What's changed

This page lists changes that affect how you use Sisra Analytics, newest first, with their dates. Changes to Sisra come first, then changes to the national measures and rules around it. It is not a full release history. Juniper Education announces product changes on the HOME page, and posts incidents on its status updates pages: see Check for known problems.

Changes to Sisra Analytics

October 2026

On 12 October 2026, Juniper’s HOME announcement “What A8 Estimates and Collaboration data should I publish with?” gave its advice for Progress 8. Current KS3/4 cohorts should use the DfE’s official 2024 Attainment 8 and value added estimates, listed as 2024, with 2024 Collab. The 24/25 and 25/26 cohorts can use the 2025 or 2026 collaboration data instead. See What returns for 2026 to 2027.

September 2026

On 1 September 2026, some users could not sign in through Juniper Portal and saw “Bad Gateway”, “Error 500” or a timeout. A fix went live at 3:45pm that day. If an Error 500 comes back, go to admin.junipereducation.org/auth/logout, then sign in again. See Troubleshooting.

August 2026

From 24 to 28 August 2026, Juniper moved Sisra accounts onto Juniper Portal, the shared sign-in that its announcements call JoinUp. A HOME announcement of 14 July 2026 had given notice. Since 28 August 2026:

• you sign in with your work email address, your password and a code emailed from noreply@junipereducation.org
• Sisra usernames work only to check the email address Sisra holds
• passwords are 8 to 70 characters, with a lower case letter, a capital letter, a number and a special character
• you change your password or login email in your Juniper Portal profile, from Profile in your account menu

The legacy sign-in, with a username and password, has gone. Help articles about the legacy login, usernames or Account Settings describe the old way. See Sign in and switch schools.

User management moved to Juniper Portal at the same time. Administrators now invite staff, change their roles and remove their access in Portal, and USERS > User List in Sisra shows only a notice. Each custom authority group appears in Portal as a role with the same name. Help articles that tell you to add, block or delete users in Sisra describe the old way. See Give staff access to Sisra.

On 25 August 2026, Juniper announced that Sisra had moved every cohort’s label on a year, as it does each August. For example, 26/27 (Current Yr 10) became 26/27 (Current Yr 11), and the cohort that took its GCSEs in summer 2026 became 25/26 (Leavers). There is no roll over button. See What changes by itself in August.

On 20 August 2026, Juniper released the KS4 figures for the 2026 Sisra Data Collaboration. The figures from window 1, with 1,578 schools and 218,741 pupils, became available at 3:45pm that day. Like the 2025 event, it rests on converted KS2 scores, because those pupils took no KS2 tests. See About Sisra Data Collaboration.

July 2026

Juniper’s HOME announcement of 7 July 2026 says that live chat is reached from Resource Centre > Contact us. It needs the school’s firewall to allow *.zopim.com. See Chat with support.

November 2024

Sisra stopped needing the Sisra Excel Add-In in November 2024. You upload files from your MIS as they are, as .csv, .xlsx, .xls or .xml, and map the columns as you upload. Help articles that tell you to run a file through the Add-In describe the old way. See Upload grades.

Changes to national measures and rules

October 2026

On 15 October 2026, schools received their provisional 2025 to 2026 KS4 data from the DfE. The October checking exercises for KS4 and 16 to 19 run from 5 October to 5pm on 16 October 2026. Compare the DfE’s data with your 25/26 leavers’ Exams reports. See Use the DfE’s checking exercises.

On 5 October 2026, the DfE updated its discounting and early entry guidance for the 2026 KS4 measures. See First entry and discounting.

September 2026

From September 2026, all pupils in households receiving Universal Credit can get free school meals. Free school meals are now targeted, under the earlier rules, or expanded, under the new ones. Expanded free school meals do not attract pupil premium. Schools record which kind each pupil has in the autumn census, by 2 November 2026. As at 15 October 2026, the DfE has not said how expanded free school meals affect “disadvantaged” in the performance measures. The DfE’s guidance on implementing the changes is dated 7 October 2026. See Use the DfE’s definitions.

On 1 September 2026, the DfE renamed its “16 to 18” performance measures “16 to 19”. It publishes level 3 value added for both 2024 to 2025 and 2025 to 2026, and only an attainment measure for T Levels. See Sisra’s measures and the DfE’s.

Ofsted’s school inspection toolkit, version 2.0, applies to inspections from 7 September 2026. Ofsted published it on 12 June 2026. It still says “Inspectors will not review internal data”. See What Ofsted looks at.

Since September 2026, the DfE has given schools a similar schools model for attainment. It compares a school’s Attainment 8 with that of about 50 similar schools, and it is not in Sisra. See What the DfE publishes instead.

July 2026

On 9 July 2026, the DfE updated its data protection in schools guidance for the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. It added a section on buying educational technology. See Contracts and data protection.

The DfE’s 16 to 19 performance measures consultation ran from 28 April to 21 July 2026. Among other changes, it proposed moving the cap on English and maths progress scores from −1 to −2. Its response was still awaited on 15 October 2026. See English and maths progress.

June 2026

In 2026, KS4 had no September checking exercise. Schools checked the DfE’s list of KS4 pupils from 15 June to 26 June 2026, their only chance to correct it, and then the results in October. See Use the DfE’s checking exercises.

February to May 2026

The DfE’s KS4 performance measures consultation ran from 23 February to 4 May 2026. It proposed a new Progress 8 with different slots, for pupils taking exams in 2028 to 2029, Sisra’s 28/29 cohort. Its response was still awaited on 15 October 2026. See The proposed new Progress 8 for 2028 to 2029.

November 2025

On 10 November 2025, Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework began, with report cards. Most areas are graded exceptional, strong standard, expected standard, needs attention or urgent improvement. Its toolkit says “Inspectors will not review internal data”, so there is no need to prepare Sisra reports for an inspection. See What Ofsted looks at.

On 4 November 2025, the DfE announced that the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is leaving its headline accountability measures. Sisra still reports the EBacc, but do not treat it as a target. See EBacc.

October 2025

The DfE’s secondary accountability guidance, updated 16 October 2025, says that Progress 8 cannot be calculated for 2024 to 2025 or 2025 to 2026. Those pupils took no KS2 tests, and “there will be no replacement for Progress 8”. In Sisra, their Progress 8 stays blank unless your school uploaded converted KS2 scores. It returns for pupils leaving in 2027, who took KS2 tests in 2022. See Progress 8 for cohorts without KS2 results.

Related pages

• Questions and answers
• The school year in Sisra
• Sign in and switch schools
• Get support and training