What this means: The overall absence rate measures the percentage of possible sessions (half-days) missed by pupils across the academic year, including both authorised and unauthorised absences.

An absence rate above 7% is typically considered high. Schools in areas of higher deprivation usually report higher absence rates, often linked to health inequalities, family circumstances, or transport challenges.

📊 📊 North Star 82° is ranked 20,420th out of 20,611 schools nationally

What this means: The suspension rate shows the percentage of pupils who received at least one fixed-period suspension during the academic year. A single pupil suspended multiple times counts once.

A suspension rate above 10% is relatively high and may indicate significant behaviour challenges or a strict behaviour policy. Schools with higher deprivation often report higher rates.

📊 📊 North Star 82° is ranked 20,572nd out of 20,625 schools nationally

What this means: The permanent exclusion rate shows the percentage of pupils permanently excluded from the school during the academic year. This is the most serious sanction a headteacher can apply.

Permanent exclusion remains relatively rare nationally, typically below 0.1%. A rate above this may reflect severe behavioural incidents or a school facing particular challenges.

📊 📊 North Star 82° is ranked 20,624th out of 20,625 schools nationally

What this means: The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) teachers employed at the school. Part-time teachers are counted proportionally (e.g. a teacher working 3 days counts as 0.6 FTE).

Teacher numbers typically reflect the size and funding of the school. A school with 12 FTE teachers is relatively small. Changes over time may indicate growth, budget pressures, or restructuring.

What this means: The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) teaching assistants employed at the school, including higher-level teaching assistants (HLTAs).

Teaching assistant numbers vary widely between schools. The number of TAs usually depends on the school's SEN population, funding, and teaching model.

What this means: The pupil-to-teacher ratio (PTR) divides the total number of pupils by the number of FTE teachers. It indicates how many pupils each teacher is responsible for on average, though actual class sizes may differ.

A lower pupil-to-teacher ratio often indicates smaller class sizes, which usually allows for more individualised attention.

📊 📊 North Star 82° is ranked 20,859th out of 21,095 schools nationally

What this means: Teacher turnover rate shows the percentage of teachers who left the school during the academic year. This includes retirements, resignations, and transfers.

A turnover rate above 20% is typically considered high and may suggest recruitment challenges, workload pressures, or leadership changes.

📊 📊 North Star 82° is ranked 20,010th out of 20,457 schools nationally

What this means: The teacher sickness absence rate shows the percentage of possible teaching days lost to sickness absence across all teachers during the academic year.

This teacher absence rate is below the national average, which usually reflects good staff wellbeing and effective absence management.

What this means: The average number of days lost to sickness absence per teacher during the academic year. This includes both short-term and long-term absences.

This level of teacher absence days is within or below the typical range for most schools.

What this means: The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals (FSM). FSM eligibility is widely used as a proxy indicator for socio-economic disadvantage.

An FSM rate above 30% is significantly above the national average and typically indicates a school serving a community with higher levels of deprivation.

What this means: The percentage of pupils identified as having Special Educational Needs (SEN), including both SEN Support and those with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans.

An SEN rate above 20% is higher than the national average and may indicate strong SEN identification practices or a school that attracts families seeking good SEN provision.

📊 📊 North Star 82° is ranked 1st out of 22,081 schools nationally

What this means: The percentage of pupils receiving SEN Support — the first tier of SEN provision, where additional help is provided within the school without an EHC plan.

This level of SEN Support is below the national average. The proportion often reflects how the school identifies and categorises additional needs.

What this means: The percentage of pupils with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan — the highest level of SEN support, involving a legally binding document specifying the provision required.

An EHC rate above 5% is higher than typical and may indicate the school has specialist provision or a strong reputation for supporting complex needs.

What this means: The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths (RWM combined) at the end of Key Stage 2. This is the headline measure for primary school attainment.

KS2 attainment below the national average may reflect the school's intake characteristics. Schools with higher FSM eligibility typically report lower RWM attainment, though this is not always the case.

What this means: The KS2 Reading progress score measures how much progress pupils have made in reading between the end of KS1 and KS2, compared to pupils nationally with similar starting points. A score of 0 is average; positive means above average.

A negative progress score may indicate that pupils are making less progress than similar pupils nationally, though contextual factors should be considered.

What this means: The KS2 Maths progress score measures how much progress pupils have made in maths between KS1 and KS2, compared to pupils nationally with similar starting points.

A negative maths progress score suggests scope for improvement, though many contextual factors influence this measure.