EPI suggests that a wider range of measures to check how inclusive school groups are should be used, including how likely a pupil eligible for free school meals is to apply and be accepted for a place at the schools, rates of repeated fixed term exclusions, and the average number of “unexplained” exits in a group of schools per term, which could indicate whether high numbers of vulnerable pupils are being off-rolled.
The attainment gap between poorer pupils and their peers within a school group would also be measured.
School groups could also be judged on whether their intake reflects their local area’s ethnic diversity, with measures introduced to explore the numbers of pupils from Black African, Black Caribbean, Asian and other White backgrounds who apply and are admitted to a school group.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “The EPI is quite right to highlight that measuring multi-academy trusts (Mats) and other school groups on pupil progress and attainment alone could create problems that can lead, in some circumstances, to serious consequences for vulnerable students.
“The idea of introducing performance measures that recognise the good work that most schools do in prioritising inclusion and supporting vulnerable children is well observed and something we have already identified as beneficial,” he added.
“Unfortunately, schools often feel that performance tables are deeply unfair so it is vital that any new measure has the confidence and support of the sector rather than feeling like another stick with which to beat schools.”
Bobbie Mills, the paper’s author and a Senior Researcher at EPI, said: “The expansion of multi-academy trusts appears to be back on the Government’s agenda and we urgently need a better understanding of which Mats and other school groups are delivering good results for young people.”
Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the NEU teaching union, said: “It’s time to think differently about which metrics are used to evaluate schools and to develop their capacity for self-evaluation.”
