Target and projection reports

Target Analysis compares pupils’ judgements with their targets, and Projection Summary counts teachers’ end-of-year projections. A target is what the teacher would like a pupil to reach. A projection is where the pupil is likely to end up if nothing dramatic changes. Both reports need that data entered first: see Set targets and end-of-year projections.

Target Analysis

Primary Target Analysis compares each pupil’s judgement at one assessment point with the target set for that point. It shows who is below, on or ahead of target. EYFS (2020) Target Analysis does the same for nursery and reception, with goals in place of subjects. Both open from Reports.

Options

Option	What it does	Default
Academic year list	The year	The current year, such as 2026-2027
Term list	The assessment point whose judgements and targets are compared	The current point, such as Autumn 1
Subject list, such as 3 Subjects	The subjects	Reading, writing and maths
Display Options	Summary View, Names, Combined, KPIs, Overview Table, Chart and Pupil Table	KPIs, Overview Table, Chart and Pupil Table ticked

Change what a report shows explains each display option.

Read the report

The tile On or Ahead of Target in all subjects gives the share of pupils on or ahead of target in every subject shown. Below it, a table and chart split each subject by these colours:

Colour	Meaning
No Assessment grey	The target, the judgement or both are missing for this point
Below Target red	The judgement is lower than the target
On Target green	The judgement matches the target
Ahead of Target purple	The judgement is higher than the target

The Pupil Table gives each pupil’s Assessment, Target and Difference in each subject. Difference counts how many judgements apart the two are. It shows 0 on green when on target, a positive number on purple when ahead and a negative number on red when behind. A target of Securely At with a judgement of Just At gives -1.

In the demo school, year 4 at autumn 1 shows No Assessment 100.0% (28) in reading, writing and maths. On or Ahead of Target in all subjects is 0.0% (0), because no pupil has an autumn 1 target. The school’s only target is Douglas Allison’s summer 2 reading target of Securely At. Choose Summer 2 and it appears in the Pupil Table, with no judgement beside it yet.

With no autumn 1 targets, every pupil counts as No Assessment.

Points to watch

The report fills only when pupils have a target and a judgement for the same assessment point. If your school sets targets for summer 2 only, choose Summer 2, and the report fills as summer 2 judgements go in. To use it earlier in the year, set targets for those points too, because Sonar cannot copy targets from one term to the next.

No Assessment does not say whether the target or the judgement is missing, but the Pupil Table does. It is also a share of all the pupils selected, while the other columns count only pupils with both. Read the numbers in brackets as well as the percentages.

A pupil below an ambitious target may still be on track for the end of the year: Age Related Overview shows who is. For pupils working below their year group, a target in their own band shows progress that other reports miss. See Assess pupils working below their year group.

Projection Summary

Primary Projection Summary and EYFS Projection Summary count the end-of-year projections teachers record on Primary Projection Pathway and EYFS Projection Pathway. Not every school has them: if Search Reports does not find them, yours does not.

Options

Choose the academic year and one or more subjects, or early learning goals in the EYFS version. Filters narrows the pupils.

Read the report

For each subject, the primary report gives the number and percentage of pupils with each projected judgement. An at-or-above figure counts every pupil projected to be at or above age-related expectations (ARE), and a combined row covers all the subjects you chose. The EYFS version does the same for the goals you choose and adds a projected good level of development (GLD).

Points to watch

A projection changes only when a teacher changes it on Projection Pathway. Before you rely on the percentages, ask when the projections were last reviewed and check that every pupil has one.

A projected GLD is an estimate made during the year. The statutory GLD comes from the EYFS profile at the end of reception: see End of Reception Outcomes.

Good practice

Use projections to decide where support is needed now. The DfE’s 2018 report ‘Making data work’ found that predictions rarely help pupils learn. It advised trusts and local authorities not to ask schools for them.

Related pages

• Set targets and end-of-year projections
• Assess pupils working below their year group
• Attainment reports
• EYFS reports