School report: Sats results are helpful – but never tell the whole story

The character of a school is shaped by the relationships, the care, the culture and the experiences that help children flourish.

National benchmarks can be helpful, as school leaders we pay attention to them.

They shouldn’t overshadow the progress and personal achievements of every child though, including those whose strengths may not be captured by headline results.

I went into teaching many decades ago because of a deep-rooted desire to help nurture and develop children as individuals.

I have always held the belief that the most important thing is that every child is pushing themselves to achieve or surpass their own targets and capabilities.

For some children, working above the “expected standards” comes naturally, for some it takes focus and dedication. For others, just meeting the “expected standards” takes Herculean efforts from the child, parents and teachers over the course of their school life.

The children achieving “age-related” expectations, thanks to their hard work and effort, deserve being celebrated as much as those getting the top marks, but the data doesn’t allow for that.

Nor does it show how well a school is doing at making a difference to every child’s life and future.

The data also doesn’t tell you how many of the children in the school have surpassed their own personal targets, even if they haven’t met “expected standards".

For many years, when in my role of Send co-ordinator, my proudest moments were seeing the children I had fought so hard for getting the results that were not necessarily expected from them.

As a parent I see it in my own children.

I have always held the belief that the most important thing is that every child is pushing themselves to achieve or surpass their own targets

Each one is different. We have always told them that the most important thing is that they push themselves to achieve the best that they can and not to compare themselves to others, or each other. We know their backstories and personalities, as well as the challenges they have had to overcome.

Yet data makes us compare one child against another, with no consideration for the story behind each child.

As the headteacher of a one-form entry school, I also have a bugbear about the reality of percentage-based tables. Small nuances in a year group can change results disproportionately from year to year.

The difference between 98 per cent of children working at expected standards one year and 75 per cent the next year could be down to any number of one-off factors.

So when looking at schools, yes, consider the data, but make your final decision based on so much more, because the data doesn’t tell the whole story.

Ask if every child, irrelevant of ability, is achieving their own personal potential.

Talk to existing parents about whether or not they feel their children are pushed to be the best they can be.

Get a feel for the ethos behind the numbers, because that will ultimately make a difference to your child’s academic and social development and achievements.

At our prospective parents’ open morning next month I will, of course, highlight our outstanding latest result.

But you will hear me spend more time telling you about how we focus on helping every child find their own individual strengths and support them to be their best selves.