What is school performance data?
School performance data is statistical information showing how well pupils in England have done in public examinations taken at key points in their educational journey. Data is published for children’s attainment in national curriculum tests, often known as SATs, which are sat at the end of primary school at age 10 or 11.
You can use performance tables (sometimes called league tables) to compare schools in your area.
In recognition of the challenges posed by the pandemic, the Department of Education (DfE) cancelled both KS1 and KS2 SATs tests for 2021. The aim is that with the pressures of KS1 and KS2 SATs lifted, primary schools will have some space to address the urgent issues of educational recovery.
The summary of changes caused by COVID in 2021 are as follows for primary school children:
The Year 1 phonics check is cancelled in 2021.
- All KS1 SATs for Year 2 pupils are cancelled in 2021.
- All KS2 SATs for Year 6 pupils are cancelled in 2021.
- The English grammar, punctuation and spelling test at KS2 is cancelled in 2021.
- Primary performance data "will not be published" for the second year in a row, but teacher assessment in English reading, writing and maths at KS1, and other assessments at KS2, will remain.
- KS1 and KS2 teacher assessments in science will also be cancelled in 2021.
The Secretary of State for Education announced on Wednesday 18 March, that the 2019/20 national curriculum assessments would not take place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
This means the following assessments planned between April and July 2020 were cancelled:
- end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 assessments
- phonics screening check in year 1
- multiplication tables check in year 4
