Achievement and Standards.

Through the National Strategies the Government asserts that most pupils with special educational needs, learning difficulties and disabilities (SEN/LDD), including those in special schools, are able to reach national expected levels.  These are:

They take the view that, for the majority of those pupils who do not achieve the expected levels, National Curriculum levels and sub-levels still offer a suitable framework for assessment, planning and the evaluation of attainment and progress.  However, for a much smaller number of pupils working below level 1 of the National Curriculum, the use of P levels (along with other assessment/planning frameworks linked to the Every Child Matters (ECM) five outcomes) enables schools to measure progress, set targets and evaluate the impact of their provision for these pupils.

To view the QCDA P-Scales home page, click HERE

Effective strategic analysis and interpretation of SEN/LDD data can have a direct impact in the classroom on learning and teaching for all pupils. To ensure this the headteacher and the senior management team, should always consider:

• what criteria they use to determine whether pupils are underachieving or are identified as having SEN/LDD
• what key indicators and data sets they need to monitor pupil progress
• how they assess, set targets, track and evaluate the rates of progress of pupils with SEN/LDD
• what is good progress for pupils with SEN/LDD in their school, which should include some understanding that pupils, with complex needs, might be working within the P levels and may well be making lateral progress even when linear (or hierarchical) progress is not evident
• how the work of the SENCO/INCO aligns with the work of subject leaders and departments in analysing and interpreting data in order to identify those pupils whose rates of progress are causing concern and then take action to resolve those concerns
• how they ensure that Wave 1 provision and targeted Wave 2 and 3 interventions are appropriate to the learning needs of pupils with SEN/LDD and effective in ensuring the intended progress.

School level data for SEN/LDD

In addition to national indicators, schools should make decisions about which key indicators and data sets they will use to evaluate the impact of their provision and their impact upon the progress of pupils with SEN/LDD.

Schools can use data reports and analyses from packages such as RAISEonline, the FFT supplement, PIPS, other commercial packages and their own internal data sets of pupil performance in order to:

• evaluate the impact of provision on the outcomes for pupils with SEN/LDD
• complete an Ofsted SEF which provides the evidence base for how well pupils with SEN/LDD are progressing
• evaluate progress towards existing targets for pupils with SEN/LDD
• establish stretching and challenging targets for the future
• make informed decisions about the deployment of SEN/LDD resources to support appropriate personalised provision
• commission and quality assure provision both inside and outside their setting.

Schools can also judge how effectively they manage their provision by considering the five ECM outcomes against specific aspects of school life and its impact on pupil outcomes.

In the current absence of national benchmarked data for pupils working below the level of the test and at P Levels, schools need to ensure that their internal systems for teacher assessments and end of key stage tests, moderation and data analyses are robust and can evidence how pupils are progressing based on their prior attainment and age. Effective schools are able to evidence the progress of pupils working at the lowest P levels using a variety of holistic measures which take into account the fact that progress for these pupils may be uneven, lateral, or may concentrate on improving the quality of life and minimising skills loss for those with degenerative conditions.

Schools, including special schools, can use a range of data including:

• end-of-key-stage attainment
• actual pupil attainment against predictions from ongoing teacher assessment
• progress of pupils with the same starting point at a similar age
• progress of groups of pupils
• Fischer Family Trust data
• pupil attainment in comparison with broadly similar schools within the local authority and beyond
• use and impact of intervention strategies on progress, including the deployment of support staff.

Many special school leadership teams have developed further approaches to facilitate and record pupil progression, including:

• the use of bespoke software systems that enable schools to record, analyse and display individual pupil and cohort data consistently
• the use of multimedia recording systems to reflect pupils’ achievement.

Robust data is dependent on finely tuned moderation systems which ensure a realistic picture of a pupil’s progress based on their starting point. There are also a variety of commercial schemes available to enable schools to measure the smaller progression steps which contribute towards school level National Curriculum and P level data.

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