RELENTLESS TEACHING AND LEARNING

Muse of the week:

Has data become too granular in Schools?

The amount of data that is being used in schools has increased over the last few years, in the belief that more and new data creates opportunities for more sophisticated analysis around every different kind of school intervention; making every document ‘live’ and every member of staff accountable. The concern is – are we relying too much on data? Do we run the risk of failing to gain useful insights to potential issues within our schools because the data has become too ‘granular’ and risks loosing a focus on the bigger picture – the young people?

 

We know that in regards to old systems, that were slow; we now have systems that allow for rapid responses to any request for data, whether this is in relation to student behaviour, teaching and learning statistics in raising attainment.

 

Data takes time to input and in order to ensure that the information is correct, Middle Leaders especially, need to find more and more time to monitor and analyse information from their teams to ensure rigour and accuracy of the data they are submitting.

 

When the  data is used effectively it can measure the effectiveness of initiatives and strategies, it can challenge expectations of staff, students and parents, as well as tracking attainment and helping to set targets to inform teaching and learning.

 

We know that there are many benefits to taking a forensic data approach, but a lot of the information that is sourced from school data derives averages and trends that analyse in general terms, often without sufficient context, rather than focussing on personal needs. So how are we addressing this at the Academy?

 

At NOA the Heads of Departments collate data through a learner attainment profile, where we RAG student performance against their end of year targets. It is a useful document that makes it clear to see which students are underperforming significantly, marginally, hitting target or exceeding. The benefit of this is that it enables us as a staff to address the individual needs of our students. It is also a helpful aid during learning walks to ensure that strategies are embedded to target underperformance.

 

Another benefit of this document is when it is used to have coaching or mentoring conversations with staff to enhance the quality of teaching and learning, which will lead to strong progress and secure predictions of grades at data collection points and as external examination indicators.