KS1-KS2 Progress Methodology

This methodology is based on published DfE documentation and will be updated to reflect any changes that the Department makes.

Please note that despite 2023 being the final year of KS1, pupils who have taken that assessment will be going through the system until 2027 after while KS1 to KS2 Progress will change to Reception Baseline to KS2 progress, however due to the pandemic there will be no KS1 to KS2 progress measures published in either 2024 or 2025 (per DfE's July 2023 announcement) and reports / analysis related to KS1 to KS2 progress have been hidden in Nexus for those years. 

DfE have published a note about Primary school progress measures for parents and schools.

Status

This progress methodology is based on the details published in: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1150830/Primary_school_accountability_in_2022.pdf

Rules around pupils excluded from progress calculations

• Pupils who do not have Key Stage 1 data for ALL of English reading, English writing and mathematics are not included in the Progress measure.

• Pupils with KS1 outcomes of M, D and A are not given a Prior Attainment Group (PAG) and are therefore also excluded from progress calculations.

KS1 Points Assignment

Points are assigned to pupils based on their KS1 outcomes, see the table below for details of the points assigned to each outcome. Though P Scales are no longer in use from 2022 onwards, pupils coming through for progress calculations were assessed at KS1 under the pre-Engagement Model system and so the values are still valid for progress. 

English reading and writing rules

• If a pupil was teacher assessed as below the pre key stage level 1 (BLW), but has P4-8 in reading, the P scales score is used as the points score.

• If a pupil does not have P4-8 in reading, but has P1i-P3ii in English, this is used as the points score.

• If a pupil was teacher-assessed as working towards level 1, but does not have P4-8 in reading or P1i-P3ii in English, then they are given three points.

Maths rules

• If a pupil was teacher-assessed as below the pre key stage level 1 (BLW), but has P4-8 in use of mathematics, numbers and shapes, an average is taken.

• If a pupil does not have P4-8 in mathematics, numbers and shapes, but does have P1i-P3ii in mathematics, then the P scales score is used as the points score.

• If a pupil was teacher-assessed as working towards level 1, but does not have P4-8 in mathematics, numbers and shapes or P1i-P3ii in mathematics, then they are given three points.

Calculating an average point score

• To calculate a KS1 average points score (APS).

  • Average the English Reading & English Writing points scores.

  • Take the result of above and average that with the Maths outcome.

• This has the effect of double-weighting Maths and giving it the same proportion of the APS as both elements of English combined. 

Each individual pupil is then grouped with all of the other pupils who achieved the same KS1 Average Point Score in the 'Prior Attainment Group' and the results in each subject at KS2 are compared to all the other pupils in the same prior attainment group as that pupil and expressed as being a number of points above or below zero with zero being the average progress score.

The progress score is not used at pupil level and never reported to parents. Rather it is the aggregation of progress scores within a school, LA or pupil group that determines the positive or negative point score around a zero average that we look.

The current point scores at KS1 and KS2 are shown below.  

Points assigned to KS1 outcomes

KS1 TA	Points
GDS	10
EXS	8
WTS	6
PKF	4
BLW	3
P8	2.75
P7	2.50
P6	2.25
P5	2.00
P4	1.75
P3ii	1.50
P3i	1.25
P2ii	1.00
P2i	0.75
P1ii	0.50
P1i	0.25

 

Prior attainment groups based on points spread

Prior Attainment Group (PAG)	KS1 Average Points Score Range	Prior Attainment Band
No APS	N/A	N/A
1	0 to <1.75	Low
2	>=1.75 to <2	Low
3	>=2.0 to <2.25	Low
4	>=2.25 to <2.5	Low
5	>=2.5 to <2.75	Low
6	>=2.75 to <3	Low
7	>=3 to <3.5	Low
8	>=3.5 to <=4	Low
9	>4 to <5	Low
10	5	Low
11	>6 to <6	Low
12	6	Low
13	>6 to <7	Low
14	7	Middle
15	>7 to <8	Middle
16	8	Middle
17	>8 to <9.5	High
18	>=9.5 to <10	High
19	10	High

Key Stage 2

• English reading and maths are usually recorded using scaled score between 80 and 120 with 100 as the 'expected standard'. The scaled score for each subject is used as the pupil's outcome in the progress score calculation. 

• English writing points scores are 91 for Working Towards the Expected Standard, 103 for Working at the Expected Standard and 113 for Working at Greater Depth

• Any pupils that are imported without an outcome will be included in cohort numbers but not progress coverage for that subject.