Richard Selfridge

Helping schools develop their use of student data. Education Data Consultant at @insightHQ. My Little Guide for Teachers to Using Student Data is out now.

[Alex Quigley @AlexJQuigley]

💡 New blog 💡

‘The problem with reading ages’

“The problem is not the reading assessment per se, but the common misreading of the reading age.”

[Link in thread]

[Iain Mansfield @IGMansfield]

Baffled by Progress 8? Confused by Ofsted?

With the school application deadline at the end of this month, I set out a detailed guide to the key factors to consider when choosing a secondary school - and how to interpret them.

https://t.co/HPbxoTtngP

[Yorkshire Steve @Yorkshire_Steve]

Good to see @ofstednews publishing some analysis on similar schools.

Not just how it is playing out on inspections now but looking backwards to see how the data aligns with inspections undertaken previously when inspectors didn't have this info.

https://t.co/oibQDkwwjM

[Insight @InsightHQ]

DISCO Birmingham, we wish we could do it all over again! 🪩

Brilliant speakers, lively debates and plenty of conversations about data in schools.

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us! Let us know your key takeaways in the comments. 👇

Next stop, Manchester on 5 November!

@databusting @jpembroke @Suchmo83 @bringmoredata

[Cass & Anna - The Educakers @theeducakers]

Since the new Ofsted Inspection Framework, there’s been so much talk about the ‘golden thread’ of inclusion.
It got us thinking. The pandemic prompted a significant shift in how we think, work and lead. BUT, so much of what we do in schools day in, day out, IS inclusion.
Here’s our @researchED1 presentation, The Inclusion Shift, (but bloggerised) mapping out our journey - the highs and the lows!
We hope you enjoy it. Cass
https://t.co/rivoVHncDN

@KennyInclusion @SENDMattersUK @teacherhead @jon_hutchinson_ @Southgloshead @MaryMyatt @ModernCassie @Databusting @jpembroke

[Insight @InsightHQ]

250,000 views in June and July alone...📊
Our Statutory Assessment Report is a firm favourite of yours, and we’ve just made it even better! Here’s Darren, our Product Manager, to share the details. 👇

[Yorkshire Steve @Yorkshire_Steve]

@Ofstednews are starting to publish reports completed since the introduction of similar schools data into the IDSR.

[Insight @InsightHQ]

Need a good reason to join us at DISCO Birmingham? How about five? 🪩

Ellen Burgess. Christopher Such. James Pembroke. Richard Selfridge. Joshua Perry.

They’ll all be taking to the stage on 8 October, talking all things primary data.

This way for tickets 👉️ https://t.co/BWrfXaW0Yp
@Suchmo83 @jpembroke @Databusting @bringmoredata @elliotschools

[school data updates @jpembroke]

Given that ~80% of school policies relate to legal requirements, I believe the DfE should write and update them, and schools should only need to link to them on their websites. The constant writing, updating, checking, ratifying of policies is bonkers and massive workload issue.

[Cass & Anna - The Educakers @theeducakers]

Following the unexpected, yet brilliant, start to our training session (see previous post 🤣), we did eventually get down to business!
Anna and I have been exploring newer podcasts that get into the granular detail of teaching and learning as we move towards cycles of team coaching.
This week, @Mr_Raichura and @NeenaSharma555’s new series, Operation Education, provided just the snippets of explanation we wanted teachers to discuss. Techniques were then rehearsed (not role-played!) and updates made to our agreed Consistencies document.
This session’s focus: double-checking our Signal–Pause–Insist routines and nailing down how we front-load expectations for cleaning MWBs (we know you love FLMOP @adamboxer1) within our Show Me Boards routine.
One simple bit of shared language we all agreed on: “When I say go and not before…”Thanks Pritesh 🙂
Next up: putting it into practice, A | D | A | P | T for age and phase but avoiding those lethal mutations! @WALKTHRUs_5 @MattTeachCoach - then refine.
More on this next week.
Happy Thursday everyone! Cass

[Insight @InsightHQ]

Progress. We all know what it means… don’t we? 👀

For the last decade, progress has had two distinct meanings in education. With Progress Measures returning, it’s a good time to revisit the difference.

@databusting does just that in the latest Insight Inform blog. 👇 https://t.co/57jBtDaVFQ

[Richard Selfridge @Databusting]

New from me: Making Progress in Primary Education

I take a look at the return of Progress Measures, and what this means for Primary schools in the latest Insight Inform blog.

https://t.co/YLG44Oxp3O

Please read, comment and repost!

[Insight @InsightHQ]

“Can we group pupils by the year they joined?”

Consider it done! 🙌

You can now group pupils by Joining Year in Insight, making it easier to explore progress for pupils who joined your school later.

Another feature update shaped by your feedback. 👇

#PupilTracking #PupilProgress

[Yorkshire Steve @Yorkshire_Steve]

Supported a school through @Ofstednews inspection this week. Team great but blatantly obvious to everyone that inspecting whilst schools are just starting the year is utterly ridiculous.

[school data updates @jpembroke]

*NEW POST* 2026 KS2 VA Calculator

Free to download.

Explore the effect of individual pupils on whole school progress measures.

https://t.co/kTnJ7RdeyU

[Richard Selfridge @Databusting]

New from Insight Inform:

@jpembroke has updated his VA calculator for 2026, so Primaries can explore the impact of individual pupils on overall progress scores, and see how removing pupils affects data...

https://t.co/MvaytfXE1S

[school data updates @jpembroke]

*NEW POST* Primary accountability: navigating without a map

Late and partially out-of-date guidance, calculation errors, and some massive increases in benchmarks, are causing concern for primary schools.

https://t.co/1yjLzDQYMy

[Richard Selfridge @Databusting]

Oops - forgot to tag @timleunig here. Really thought-provoking piece on PISA and the language of learning.

[Richard Selfridge @Databusting]

Fascinating PISA analysis from Tim Leunig here - lots of food for thought.
https://t.co/dTEbD5vvRm

[Carl Hendrick @C_Hendrick]

"What if the OECD’s assessments only test narrow mastery and miss precisely the broader skill sets others would prefer to elevate? If anything, it’s the opposite."
Very good reporting from @jburnmurdoch https://t.co/dh1XORYAou