The results of a recent survey of local authority staff suggest that many schools are still considering what changes they will implement following the removal of levels to measure student progress.

In the poll, carried out by Capita SIMS at its annual conference, almost a third (30 per cent) of local authority school support staff indicated that they believed the majority of their schools had not yet implemented a replacement to levels to measure pupil progress. Only 14 per cent indicated that the majority of their schools had implemented a replacement, with the rest (56 per cent), reporting a mixed picture in their area.

Phil Neal, managing director of Capita SIMS, says: “Our survey results back up the view of many headteachers I speak to that we are in a period of transition. They indicate that decisions are still being made and pilot systems trialled for monitoring the progress of students, post-levels. Realistically, we should expect a good deal more time to pass before all schools have a replacement system rolled out.”

Somewhat unsurprisingly, given the results, more than three-quarters of respondents (80 per cent) reported that schools are seeking more help and advice about using assessment data than previously. It appears that this trend was expected to continue with 93 per cent of local authority support teams feeling that use of data will increase in schools, in line with the need to be more accountable.

The survey results also suggested that local authority teams were definitely not watching the changes from the side lines – 64 per cent of respondents stated that they were providing schools with a suggested assessment framework, in light of the reforms, to encourage consistency within their area.

Phil Neal continues: “While changes are being introduced to how schools track the progress children make in school, our survey indicates that many local authorities are responding positively and aiming to work in partnership with schools to provide assistance where required and in many cases a suggested framework to use, if schools so choose.”

The survey was completed by 114 respondents from 110 local authorities at the Capita SIMS Annual Conference in June 2015. The conference was attended by IT and MIS school support teams.

ENDS

Ref: CAP1594

Issue date: 07/08/15

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About Capita SIMS:

Capita SIMS is the leading supplier of information systems to the education sector, providing a range of software and services to schools and local authorities to help raise standards and reduce administration. Capita’s SIMS is the most popular management information system for schools and is used every day by more than 22,000 educational establishments in the UK.

Website: www.capita-sims.co.uk

Twitter: @CapitaSIMS