Personalising learning for every child

Knowing students to add value for each and every one

At The British School, staff work hard to make sure they use assessment data to supplement teacher observation – and at times, the results have surprised them and challenged their judgements.

"We really try to look at the student and all the data and understanding we have. We don’t simply say they are projected a grade – we ask what we can do to improve the learning of our students," Mark explains.

"We use CEM and other data such as attendance and attitudes as a vehicle for conversations. We don’t react to just one data point, but we look at and map out patterns and trends over time to inform our actions.

Using data to support students’ journey through school

The British School use CEM data to support students’ transition periods through school, by embedding it in ongoing discussions.

"It’s an ongoing conversation about learning because we are using the data so frequently. When we get to transition points, we know enough about the student to ensure that we’ve got the best choices available for them. There are no surprises for parents or students – it becomes a discussion about progression long term," says Mark.

Vanita adds, "Our backbone of data ensures we understand the whole child, so the transition points become almost seamless."

Robust evidence and support for predictions

The value of having a bank of CEM data to hand, Vanita explains, was clearly apparent during the last year.

"Having the CEM data throughout all of the disruptions last year was so useful as it gave us scientific evidence to support examination predictions; it was so easy for us to share all of the predictive data and historic data with Cambridge."