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Glossary
This glossary defines the terms used in Sonar Tracker and in primary assessment in England. Each linked term goes to the page that explains it, and words in bold are labels as they appear on screen.
A to B
Section titled “A to B”A summative judgement, shown as A. The pupil is working above what is expected at this point and is likely to reach the higher standard.
A role for assessment leads and data managers. It can do everything an Account Owner does day to day, including assessment settings and report templates.
The role for the person responsible for the school’s Sonar account, usually the headteacher. It can do everything, including changing school settings.
What a school’s curriculum expects pupils to know by a point in their year group. It is school shorthand, not a DfE measure.
ARA (assessment and reporting arrangements)
Section titled “ARA (assessment and reporting arrangements)”The rules and dates that the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) publishes each year for a statutory assessment, such as the KS2 tests.
A time in the year when teachers record judgements, such as autumn 2. Some reports say Assessment Period.
At or above expectations. In summative reports it covers Just At, Securely At, Above and Significantly Above.
The curriculum a judgement is made against. Band 4 is the year 4 curriculum, and a pupil working on another year’s curriculum is judged in that year’s band.
A summative judgement, shown as B. The pupil is working below what is expected at this point and is not on track for the expected standard.
An add-on module that compares your school’s teacher judgements with those of other Sonar schools, locally and nationally. It runs for autumn 2, spring 2 and summer 2 only.
Gives every pupil in a column the same judgement, or one pupil the same judgement in every subject shown. It replaces existing judgements and cannot be undone.
C to E
Section titled “C to E”The set of summative codes Juniper Education sets up for your school, such as Below, Just At, Securely At and Above. You can rename the codes, but only Juniper can change the model.
The DfE’s file format for moving pupil data, including statutory results, between schools and systems.
Juniper’s tool for messages to parents. Observations shared with home wait in Comms Hub for approval before parents see them in the Juniper Education app.
Copies judgements from an earlier assessment point, so you only need to change the ones that have moved. It replaces existing judgements and cannot be undone.
The DfE’s non-statutory curriculum guidance for the EYFS. It has three broad age bands, and Sonar divides the same years into more bands.
The DfE’s term for pupils eligible for free school meals at any time in the last 6 years. It also covers children who are or have been looked after.
Pupils whose first language is not English, as recorded in your management information system (MIS). Assessment grids show an EAL flag under the pupil’s name.
One of the 17 goals in the EYFS profile. At the end of reception, each child is judged emerging or expected in each goal.
An earlier feature that carried a pupil’s last judgement forward to points where none had been entered. It has been removed, so use Copy Data From Previous Term instead.
EHC plan (education, health and care plan)
Section titled “EHC plan (education, health and care plan)”A legal plan that sets out a child’s special educational needs (SEN) and the support they must receive. Your MIS records it as SEN code E.
A forecast of where a pupil is likely to end the year if nothing dramatic changes. It can rise or fall during the year.
What the teacher would like a pupil to achieve by the end of the year. It is set early in the year and rarely changes.
The statutory assessment for pupils who are not yet engaged in subject-specific study. It is not a curriculum, and schools report only which pupils it was used for.
The lowest band in Sonar’s code grid, for pupils assessed through the engagement model. Reports count it as Significantly Below.
Sonar’s year groups and bands for the youngest children. Entry 1 children turn 1 during the academic year, Entry 2 children turn 2, and Pre-Entry is for babies born during it.
Keeping the same judgement from one assessment point to the next. A higher judgement is more than expected progress.
The standard pupils should meet at the end of a key stage, such as a KS2 scaled score of 100 or more. It is not the same as Ofsted’s report card judgement with the same name.
The statutory assessment at the end of reception. Each ELG is recorded as 1 (emerging) or 2 (expected). STA allows A only for a child with an individual exemption on religious or philosophical grounds. A child who cannot be fully assessed is recorded as emerging.
F to J
Section titled “F to J”The Primary Flight Path report shows one subject across a pupil’s time in school, from statutory results to the current judgement. It is a history, not a route pupils must follow.
The checking teachers do while they teach, so that teaching can respond. In Sonar, teachers can record it against curriculum objectives.
The five colours on the formative pages: Not taught or pupil was absent (grey), Taught (red), Working Towards (yellow), Achieved (green) and Greater Depth (purple).
Pupils currently eligible for free school meals, as recorded in your MIS.
Pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.
A role for senior leaders and assessment co-ordinators. It can enter and edit data, including in previous academic years.
Roles for staff who look at data but do not enter it. Both show pupil names.
A child has a GLD if they reach the expected level in all 12 ELGs in the prime areas, literacy and mathematics.
Members of a school’s governing body, who hold leaders to account. A trust’s board members are trustees. Governors usually have the Minimal Read-only role in Sonar.
At KS2, a scaled score of 110 or more in reading and maths, and greater depth in writing. Above means a pupil is on track for it.
Juniper’s connected platform, which links Sonar with Juniper Portal, Juniper MIS and Comms Hub. This guide calls schools on it Portal-linked schools.
Juniper’s management information system. Portal-linked schools import and export CTFs there, and some schools use it as their main MIS.
Juniper’s sign-in and user management system, at portal.juniper.education. Portal-linked schools manage users and roles there.
A summative judgement, shown as JA. The pupil is on track for the expected standard, but not yet securely, so a setback could take them off track.
K to O
Section titled “K to O”KS1 is years 1 and 2, and KS2 is years 3 to 6. Statutory KS1 assessment has been optional since the 2023 to 2024 academic year.
A way of tracking in which a pupil becomes secure only once they have learned most of the year’s curriculum. Sonar uses point in time assessment instead.
Local authority
Section titled “Local authority”The council responsible for education in an area. It collects EYFS profile and phonics results, and moderates KS2 writing.
A group of academies run by one trust. Trusts can use Sonar Multi-School to see data from all their schools.
A role for staff who need limited access. Like Partial Edit, it can enter and edit data in the current academic year only.
A view-only role for governors and visitors. Pupil names are anonymised.
Your school’s main database of pupils, staff and classes. Changes in the MIS reach Sonar overnight.
Teachers comparing judgements and pupils’ work to agree standards, within a school or across schools.
The statutory check in year 4, in June. It is scored out of 25 and has no pass mark.
The report category for a pupil with no judgement at the chosen point, shown as No Assessment. An empty cell counts as No Assessment.
Sonar’s year groups and bands for children who turn 3 (Nursery 1) or 4 (Nursery 2) during the academic year.
A statement of something pupils should learn, used in formative assessment. Juniper’s default objectives are the Sonar Curriculum.
An add-on module for short notes and photos about pupils, which can be shared with staff only or with parents too.
Just At or Securely At, also called at ARE. The Summative Code Labels page marks these judgements with one star.
Above, or Significantly Above in reports. The Summative Code Labels page marks these judgements with two stars.
P to R
Section titled “P to R”The role Juniper recommends for class teachers. It can enter and edit data in the current academic year only.
Sonar’s summative model. Each judgement says whether a pupil is on track to meet end-of-year expectations, based on what has been taught so far.
A school whose staff sign in through Juniper Portal, and whose pupil data comes from its MIS through Portal. Most schools are set up this way.
Statutory standards for pupils working below the standard of the national curriculum tests but engaged in subject-specific study. There are 4 at KS1 and 6 at KS2, and Sonar offers them on the statutory pages only.
The Primary Projection Pathway and EYFS Projection Pathway pages, where teachers enter end-of-year projections beside each pupil’s earlier results.
The statutory check in year 1, in June. STA sets the threshold mark each year and publishes it in June. Pupils who do not meet it take the check again in year 2.
Extra funding for disadvantaged pupils. Assessment grids show a PP flag under eligible pupils’ names.
A meeting where teachers and leaders discuss pupils who are not on track and agree what will change.
The statutory assessment in the first 6 weeks of reception. Schools do not receive the scores, so Sonar does not hold it.
The move to a new academic year, when pupils go up a year group.
The KS2 test result, from 80 to 120. A score of 100 or more meets the expected standard.
A summative judgement, shown as At. The pupil is firmly on track and very likely to reach the expected standard.
Support for a pupil with SEN who does not have an EHC plan. Your MIS records it as SEN code K.
The special educational needs co-ordinator, who leads the school’s provision for pupils with SEND.
The report category for a judgement from a higher year group’s band, shown as Significantly Above.
The report category for a judgement from a lower year group’s band, shown as Significantly Below.
Juniper’s default set of formative objectives.
A subscription for entering statutory data and using the Statutory Dashboard. Most other areas show an information page, and Pupils and School are not in the menu.
Juniper’s product for trusts. It shows data from each school’s Sonar records, so nothing is entered twice.
A school on Sonar’s original set-up, where pupil data comes from the MIS through Wonde, and CTFs are imported and exported in Sonar.
A score from a commercial standardised test, where 100 is the average. Scores usually run from 70 to 140. It is not the same as a scaled score.
The DfE agency that runs the statutory primary assessments and publishes their rules each year.
The first assessment point of the year, for a judgement made before much has been taught. In reception, it takes the place of the RBA scores that schools never receive.
The page in Analysis that summarises statutory results, with arrows showing the change on the previous year. Its figures refresh overnight.
Assessment that sums up what a pupil has learned at a point in time. In Sonar, it means teachers’ judgements at assessment points.
The settings page where your school can rename its judgements. The meaning of each judgement stays fixed.
T to W
Section titled “T to W”Juniper’s earlier primary tracker, which Sonar replaces.
A judgement made by a teacher. Statutory teacher assessment uses STA’s frameworks at the end of a key stage, while the Teacher Assessments card in Sonar holds non-statutory judgements.
A panel on the summative entry page. It shows other evidence for one pupil and subject: formative, test, target, statutory and the last judgement.
A report that puts summative, formative, test, target, projection and statutory data side by side for a class or year group.
Short for multi-academy trust (MAT).
The number that identifies a pupil in school records in England, used to match a pupil’s records, including statutory results, between systems.
A service that copies pupil data from a school’s MIS overnight. It sends the data straight to Sonar in stand-alone schools, and to Juniper Portal in Portal-linked schools with another supplier’s MIS.
STA’s KS2 writing outcomes: working towards the expected standard, working at the expected standard and working at greater depth. Optional KS1 assessment uses them too.