap

This is the percentage gap in attainment/progress between the 2 pupil groups (ie between boys and girls, and between FSM6/CLA pupils and their peers). The value displayed is the difference between the higher and the lower result, regardless of which group is higher. In KeyData, clicking on the school result will open a new window giving a detailed breakdown, ie gender split/pupil numbers, national data.

(See contextual guidance for information about the source of FSM6/CLA data.)

National data

The source of the national figures used in KeyData is always quoted in the 'status of data' section at the bottom of each part of KeyData. Early releases may use a 'proxy' unofficial national figure, and later releases will use DfE-published 'provisional' and then 'validated' national figures.

If a different figure is used, then this will be shown in the status of data section. Whichever is used, it will always be based on the 'LA maintained schools and academies, including special schools' figure, unless quoted otherwise.

Norfolk results

Norfolk results include all LA-maintained schools and academies, and the special schools.

Colour-coded rating

The colour rating system compares the school results against the national results – a key has been provided at the bottom of each Key Stage section. The colour rating is not available for all measures, so no colour indicates that rating has not been possible.

Size of cohort

When applying the colour rating to school-level results, the size of the cohort is taken into consideration – the rating is within a tolerance of one pupil. This is to reduce the potential significant impact of one pupil’s result in a small cohort. This is only applied to results that are based on a percentage result. Any results based on points scores do not take into account the cohort-size and are simply rated against the national scores.

(Norfolk data is rated just on the results, with the size of cohort not taken into account.)

Overview

If the removal of one pupil’s result takes the school below the national average, then that school is still classed as in line with the national average. Similarly, where a school below the national average only needs one additional pupil to be on or above the national average, that school is also classed as in line with national.

Example: A school has a small KS1 cohort of 9. One pupil equals 11% of the overall cohort, therefore 1 pupil’s result can affect the overall school result by up to 11%.

Say the school result for KS1 Reading L2+ is 81% and the national average is 70%. Because one pupil’s results can make 11% difference to a school’s results, the school result could have been 70% (81-11) – so this school is classed as 'in line with' national.

Say the school result for KS1 Reading L2+ is 63% and the national average is 70%. Because one pupil’s results can make 11% difference to a school’s results, the school result could have been 74% (63+11) – so this school is classed as 'in line with' national.

This is only applied to results that are based on a percentage result. Any results based on points scores do not take into account the cohort-size and are simply rated against the national scores.

Size of school

Schools with a year group cohort of fewer than 6, and all special schools, will not have a colour-coded rating.

For schools with a year group cohort of 6 or more, ALL measures shown in KeyData based on PP: FSM6/CLA are colour-coded - regardless of the PP: FSM6/CLA-eligible size of cohort.

Status of data

Each Keystage has a status of data section that tells you what version of data has been used for school-level and national-level figures

Updates

Once the DfE publish 'validated' KS2 school data, KeyData will be updated with this validated data. Dates of significant releases will be publicised using the news section of Perspective.

Please use the Contact Us/Please let us know link on each KeyData/KeyDataPlus webpage if you have any queries.

Sources: Attendance – termly school census

Attendance data is calculated from the attendance data captured retrospectively in the school and pupil census, and is based on compulsory school-age children only.

The Department of Education (DfE) release their official school-level figures and this is what is used in KeyData.

Because the data is captured only three times a year during the school and pupil census, the attendance data is always released late in the year. For example, the DfE do not publish their full year attendance data until March the following year.

Data provided:

• Two term data - Autumn and Spring
• Full Year data – All 3 terms. This is the DfE’s preferred measure – “Only the full year absence release gives a definitive view of pupil absence.”

The different measures are:

• Total absence (authorised and un-authorised absence)
• Persistent absence: 10% (possible sessions) – from 2016 the DfE are now using a new calculation based on the percentage of pupils who missed 10% of their own personal number of sessions actually available.

(All displayed as percentages)