Does your classroom data tell you something you don’t already know? As a teacher, scatter graphs don’t help unless they have each child’s name on it or visible. If they don’t, you are just looking at dots. Equally, if data is not contextualized then what is it actually telling you? Yes, your girls might be attaining higher than your girls in English GCSE, for example – but have you considered that in light of national trends – or even from their relative starting points? Never mind the gap in school between your boys and your girls – how are your boys doing against all boys nationally?
This is the weakness of many commercial data products. Is it because data systems are purchased by school leaders that so many dashboards and outputs tend to be aimed at school leaders. The insights at whole school level are sometimes fascinating, but I wonder how useful they are when actually planning a lesson or a seating plan.
Kingfisher was designed to be distinct from other data management systems due to its four key principles:
- It had to be simple
- It had to be useful in the classroom by teachers
- It should ensure our time is spent where it is best used
- It should tell teachers something they don’t already know about their pupils
This system was built with the quiet child in mind. We considered the child who turns up to school doing the right thing day after day – the child who does not always have their hand up, perhaps doesn’t get the highest test scores – and perhaps doesn’t even earn as many in-class rewards as their peers. This child, like all children, deserves to be noticed and praised. That’s why you’ll find Kingfisher progress analysis helpful in highlighting the small victories of children who don’t always stand out from the crowd.
Learn more from Gareth Davies, Trust Head of Curriculum & Assessment. To read more: Full Kingfisher article
