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Common questions
These are the questions people ask most often about Sonar Tracker, Juniper Education’s assessment tracker for primary schools and trusts. Each answer links to the page with the detail. If something is not working, see Troubleshooting.
Getting started
Section titled “Getting started”What is the web address for Sonar?
Section titled “What is the web address for Sonar?”Go to sonartracker.juniper.education and bookmark it. In Portal-linked schools, staff sign in through Juniper Portal (portal.juniper.education) with two-step verification. See Sign in and switch schools.
Is my school Portal-linked or stand-alone?
Section titled “Is my school Portal-linked or stand-alone?”Go to School and look at the Users card. If it says your users are managed through the Juniper Portal and offers View & Invite Users, your school is Portal-linked, like most schools. If you cannot open the School page, ask your Account Owner. See Portal-linked and stand-alone schools.
How do I give a new colleague access?
Section titled “How do I give a new colleague access?”In Portal-linked schools, an Account Owner or Account Admin invites them from Portal: User Invitations, then Staff, then Send Invitations. Your colleague must be in your management information system (MIS) with their work email address, and new staff reach Portal overnight. The invitation lasts 14 days. See Users and roles.
Which role should class teachers have?
Section titled “Which role should class teachers have?”Juniper recommends Partial Edit, which lets teachers enter and edit data in the current academic year. Leaders who correct earlier years need Full Edit, and governors usually have Minimal Read-only, which hides pupil names. See Users and roles.
Entering judgements
Section titled “Entering judgements”How often should we enter summative judgements?
Section titled “How often should we enter summative judgements?”Two or three times a year is enough for most schools. We suggest autumn 2, spring 2 and summer 2, which are also the points Benchmarking uses. The DfE’s ‘Making data work’ report (2018) says schools should rarely need more than two or three attainment data collections a year. See How many points you need.
What do the four judgements mean?
Section titled “What do the four judgements mean?”Each judgement says whether a pupil is on track for their year group’s end-of-year expectations, based on what has been taught so far. Below means not on track, and Above means on track for the higher standard. Just At and Securely At both mean on track, but a setback such as a long absence could take a Just At pupil off track. See The four judgements.
Has a pupil who stays Just At made progress?
Section titled “Has a pupil who stays Just At made progress?”Yes. Keeping the same judgement between two points is expected progress, because each judgement reflects what has been taught so far. Moving up, for example from Just At to Securely At, is more than expected progress. See Expected progress.
What if a pupil’s judgement drops?
Section titled “What if a pupil’s judgement drops?”Look at the pupil’s work, attendance and other evidence before you decide what to do. For one pupil over one term, a change is often within measurement error, so treat it as a reason to look closer. See Use data to ask questions.
Do judgements carry forward to the next term?
Section titled “Do judgements carry forward to the next term?”No. A cell stays empty until someone enters or copies a judgement, and reports count an empty cell as No Assessment. To save time, use Copy Data From Previous Term, then review each pupil. See Copy judgements from an earlier point.
How do I assess a pupil below their year group?
Section titled “How do I assess a pupil below their year group?”Select the pupil’s cell, then View All Codes. Choose the judgement from the band they are working in, such as Band 2 for a year 4 pupil working on the year 2 curriculum. The grid shows the band number first, for example 2JA, and reports count the pupil as Significantly Below. See Record a judgement from a lower band.
How do I assess a mixed-age class?
Section titled “How do I assess a mixed-age class?”Open the class rather than a year group. The judgement list offers each pupil the codes for their own year group, and the label under each name shows which year that is. To work on one year group at a time, see Show one year group in a mixed-age class.
How is a target different from a projection?
Section titled “How is a target different from a projection?”An End of Year Target is what you would like the pupil to achieve: you set it early and it rarely changes. An End of Year Projection is where the pupil is likely to end up if nothing dramatic changes, so it can rise or fall. See Set targets and end-of-year projections.
Formative assessment
Section titled “Formative assessment”Do I have to assess every objective?
Section titled “Do I have to assess every objective?”No. Most formative assessment changes what you teach next and never needs recording. Track the few objectives that help you plan, such as phonics and number facts. See Keep formative assessment in the classroom.
Should formative ticks decide summative judgements?
Section titled “Should formative ticks decide summative judgements?”No. A summative judgement is your overall view of the pupil against what has been taught so far, so never count formative codes to produce one. Triangulate shows formative records beside the judgement list as one piece of evidence. See Why formative and summative are kept apart.
What do the formative colours mean?
Section titled “What do the formative colours mean?”The colour swatches on the formative entry page have no labels. In Curriculum View, select Breakdown to see the key with percentages.
| Colour | Code |
|---|---|
| Grey | Not taught or pupil was absent |
| Red | Taught |
| Yellow | Working Towards |
| Green | Achieved |
| Purple | Greater Depth |
Taught means the objective has been taught but the pupil is not yet working towards it. See Read the colour key with Breakdown.
How do I find gaps to plan teaching?
Section titled “How do I find gaps to plan teaching?”Open the formative page for your class in Curriculum View. The coloured bar on each objective shows how the class is spread across the codes, and Breakdown gives the same information as a table. For a whole cohort, use the Cohort Formative Analysis report. See Formative reports.
Do I need photos as evidence for the EYFS profile?
Section titled “Do I need photos as evidence for the EYFS profile?”No. The EYFS profile handbook says profile judgements need no written or photographic evidence, and Ofsted will not ask for it. Observations in Sonar are most useful for sharing learning with parents. See Observations in the EYFS.
How do EYFS judgements differ from the profile?
Section titled “How do EYFS judgements differ from the profile?”EYFS summative judgements (Below, Just At, Securely At and Above) show whether a child is on track at points through the year. The EYFS profile is the statutory assessment at the end of reception. Each of its 17 early learning goals is judged 1 (emerging) or 2 (expected), and A is only for a child with an individual exemption. See EYFS profile.
How do I assess children in nursery?
Section titled “How do I assess children in nursery?”Open EYFS Summative Assessment (New) and choose Nursery 1 or Nursery 2. For a child working well below, choose a judgement from a lower band with View All Codes. Children appear in Sonar only if your MIS has a start date and a unique pupil number for them. See Enter EYFS summative judgements.
How do I see who is on track for GLD?
Section titled “How do I see who is on track for GLD?”Use the EYFS Good Level of Development Tracking report. For each reception child, it shows the current judgement in each of the 12 goals that make up a good level of development (GLD). It also shows whether GLD is met. A goal with no judgement shows a dash and counts against the child, so check that judgements are complete first. See EYFS Good Level of Development Tracking.
Can we record the reception baseline assessment?
Section titled “Can we record the reception baseline assessment?”No. Schools do not receive reception baseline assessment (RBA) scores, so Sonar does not store them. Record the teacher’s own first judgement as the reception Start of Year Baseline instead. See Record a start of year baseline.
Can we copy reception judgements into year 1?
Section titled “Can we copy reception judgements into year 1?”Yes, at autumn 1, if your EYFS and primary judgements use the same codes. Open Primary Summative Assessment (New) for year 1 and use Copy Data From Previous Term with Previous Summer 2. Word Reading, Writing, Number, The Natural World and Speaking become Reading, Writing, Mathematics, Science and Spoken Language. See Copy reception judgements into year 1.
Statutory data
Section titled “Statutory data”Where do I enter statutory results?
Section titled “Where do I enter statutory results?”Go to Assessments and use the Statutory Assessments card. Choose the assessment and year group, select Edit Assessment, check the Assessment Date, then select Start Editing. Each result saves as you enter it. See Statutory assessment in Sonar.
Should we import results or type them in?
Section titled “Should we import results or type them in?”Import them where you can, and enter results by hand in one system only. Portal-linked schools import common transfer files (CTFs) in Juniper MIS, and stand-alone schools use Send a file to Sonar on the School page. Sonar cannot send data returns to the local authority or DfE, so you submit them from your MIS. See Import and export statutory data.
Why are the KS2 scaled scores blank?
Section titled “Why are the KS2 scaled scores blank?”Until Juniper adds that year’s conversion tables on KS2 results day, the scaled score columns show Not yet available. Sonar then works out scaled scores from the raw scores. See Key stage 2.
Is KS1 assessment still statutory?
Section titled “Is KS1 assessment still statutory?”No. KS1 tests and teacher assessment have been optional since the 2023 to 2024 academic year. Sonar keeps the End of Key Stage One (optional) page for schools that still use them. See Key stage 1 (optional).
Is there a pass mark for phonics or the MTC?
Section titled “Is there a pass mark for phonics or the MTC?”The phonics screening check has a threshold mark, which the Standards and Testing Agency (STA) sets each year and publishes in June. The multiplication tables check (MTC) is scored out of 25 and has no pass mark. See Phonics screening check and Multiplication tables check.
Where are last year’s year 6 results?
Section titled “Where are last year’s year 6 results?”After the summer rollover, last year’s year 6 pupils appear under Year 7. Open End of Key Stage Two, choose Year 7 and include leavers in Filters. See Results from last year seem to be missing.
Reports and data
Section titled “Reports and data”How do I prepare for pupil progress meetings?
Section titled “How do I prepare for pupil progress meetings?”Run the Primary Pupil Progress Meeting report, which sets out your class by judgement for one subject. Bring the pupils who are not on track or whose judgement has dropped, each pupil’s gap, and what will change in teaching or support. See Pupil Progress Meeting and Use data to ask questions.
How do I find my bottom 20%?
Section titled “How do I find my bottom 20%?”Open the Subject Overview report for the subject and sort the latest summative column so the lowest judgements come first. The first fifth of the list is your bottom 20%, for example 6 pupils in a class of 30. Where pupils share a judgement at the cut-off, use their special educational needs (SEN) information and earlier results to decide. See Subject Overview.
What can I show governors?
Section titled “What can I show governors?”Give governors cohort-level summaries and trends in your usual format, with the number of pupils behind each percentage and no names. Label teacher judgements as such: the DfE’s ‘Making data work’ report (2018) advised against routinely showing governors tracking data based on them. The Statutory Dashboard shows statutory results against the previous year. See Report to governors at cohort level.
Does Ofsted want to see our tracking data?
Section titled “Does Ofsted want to see our tracking data?”No. Ofsted’s school inspection toolkit, in use from September 2026, says inspectors will not review internal data. They may ask how leaders use assessment information and what they have decided as a result. You do not need to present data in any particular format. See What Ofsted inspectors look at.
Why do two reports show different percentages?
Section titled “Why do two reports show different percentages?”Reports count pupils in different ways: some include pupils with no judgement, shown as No Assessment, and others leave them out. Check the assessment point, the filters and whether leavers are included, too. See Report figures do not match.
How do I look at pupil premium or SEN pupils?
Section titled “How do I look at pupil premium or SEN pupils?”Open the report, select Filters and use the options under Characteristics, such as Pupil Premium or SEN. To compare groups side by side, use the Characteristic Attainment Overview report. In a small group one pupil can move the percentage a long way, so look at the number of pupils too. See Show pupil premium pupils only.
How do I get our data into Excel?
Section titled “How do I get our data into Excel?”Use the Pupil Data Export Wizard on the School page to create a CSV file of summative, statutory, target and test data. A download link arrives in your Inbox, and formative judgements are not included. Some reports, such as Pupil Overview, also have Export as CSV. See Export pupil data.
How does Benchmarking compare us with others?
Section titled “How does Benchmarking compare us with others?”Benchmarking is an add-on module that compares your school’s summative judgements with other Sonar Tracker schools, in your local authority and nationally. It runs at autumn 2, spring 2 and summer 2. The comparison figures are other schools’ teacher judgements, not test results, so use them to prompt questions. See Benchmarking.
Parents
Section titled “Parents”How do I create reports for parents?
Section titled “How do I create reports for parents?”An Account Owner or Account Admin first sets up a template on the School page. Then select the pupils on the Pupils page, select Create Parent Report and choose the template. A link to a ZIP file of Word documents arrives in your Inbox and lasts 24 hours. See Create parent reports.
Must we report statutory results to parents?
Section titled “Must we report statutory results to parents?”Yes. Phonics, multiplication tables check, KS2 and EYFS profile results must all go to parents, but Sonar’s parent reports do not include them. Portal-linked schools create statutory reports in Juniper MIS and send them through Comms Hub, and stand-alone schools report from their own MIS. See Portal-linked and stand-alone schools.
How do parents see observations?
Section titled “How do parents see observations?”When you publish an observation for Home, it goes to Comms Hub for approval, and parents then see it in the Juniper Education app. It reaches them only if it has a note and at least one photo. Automatic approval is off unless your school switches it on in Comms Hub. See How sharing works.
Trusts
Section titled “Trusts”How can our trust see all our schools’ data?
Section titled “How can our trust see all our schools’ data?”Use Sonar Multi-School, the trust product. It reads judgements and statutory results from each school’s Sonar, for the current academic year and the two before it. Schools send no separate returns. Access is set up through the trust’s own Portal account, not a school’s. See About Sonar Multi-School.
How do we compare our schools fairly?
Section titled “How do we compare our schools fairly?”Agree the same codes and assessment points in every school, and moderate teacher judgements across schools before you compare them. For comparisons that matter, use statutory results or standardised tests taken in the same window, and show each school’s context and pupil numbers. Never rank schools on unmoderated judgements. See Compare like with like across a trust.
Data protection
Section titled “Data protection”Who can see pupils’ names?
Section titled “Who can see pupils’ names?”Every role except Minimal Read-only sees pupil names, so Minimal Read-only suits governors and visitors. Account Owners and Account Admins set roles in Portal, or on the School page in some stand-alone schools. See Users and roles.
Can parents ask for their child’s Sonar data?
Section titled “Can parents ask for their child’s Sonar data?”Yes. Judgements, comments and observations about a pupil are personal data, so a subject access request to the school can include them. Write them as if the parent will read them. The Information Commissioner’s Office explains pupils’ and parents’ rights to school information (ICO website).
Where is the data protection impact assessment?
Section titled “Where is the data protection impact assessment?”Juniper publishes a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) for Sonar Tracker, and a separate one for Sonar Multi-School. Both are on the Juniper help centre: search it for DPIA.
What should we do when staff leave?
Section titled “What should we do when staff leave?”Update your MIS first, then remove the person’s access to every Juniper product, not only Sonar. In Portal, an Account Owner or Account Admin selects User Invitations, then Staff, then Remove Role for each product, and confirms with Revoke. See Remove access.