Grades reports

The Grades area shows the grades themselves: how many of each grade a qualification, class or pupil has. It also compares them with expected grades, other data sets and similar pupils in other schools. It has seven reports. Two of them, Transition Matrix and SPI Scattergraph, need Sisra Data Collaboration.

Where to find it: select Grades on the area bar, or Qualifications or Students on the reports home. Take me to a qualification/class opens the Grade List. See Open the KS3/4 reports.

Who can see it: authority groups with View Qualification Report see the Filters, Faculties, Qualifications and Classes levels. View Student Report opens the Students level. Both are in Admin and User by default.

The Grades area uses each pupil’s best grade in each qualification, not the first entry that the headline measures use. It includes guests, and grades that the DfE’s rules would discount. It works for any data set, including KS3 collections, and needs no headlines. The expected grade columns appear only where your school has entered expected grades in its Expected Attainment Pathways (EAPs).

The examples use the demo school’s 26/27 cohort, this year’s year 11, and its Y10 Summer collection of predicted grades. Most screenshots show the 25/26 leavers’ Exams. For 25/26, figures that depend on KS2 scores, such as KS2 Prior and the Subject Progress Index (SPI), use the demo school’s unofficial KS2 scores.

Options for every Grades report

These options work across the Grades area. Report tools and options describes each one.

Option	What it does	Default
Grade Type	Shows one grade method. In the Overview and Totals, All A8 Quals puts every qualification with Attainment 8 points on one 9 to 1 scale	None: one table for each grade method
Faculty, Qualification, Class	Narrow the report to a faculty, qualification or class. A qualification locks Grade Type	None
On Track	Shows only grades above, on or below the expected grade	All
Residual Excl. tab	Leaves qualifications out of residuals	Every qualification included
AtL tab	Shows only grades with chosen Attitude to Learning (AtL) judgements	None
Count : or Percentage :	Counts or percentages	Count
Standard : or Cumulative :	Single grades or grade ranges, such as 9 - 5	Standard
Sub :	Whether sub-grades count when grades are compared with expected grades or another data set	Sub

Overview

The Overview counts the grades in each qualification, grade by grade, with averages, residuals and the SPI. It works at Filters, Faculties, Qualifications, Classes and Students level. At Filters and Students level, choose a Grade Type on Options. At Classes level, choose a Qualification.

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Each grade method has its own table, such as 9-1 Sub Grades (Att8 Points) or BTEC Tech Sub Grades (Att8 Points). Each ends with a Summary row for everyone in the table.

Column	What it shows
Grade columns, such as 9 to 1, U, X and Other	The number of grades of each kind. A BTEC table has D*, D, M, P and the level 1 grades
Total Grades	All the grades in the row
Average Grade	The average grade, with its sub-grade, such as 5=
Average Points	Total points ÷ total entries
Residual	The average of the pupils’ residuals: how the grades compare with the same pupils’ grades in their other qualifications
Subject Progress Index	The average of the pupils’ SPIs: how the grades compare with those of similar pupils in the Data Collaboration
SPI Chart	A bar for the SPI, to the right of 0 in green or to the left in red
Positive SPI	The number of grades with an SPI of 0 or more. A combined science grade counts as two
In A8 Basket	The number of grades that are, or could be, in an Attainment 8 slot

Residual and Subject Progress Index cells are shaded green above 0 and red below, darker the further from 0. Blue, underlined counts are links to the pupils. Residuals and Subject Progress Index explain both measures.

In the 26/27 cohort’s Y10 Summer predictions, maths has 210 grades, with an average grade of 4- and average points of 3.67. Its residual is −0.24, so pupils’ maths predictions are about a quarter of a grade below their predictions in their other subjects. Its SPI is −0.92, almost a grade below the average for pupils with the same KS2 scores in the 2024 collaboration. Those averages come from exam results, and these are year 10 predictions.

Residual and SPI cells are shaded green above 0 and red below.

In the 25/26 leavers’ results, history’s 116 grades average 6.09 points, with a residual of 0.67 and an SPI of 0.81. Religious studies has 210 grades averaging 3.84 points, a residual of −1.07 and an SPI of −1.37.

Grade ranges

With Cumulative and Percentage, the grade columns become ranges from the top grade down, such as 9 - 5 %. In the 25/26 results, 128 of the 210 maths grades (61.0%) are 5 or above, and 176 (83.8%) are 4 or above.

Cumulative percentages give grade ranges.

To count grade ranges across different kinds of qualification, choose All A8 Quals in Grade Type. Each grade is then placed on the 9 to 1 scale by its points. The choice appears only when the data set uses more than one grade method with Attainment 8 points.

Points to watch

Percentages here are of grades, not pupils. The Headlines reports divide by the pupils in the cohort. So their figures can differ when, for example, some pupils have no grade in a subject.

Combined science counts as two grades. In the 25/26 results, 122 pupils took it, giving 244 grades.

Average Grade is blank where a row mixes grade methods, such as a pupil with GCSE grades and combined science. Use Average Points, or choose one Grade Type.

When a pupil has two grades worth the same points and one Attainment 8 slot is left, both count in In A8 Basket. Only one of them counts in the pupil’s Attainment 8, and which one makes no difference to the score.

A residual compares subjects within your school, not your school with others. A class residual says nothing on its own about teaching: see Read residuals and subject differences with care.

Totals

Totals adds up the grades and points in each row, with averages, AtL and the track figures. It works at the same five levels as the Overview. At Students level, each row is one pupil across all their qualifications. At Classes level, choose a Qualification.

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Column	What it shows
Total Grades, Total Points	The number of grades and their points
Average Grade	The average grade, blank if the grades use different grade methods
Average Points	Total points ÷ total entries
AtL columns, such as Avg Attitude	The average judgement or points in each of your school’s AtL categories
Avg EAP Diff (Sub)	How far the grades are from their expected grades, on average, in sub-grades
On/Above Track, Above Track, On Track, Below Track	The number of grades on or above, above, on and below their expected grades
Inc In Track	The number of grades that have an expected grade, so count in the track columns
Subject Progress Index, SPI Chart, Positive SPI, In A8 Basket	As in the Overview

Tags under pupils’ names, such as Disad and HPA, are your school’s tags for filter values. In the demo school, AtL judgements show as letters: A in blue, B in green, C in orange and D in red.

In the 25/26 leavers’ results, Dobson; Aaron has 9 grades worth 36.00 points, an average of 36.00 ÷ 9 = 4.00. One grade is above its expected grade, 4 are on and 4 below. So On/Above Track is 1 + 4 = 5, and Inc In Track is 9. His Avg EAP Diff (Sub) is −1.1: on average, his grades are about one sub-grade below expected. Average Grade is blank because his grades use more than one grade method.

One row for each pupil, across all their qualifications.

With Compare, each row gains a row for the second data set, such as KS4 Targets >, and a Difference > row. Totals also adds five columns. Four count grades on or above, above, equal to and below the second data set’s grade, such as >= KS4 Targets. N/A counts grades it cannot compare. If your EAPs expect each pupil’s target grade, the track columns and these columns give the same answer.

Points to watch

The track columns use each pupil’s best grade and need expected grades. A pupil with no EAP baseline has none, so check Inc In Track against Total Grades. Sub and Whole change the track columns: see Sub and Whole.

Grade List

The Grade List shows each pupil’s grade in one qualification, with their expected grade, residual and SPI. It works at Students level only. Choose a Qualification on Options, and a Class if you want one. Until you do, it says “Please select a Qualification”.

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Column	What it shows
Class (Staff Initials)	The pupil’s class in the qualification, and the teacher’s initials where your school has set them up
KS2 Prior	The pupil’s KS2 prior attainment
Eligibility	Whether the grade can count in the headline measures: see Legends and icons
Grade	The grade in this data set, coloured against the expected grade
Grade Points	Its points
Attitude, Behaviour, Organisation	The pupil’s AtL judgements, named after your school’s categories
Residual	The pupil’s points here minus their average points across all their qualifications
EAP Grade	The grade expected for this pupil, qualification and term, from their EAP
EAP Diff (whole), EAP Diff (sub)	How many whole grades, and how many sub-grades, the grade is above or below the EAP grade
EAP Baseline	The pupil’s starting point on the EAP, such as a target grade
Subject Progress Index, SPI Chart	The pupil’s SPI in the qualification
In A8 Basket	Y if the grade is, or could be, in an Attainment 8 slot

Your school may have replaced “EAP” in these headings with its own word, such as Target.

Colour of Grade	Meaning
4- green, striped	Above the EAP grade
3- light green	On the EAP grade
3= pink	Below the EAP grade

EAP Diff cells are green and striped above 0 and pink below. These colours appear only for a single data set at Students level, without Compare or Track. Your administrator can turn them off: see Colour coding.

In the 26/27 cohort’s Y10 Summer maths predictions:

• Dobson; Aaron has 4- against an EAP grade of 3-. That is 1 whole grade above, or 3 sub-grades, counting 3=, 3+ and 4-.
• Howarth; Alfie has 3= against 5+: 2 whole grades and 7 sub-grades below.
• Fairbrother; Connor has 3- against 3-, so both differences are 0 and his grade is light green.
• Heaton; Aimee has 6+ against 6=: the same whole grade, but 1 sub-grade above. With Sub, her grade counts as above track.

Grades coloured against each pupil's expected grade.

With Compare

With Compare, each pupil gets a second row, such as KS4 Targets >, with the second data set’s grade, points and residual. Two columns are added: Grade Points (Diff) and Subject Progress Index (Diff).

Colour of the first row	Meaning
4- ↑ light green, up arrow	Higher than the second row
3= ↓ pink, down arrow	Lower than the second row
No colour	The same

Against their KS4 targets, Dobson; Aaron’s 4- is above a target of 3, with Grade Points (Diff) of 1.00. Howarth; Alfie’s 3= is 3.00 points below a target of 6. Barraclough; Abbie’s 6= against 6 is not coloured. Fairbrother; Connor’s 3- against a target of 3 is pink. With Sub, a 3- is below a whole 3, although the points are the same.

Each pupil's grade against their KS4 target.

Points to watch

An EAP grade is your school’s expectation, not a forecast. A pupil below it is a reason to look at their work, not a judgement of the pupil or the teacher. What the evidence says about flight paths explains why.

Check that the grades and the EAP mean the same kind of thing. Working-at grades compared with a flat pathway of targets put most pupils below track early in a course.

Matrix

The Matrix counts the pupils at each KS2 score who got each grade in one qualification. It works at Students level and needs a Qualification.

Read the report

The rows are KS2 Core scores, in half points from 59 to 120. For English and maths qualifications this is the pupil’s KS2 score in that subject, and for others the average of the two. N/Other collects KS2 results that are not scores. Pupils with no KS2 result are left out.

The columns are the grades, from Other, X and U to 9, then Summary. Each cell is a number of pupils: select it to see them. Most cells are 0, because each half point has its own row.

In the 25/26 maths results, 26 pupils have a KS2 maths score of 105. Of them, 2 got grade 3, 9 got 4, 10 got 5 and 5 got 6. The Summary row counts 202 of the 210 pupils, leaving out the 8 with no KS2 score. The KS2 scores are the demo school’s own, not official.

Pupils by KS2 score and grade.

With Compare, each row gains a KS4 Targets > row and a Difference > row.

Comparison Matrix

The Comparison Matrix counts pupils by their grade in two data sets, for one qualification, such as exam results against targets. It works at Students level. Choose a second data set with Compare and a Qualification: until you do, it asks for both.

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The rows are the grades in the second data set and the columns the grades in the one you are viewing. Invert Axes swaps them. The Summary row and column give the totals.

Colour	Meaning
Blue	The same grade in both data sets
7 light green	A higher grade in the data set you are viewing, such as above target
4 pink	A lower grade

In the 25/26 maths results against KS4 targets, 66 pupils are on target. The blue cells add up to 3 + 1 + 10 + 11 + 28 + 7 + 4 + 1 + 1 = 66. Another 36 are above target and 108 below: 66 + 36 + 108 = 210. Of the 61 pupils targeted grade 5, 28 got it, 8 did better and 25 got grade 4 or 3.

Exam grades against KS4 targets.

Points to watch

The colours are clearest when both data sets use the same grade method. With sub-grades, Sub and Whole decide whether a 5- counts as below a target of 5.

Transition Matrix

The Transition Matrix shows, for each KS2 level, the percentage of pupils who got each grade in one qualification. It sets these against the same figures in the Data Collaboration. It works at Students level and needs a Qualification.

It is only for cohorts with KS2 results in the old national curriculum levels: the 2019 to 2020 leavers and earlier. For later cohorts the Students button is greyed out, with a message that begins “Due to a lack of DfE guidance for Scaled Score cohorts”.

Options

Option	What it does	Default
Actual and Difference icons, on the DATA COLLAB bar	Show your percentages, coloured against the collaboration’s, or the differences as numbers	Actual
Displaying Collab. Data :	Shows or hides the collaboration’s own rows	Hiding
Standard : or Cumulative :	Single grades, or ranges from the top grade	Standard

Read the report

The heading names the collaboration subject group, such as “Transition Matrix: Maths vs Collaboration Data for Mathematics (GCSE Only)”. The rows are KS2 Attainment levels, from W and 1 to 5a. The columns are KS4 Attainment – A8 Points (Percentage), from Fail/Other to 9, then SPI. Each row’s percentages add up to 100.

In the demo school’s 19/20 maths results, 45.2% of pupils with KS2 level 4b got grade 4. Another 19.0% got grade 5 and 14.3% grade 6, and the row’s SPI is 0.25.

The Transition Matrix for the 19/20 leavers.

Points to watch

The shading shows whether a percentage is higher or lower than the collaboration’s for the same cell, not whether it is good news. Each darker shade means another 5 percentage points of difference, up to 20 or more. Take the demo school’s 5a row, the pupils with the highest KS2 results. Its cells for grades 4 to 7 are green, while the row’s SPI is −2.03. Read the SPI column, or switch to Difference.

SPI Scattergraph

The SPI Scattergraph plots each pupil’s grade in one qualification against their KS2 score, with a line for the average in the Data Collaboration. It works at Students level and needs a Qualification.

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Each blue dot is one or more pupils, placed by KS2 Prior Attainment across and A8 Points in the qualification up. The grey line is the Collaboration Data Average: the average points of pupils with each KS2 score in the collaboration. A dot above the line has a positive SPI, and the further above, the higher. Pupils with no KS2 score sit at N and have no SPI.

Select a dot to see the pupils in it, with their Grade. With Compare, the box also gives each pupil’s Comp. A8 and Comp. SPI from the second data set. Below the chart, a table gives the collaboration’s average points for each KS2 score, and the subjects in the collaboration group.

Dots above the line have a positive SPI.

In the 25/26 maths results, a selected dot at KS2 118 and grade 9 has an SPI of 1.4. So the collaboration’s average for pupils with a KS2 score of 118 is 9 − 1.4 = 7.6 points. Below the chart, the collaboration’s average is 2.38 points at a KS2 score of 80 and 4.00 at 100. It is 6.44 at 110 and 7.91 at 120.

Select a dot to see the pupils in it.

Points to watch

For the 25/26 cohort, both the demo school’s KS2 scores and the 2026 collaboration’s rest on converted scores, not KS2 tests. Subject Progress Index explains where SPI comes from and when it is blank.

Related pages

• Report tools and options
• EAPs, flight paths and on track
• How Sisra calculates the KS4 measures
• Data Collaboration in the reports
• Student Detail reports
• Tracker reports