When SATs results arrive each summer, it's natural to focus on Year 6.
After all, they're the pupils who sat the tests, the teachers who carried the immediate responsibility, and the results that will shape improvement discussions in the months ahead.
SATs can feel like the final destination. The end point of primary education.
The moment when years of learning are distilled into a set of results.
But every destination is shaped by the journey that came before it.
And if SATs are the destination, perhaps school improvement begins by understanding the journey..
The Danger of Only Looking at the Ending
Imagine picking up a book, reading only the final chapter and believing you understand the whole story.
You might know how it ends, but you wouldn't understand the twists, challenges and turning points that shaped the plot.
SATs results are much the same.
They tell us where pupils finished their journey, but not what happened along the way.
The most important lessons are often found in the chapters that...
Every school does assessments.
Baseline assessments at the start of the year.
Mock tests before SATs.
Progress checks throughout the term.
Pupils sit the tests. Teachers mark them. Leaders review the percentages.
Then comes the important question:
What happens next?
For many schools, assessment data stops at a score. A pupil achieved 72%. A class average was 68%. A cohort performed broadly in line with expectations.
But percentages alone cannot improve outcomes.
They cannot reveal misconceptions.
They cannot explain why pupils struggled.
They cannot identify the curriculum content that needs revisiting.
And they certainly cannot provide the evidence needed to justify future actions to governors, trust leaders, school improvement partners, or Ofsted.
The most effective schools understand that the real value of assessment lies not in measuring performance, but in understanding it.
At DAISI Education, we believe the Assessment is only the Beginning.
Many assessments provide a score, a percentage, or an attainment judgement. While that tells you how pupils performed, it rarely explains why they performed that way...
Every September, secondary schools welcome a new cohort of pupils armed with timetables, planners and ambitions for the years ahead.
Alongside them arrives something equally valuable, yet too often overlooked: their KS2 SATs data.
Most schools will review scaled scores.
Some will analyse attainment groups.
Others will invest time in baseline assessments to build an initial picture of their new Year 7 intake.
The strongest secondary schools do something far more powerful.
They go beyond the headline figures to understand them.
The Conversation has Shifted.
At a time when schools are expected to demonstrate a clear understanding of their pupils' starting points, the ability to articulate what learners know, where gaps exist, and how the curriculum responds has never been more important.
The question is no longer:
"What score did they achieve?"
The question is now...
"What does that score tell us about the learner and what are you doing about it?"
Why Baseline Assessments Don't Always Provide the Full Picture
For many pupils, the first weeks of secondary school...
The words "Ofsted inspection" can still make even the most experienced school leaders feel a little nervous. Not because they're unprepared, but because inspection is about far more than presenting a set of results.
It's about demonstrating that you truly understand your pupils, your curriculum and the impact your school is having every day.
The schools that navigate inspection most confidently are rarely those with the thickest folders or the slickest presentations.
They're the schools that know their children, understand their data and can clearly explain the story behind both.
Moving from Numbers to Narrative...
Beyond the Headline Results
When KS2 SATs results arrive, most schools naturally focus on the headline figures.
Expected Standard
Greater Depth
Progress Measures
School Comparisons
These measures matter. But they're only the starting point.
The real opportunity lies in understanding why pupils performed the way they did and what those results tell us about curriculum effectiveness, teaching, learning and future priorities.
And that's where DAISI Education's Question Level Analysis (QLA) can really help...
Looking back...
Schools today have access to more data than ever before.
Assessment scores, attendance figures, behaviour records, pupil progress measures, intervention tracking, benchmarking reports, and survey responses can provide a wealth of information. Yet having data is not the same as using it effectively.
The most successful schools understand a fundamental truth:
The best schools don't just collect data.
They use it.
The biggest difference between good and great schools is often not the quantity of data they hold, but how they turn that information into meaningful action.
Moving Beyond Data Collection
Collecting data has become routine in education. Every assessment, test, and observation generates another set of numbers that can be stored, analysed, and reported.
However, data in isolation tells us very little.
A pupil scoring 65% on a test provides a headline figure, but it doesn't explain what they understand, where misconceptions exist, or what support they need next. Looking only at overall scores can leave crucial insights hidden beneath the surface.
This is where effective schools take...
In a world that often celebrates giant leaps and massive achievements, "The 1% principle" brings a refreshing and empowering perspective to education.
This concept challenges everyone to rethink their approach to growth and success - focussing instead on the small gains that make up our everyday life in a school.
At its core, it is about the cumulative effect of incremental improvements - a journey of a thousand miles, but by one step at a time.
Used to great success by Sir Dave Brailsford and others, it takes the idea that lots of small improvements collectively make a huge difference as this quote from Shirley Mansfield – founder of CoachSME - explains..
“From cycling to education; car making to holidays, people are finding that 1% certainly makes a big difference. But why? It simply means focusing on small changes to everything in the business; 1% at a time.
Concentrate on making many 1% improvements and you’ll find the compound effect is huge.”
Susan Mansfield – Ultimate Guide to Marginal...
SATs outcomes are a measure, not a verdict.
They don’t see your school, your community.
The published figures are data points in time that prompt questions to drive your school forward?
Are your results in line with internal tracking?
Did the cohort include a significant number of SEND or EAL pupils?
How did other cohorts perform?
Were different topics taught differently?
But you need to look deeper to find the real truths hidden inside.
As one headteacher said..
“Do an in-depth analysis - cohort context, subject breakdowns, question-level analysis, and internal tracking vs outcomes… and you’ll find some good news in there. ”
Confidence and Evidence for Ofsted
When KS2 SATs results arrive, most schools naturally focus on the headline figures: Expected Standard, Greater Depth, Progress Measures, School Comparisons etc. These measures matter. But they’re only the starting point. The real opportunity lies in understanding why pupils performed the way they did and what those results tell us about curriculum effectiveness, teaching, learning and future priorities.
Inspectors aren’t looking for rehearsed answers or...
As schools look for deeper insights from their assessment data, Question Level Analysis (QLA) is rapidly gaining traction across the country.
When you drill down deeper, you can identify learning gaps, focus intervention where it's needed most, and find the small gains that drive big improvements. But if you think QLA is only about exam prep, think again.
Its real power lies in what it can tell you about teaching, learning, and curriculum effectiveness.
Let me explain...
Examinations | Dive Deeper | Personal Learning Journey | Implement Change | Pass it Forward
What does Question Level Analysis do?
Question Level Analysis breaks assessment data down into groups – looking instead at topics and cohorts rather than the individual answers themselves. This aggregation allows you to identify patterns and trends that might otherwise go unnoticed. This approach can highlight specific areas where students are struggling or excelling, allowing educators to make targeted interventions.
However, the real strength of QLA lies in its ability to guide evidence-based decision-making.
By identifying...
Recently, we surveyed secondary schools up and down the country asking about Transition.
It seems like every school and area has a different way of working.
Most focus first on getting to know their pupils with activity days in school or a mock timetable.
Some give immediate tests. It seems there is not a clear way for everyone to follow.
But this is really important.
But what about academic transition?
Stalled Progress at Key Stage 3
A recent Ofsted report stated..
"the transition to secondary is too often poorly managed and teaching fails to build on the gains pupils have made in primary school. Inspectors have found that pupils often leave primary school with good literacy and numeracy skills, confident and eager to learn, but their progress then stalls when they start secondary school."
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/too-many-students-let-down-in-early-stages-of-secondary-school
The fact is that the importance of a good start to secondary school education cannot be overstated. Pupils need to enjoy school and get involved with the many subjects to choose...
Question Level Analysis (QLA) is becoming an essential tool for schools looking to turn assessment data into meaningful action.
But not all QLAs are created equal.
The most effective QLAs go beyond reporting results.
They identify patterns, uncover learning gaps and provide the insight needed to drive improvement.
With over 15 years' experience supporting schools and an attainment improvement rate of 80% over three years for schools using our QLA, we've learned one simple truth:
The value isn't in the data. It's in the analysis.
Here are ten questions to ask of any QLA.
1. Do you have to search in many places or is it delivered in one go?
Remember the aim of this analysis is to save you time as a head/teacher so you are not searching through lots of data to find the answer. You need something that does all that for you.
All DAISI QLA arrives as one PDF report sent direct to your inbox
2. Does the analysis look at Individual Questions or just...
