Relocating parents wanting to understand English state school performance are going to see some changes from September both in academic metrics and inspection reports.

Progress 8 paused

One of the key measurements to help parents evaluate the performance of English state secondary schools – the Progress 8 score – has been paused as the Covid generation pass through the Key Stage 2 (Year 6) and Key Stage 4 (Year 11) assessment process.

A Progress 8 score defines the value-added performance of a school by measuring how much progress pupils make from the end of primary school (Key Stage 2) to the end of secondary school (Key Stage 4, GCSEs), compared to other pupils nationally with the same prior attainment (starting point)

Progress 8 scores will not be published for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.  New P8 scores, based on data from the 2023-24 academic year, are expected to be available in 2027.

Schools will continue to publish other performance measures, such as Attainment 8, and will use other methods to track student progress internally.  

The same situation is also in place with the state primary schools, although they paused the publication of progress scores one academic year earlier.

New OFSTED reports

2024 saw the end of OFSTED’s one-word judgement reports.  They are being replaced by what is described as a more balanced “report card.”

The first reports have recently been published – an example from the Reach Academy in Feltham.

Headteachers are reported as unimpressed – saying that the new reporting system simpy replicates the flaws on the old system.

As it will take a number of years for schools to be inspected, parents will be faced with trying to compare schools on the basis of differing methodology and reporting presentation.