Understanding primary progress scores

Get up to speed with the primary progress measures and how they're calculated, so you can understand your performance data and hold your school leadership to account.

Last reviewed on 27 September 2022See updates
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Contents
  1. Is this article for me?
  2. In a nutshell: what are primary progress measures?
  3. Impact of the pandemic on performance data
  4. How pupils' progress scores are calculated
  5. Your school's progress score 
  6. Hold your headteacher to account
  7. Other types of primary assessment

This article is based on the Department for Education's (DfE's) technical guide to primary school accountability measures in 2022

Is this article for me?

This article is for you if you're a governor in a primary school and you're:

  • Already a data specialist who just needs to know more about school performance data specifically
  • On a committee focused on performance data, like teaching and learning or standards
  • A link governor who needs to know about performance data in order to monitor your area effectively 

Before you begin, read our governor's guide to attainment and progress if you're not clear about the difference between the 2, and use our glossary to help you navigate performance data jargon. 

If you're none of the above, you don't need to understand performance data in great detail in order to carry out your role, so read our governor's guide to learn the basics.

They aim to capture the