Making sense of school performance data in 2025
This year's published secondary school performance data shows why Progress 8 (or something like it) is needed, despite its flaws
DfE will need to take account of age when comparing schools’ rates of pupils achieving a good level of development
We look at some of the things DfE should consider when providing schools with comparative analysis of the percentage of pupils reaching a good level of development (GLD) at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
The educational outcomes of disadvantaged White pupils
We look at how attainment at KS4, persistent absence, suspensions and permanent exclusions for disadvantaged White pupils compare to those of other groups.
Intersectionality and STEM subjects at Key Stage 5
We look at the numbers of students studying STEM subjects by gender, ethnicity and disadvantage.
Pupil absence in Autumn and Spring 2024/25
A summary of pupil attendance so far this year using data from our Attendance Tracker schools. Absence and persistent absence seem to have improved very slightly since last year, but remain above pre-pandemic levels.
Intersectionality and Key Stage 5 subject choice
We look at how likely pupils are to progress to study A-Levels, broken down by gender, ethnicity and level of disadvantage.
Socio-economic differences in self-harm (resulting in hospital admission) amongst high achieving children
We present findings from new research into differences in hospital contacts made by young people from different socio-economic backgrounds with different levels of academic achievement.
School outcomes of “bright” 5-year-olds from poor backgrounds
New research suggests that during primary school “bright” 5-year-olds from poor backgrounds keep pace academically with their equally bright but rich peers. But gaps open up in secondary school.
Attendance of disadvantaged pupils in disadvantaged secondary schools
Absence is high, particularly among disadvantaged pupils. Here we see whether their absence has any relationship with the disadvantage level of their schools.