An invaluable tool for intervention: Eggar’s School

What are the benefits of Sisra Analytics?

We used Sisra right back in the old ‘Sisra Online’ days. It helped us evaluate our data drops and annual exam results forensically. But not until the introduction of Sisra Analytics and the added features did we refine our retrospective analysis and more importantly get an invaluable tool for intervention, identifying underachievers so that appropriate action could be taken.

Has Sisra Analytics helped you identify areas for improvement?

We’ve used the Grade Search facility extensively to create KS4 focus groups, based on children who are predicted English and not maths, or maths and not English. We then group these children into Gold, Silver or Bronze categories based on their KS2 entries. Bronze pupils have a higher entry level and Gold pupils a lower one. The idea is that Gold pupils are harder to convert – hence the gold medal for a more demanding intervention. Silver pupils are less hard to convert and Bronze pupils should achieve most easily.

We also use Sisra Analytics to identify the foundation subjects in which these pupils are underachieving. With the new Progress 8 measure, we recognise that ‘every grade matters’, and so this type of intervention is essential. And in KS3 we use Sisra Analytics to create focus groups for intervention by creating a league table of points differences between current achievement and targets. Sisra Analytics works this out straightaway, identifying current KS3 underachievers at any data drop.

All staff in our school have engaged with Sisra Analytics and find the interface intuitive and easy to use. Years 7 to 10 have three data drops a year and Year 11 has four. All staff contribute to the drop and also use Sisra Analytics to check their predictions against datasets and benchmarks.

Did you use Sisra Analytics on results day?

On Results Day, Sisra Analytics comes into its own. Data can be input easily and quickly, giving us instant headline stats. The system has also given us instant accurate value-added scores – so no more waiting months for RAISEonline to appear. Levels of progress and transition matrices are instantly accessed and we now have Progress 8 and Attainment 8 results readily available. As in many schools nationally, ‘closing the gap’ has been an issue for us. Sisra Analytics identifies our disadvantaged children and provides a gap analysis, enabling us to pinpoint areas to develop.

So Sisra Analytics has become part of everyday life here at Eggar’s School, changing how we look at achievement data and how we use it to enhance attainment and progress. It’s now hard to imagine life without it.