The wait is over for DfE Primary Assessment Benchmarks

Aiden Gaughan - 29 June, 2023

Data and Insight | Product release

Category : Blog

The wait is over for DfE Primary Assessment Benchmarks

We’re so excited to announce that we have launched benchmarks for DfE Primary Assessments in Arbor MIS and MAT MIS! 

No more waiting months to see how your school performed compared to the rest of the country, Arbor’s benchmarks update live as new results get added! With over 3,000 Primary Schools using Arbor, we’ve built a unique, live dataset to help you benchmark your DfE Primary Assessment results today.

Three reasons why we think you’ll love this new feature

• See how you compare 

Arbor shows you the national average and the percentile your school is in for EYFS Level of development, KS1 Year 1 Phonics Screening Check, KS1 Reading, Writing, Maths, KS2 Reading, Writing, Maths and KS2 Multiplication. See where you sit nationally, where you’re excelling, identify areas for improvement and look back at previous academic years

• Understand progress and attainment 

Give your staff the insight to understand the effectiveness of their teaching, learning and interventions before the next academic year

• No more waiting for DfE Primary Assessment benchmarking data 

At Arbor, we pride ourselves on using the latest technology and data available to deliver you the information you need as soon as it’s ready

Primary Assessment Benchmarks are available in the DfE Assessments section of Arbor MIS and in the Assessments – Attainment & Progress section of MAT MIS. Visit our Help Centre for more information.

Why national averages and percentiles? 

Arbor’s Live National Benchmarks gives you both a national average and national percentile.

National averages offer you a standardised measure of performance across Arbor Schools. By comparing your students’ achievements to the national average, you gain valuable insights into their overall progress. 

National percentiles offer you the context behind the numbers and a powerful tool for self-comparison. By examining a your performance relative to other schools performances, you gain a comprehensive understanding of your strengths and weaknesses. 

Using both national averages and percentiles, you can pinpoint specific subjects or topics in which your students excel or struggle compared to the wider student population. 

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Ways to optimise the use of national averages and percentiles:

• Recognition: Recognise students, teachers, and staff members who have contributed significantly to your school’s success. Celebrate their efforts in a public forum, to showcase their accomplishments to the entire school community and wider. This not only celebrates success but promotes your school and brings attention to its achievements.
• Data-driven instruction: Analyse national averages to identify trends and patterns in educational performance. Use this insight to make informed decisions about curriculum design, instructional strategies, and resource allocation to address the specific needs of your students effectively.
• Share best practice: Percentiles can be used as a catalyst for collaboration and knowledge sharing among schools. You can establish networks and partnerships to exchange best practices and strategies. This collaborative approach fosters a culture of continuous improvement and allows schools to learn from each other’s successes.

Live National Benchmarks in Arbor

Did you know that Arbor also has Live National Benchmarks for Attendance? Arbor’s Live National Attendance Benchmarks give you a snapshot of what is happening across all Arbor schools on that exact day, helping you respond faster and take action straight away.

For more information on our Live National Attendance Benchmarks visit our Help Centre today. 

Arbor’s benchmarks use data from Arbor MIS schools only. As the largest cloud MIS provider at Arbor, we’re able to provide nationally representative benchmarks for DfE Primary Assessments. We have validated the quality of our benchmarks against figures published by the DfE for 2021/22 and found that we differ by at most a couple of %.  Arbor’s national benchmarks will update in real-time once there is a large enough sample size; over 100 schools with over 100 pupils.