Analysing pupil progress data in your subject or department

See how to carry out data analysis on pupil progress, what to focus on, and how to use your findings to drive improvement in your subject or department.

Last reviewed on 18 March 2024
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 11140
Contents
  1. Use pupil progress data as a starting point for improvement
  2. Quality-assure the data before you start
  3. Find data using different sources
  4. Focus on these things
  5. Remember to triangulate your data
  6. Keep an eye on how long it takes you to analyse the data
  7. Respond to what the data is telling you

Use pupil progress data as a starting point for improvement

Analysing the data can:

  • Help you understand the quality of the curriculum being delivered in your subject or department. For example, is the curriculum intent right for this cohort? Are teachers delivering the curriculum in a way that all pupils can access? Is the impact there?
  • Show if a member of staff is struggling with delivering the curriculum, or if they need support with subject knowledge
  • Help you reflect on your practice as a leader – for example, if there's a significant change in progress for a group or cohort that you haven't picked up on, it might tell you there's more you need to do in terms of monitoring 

Quality-assure the data before you start

Before you begin, make sure the data you have is:

If it comes from assessment, be confident that the