Assessment & Data Index
A strategic mirror for leadership teams: what’s working, what’s missing, and what’s next.
Curriculum & Strategy
Guiding Question: Is assessment aligned with curriculum intent and designed to support progression?
Why this matters: Assessment is only as strong as the curriculum it reflects. When aligned, it clarifies next steps, secures progression, and raises attainment for all.
Reactive
Assessments are bolt-ons: generic tests or tasks with weak links to taught curriculum. Focus is on coverage or accountability.
Evolving
Assessment frameworks align better with progression maps. Teachers use a mix of tasks to check knowledge and skills, but links between outcomes and curriculum adjustments are uneven.
Strategic & Sustainable
Assessment is integral to curriculum design. Each subject has clear 'what we want pupils to know and do' milestones. Assessment informs both responsive teaching and long-term planning.
Leadership Alignment
Guiding Question: Do leaders set a clear, proportionate vision for assessment and data use?
Why this matters: Without alignment, assessment overloads teachers and confuses stakeholders. Leaders must define 'what matters' and stop the rest.
Reactive
Data collection is excessive, inconsistent, and compliance-driven. Staff question its purpose.
Evolving
Senior leaders streamline requirements; cycles are clearer. Data informs some strategic decisions but can still feel top-down.
Strategic & Sustainable
Leaders set a purposeful assessment policy: valid, reliable, manageable. Fewer, better measures are prioritised. Clarity exists on when, why, and how data is collected, and how it will be used.
Culture & Ethos
Guiding Question: Does the school culture value assessment as a tool for learning, not just accountability?
Why this matters: Assessment should empower pupils and staff. When misused, it fuels anxiety and undermines trust.
Reactive
Assessment is seen as a judgement. Pupils and staff feel labelled by outcomes; feedback is sporadic.
Evolving
Growing culture of formative use: retrieval practice, low-stakes checks, and constructive feedback. Students begin to understand assessment as part of learning.
Strategic & Sustainable
Assessment is understood across the community as a learning tool. Pupils see progress through feedback, targets, and self-reflection. Staff engage in professional dialogue about evidence. Parents receive clear, meaningful updates.
Systems & Data
Guiding Question: Are systems simple, reliable, and designed to generate insights that improve learning?
Why this matters: Systems should reduce noise and surface signals. Good data frees teachers to focus on teaching.
Reactive
Data systems are fragmented or manual; entry is duplicated. Outcomes are stored but rarely analysed.
Evolving
Systems are clearer, digital platforms reduce duplication. Some analysis informs intervention and resource allocation, but consistency varies.
Strategic & Sustainable
Streamlined, user-centred systems with clear referral and tracking. Dashboards surface patterns (progress, attainment, attendance, wellbeing) at pupil, group, and whole-school level. Leaders and teachers use data to target support and celebrate success.
Change Management
Guiding Question: Are changes to assessment and data practice introduced with clarity, training, and review?
Why this matters: Poorly managed change creates mistrust and workload spikes. Sustainable assessment requires staged implementation and evaluation.
Reactive
New tests, systems, or policies appear suddenly. Training is minimal. Initiatives fade without review.
Evolving
Assessment changes are more planned, with milestones and staff training. Evaluation occurs but is inconsistent.
Strategic & Sustainable
Clear rationale for change (why, what, how). Staff are trained, coached, and supported in new routines. Reviews examine impact on workload, accuracy, and pupil learning. Iterations refine practice over time.
Cross-Cutting Lenses
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Formative Practice
Guiding Question: Do teachers use frequent, low-stakes checks to adapt teaching?
Reactive → Occasional tests dominate.
Evolving → Retrieval and hinge questions emerging.
Strategic → Embedded routines: questioning, mini-whiteboards, feedback, exit tickets, retrieval grids.
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Summative & Benchmarking
Guiding Question: Do summative assessments provide valid and reliable snapshots of progress?
Reactive → Summative tests chosen for convenience, not validity.
Evolving → Benchmarking used in some phases; moderation begins.
Strategic → Summative assessment is well-aligned, moderated, and compared across cohorts, phases, or external standards.
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Workload & Wellbeing
Guiding Question: Is assessment proportionate and sustainable for staff?
Reactive → Teachers overloaded with marking/data entry.
Evolving → Streamlining begins; marking policies revised.
Strategic → Feedback policies prioritise impact over frequency; digital tools reduce admin; workload monitored.
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Listen deeply.
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Design with precision.
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Deliver strategies that last.
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