Rethinking School Effectiveness: Are We Measuring the Right Things?

Measuring school effectiveness has always been a complex issue, and as an educator, I often find myself questioning whether we are truly capturing what matters. Traditional metrics such as exam results, progress data, and inspection ratings dominate the conversation, but do they really reflect the depth of learning, the quality of teaching, or the long-term impact of education?

As Professor Robert Coe (2013) highlights, true learning is not just about performance on a test, it’s about sustained, substantial, and secure improvements in knowledge and skills. Yet, the way we currently measure effectiveness often prioritises what is easy to quantify over what is meaningful. I believe we need to rethink how we define success in schools, moving beyond data-driven accountability to a more holistic, creative approach.

The Problem with Traditional Measures

1. Exam Results and Progress Scores: A Limited View

Attainment and progress scores remain the dominant measure of school effectiveness. In theory, Progress 8 in the UK is designed to measure student growth rather than raw ability, but in practice, it still places enormous pressure on schools to prioritise results over real learning. Students can be coached to perform well in exams without necessarily deepening their understanding.

2. Ofsted Inspections: Reliability Concerns

In 2025, Ofsted introduced significant reforms to its inspection framework, aiming to provide a more nuanced evaluation of schools. The traditional single-word judgments have been replaced with detailed report cards, assessing schools across multiple areas on a five-step scale. This change seeks to offer a more comprehensive view of a school's performance.

While these reforms intend to address previous concerns about oversimplification, they have been met with mixed reactions. Some educators and unions argue that the new system may still exert pressure on staff and could lead to confusion among parents. The tragic case of headteacher Ruth Perry, who died by suicide following a negative Ofsted inspection, has intensified scrutiny of the inspection process and its impact on educators' well-being.

Despite these changes, questions about the reliability and consistency of Ofsted inspections persist. The challenge remains to develop an evaluation system that accurately reflects a school's quality without causing undue stress to educators or providing misleading information to parents.

3. The Missing Human Factor

Schools are more than just places of academic achievement, they are communities that nurture young people’s confidence, resilience, and personal growth. Yet, our current accountability systems rarely measure these aspects. A school with excellent student wellbeing, high levels of engagement, and strong teacher development may still be judged less favourably than one with higher exam results.

So, how do we move forward? How do we measure what really matters?

Some Creative Solutions for Measuring School Effectiveness, I came across while reading:

1. The Learning Legacy Tracker, Measuring Deep Learning Over Time

If we truly care about learning, we need to measure it over the long term. One solution could be the Learning Legacy Tracker, which would:

• Assess knowledge retention months or even years later, rather than just at the end of a course.
• Introduce ‘delayed mastery assessments’, exams taken after a gap period to see how well students retain and apply their learning.
• Track ‘learning resilience’, measuring how well students apply their knowledge in new situations.

This approach would focus on sustained understanding, rather than just short-term performance.

2. The Teaching Impact Passport, Recognising Educator Growth

Great teaching is at the heart of effective schools, yet teacher development is rarely a key measure of success. A Teaching Impact Passport could provide a more meaningful way to track progress by:

• Logging CPD (Continuing Professional Development), innovative teaching strategies, and lesson reflections.
• Using peer observations and student feedback to evaluate teaching quality over time.
• Recognising schools that invest in evidence-based teaching rather than just lesson performance on a single day.

By shifting the focus to teacher impact, we could ensure that school effectiveness is measured by more than just student grades.

3. The Real-World Readiness Index, Preparing Students for Life

If we truly want to measure effectiveness, we need to ask, Are we preparing students for life beyond school? A Real-World Readiness Index could track:

• Problem-solving and critical thinking skills, measured through project-based learning.
• Collaboration and communication, assessed through peer and teacher reviews.
• Emotional resilience and adaptability, tracked through student support and wellbeing initiatives.

This would recognise schools that equip students with skills for the future, rather than just exam grades.

4. The Wellbeing and Engagement Barometer, Measuring the ‘Invisible’ Aspects of Education

Student engagement and wellbeing are essential for learning but often overlooked in effectiveness measures. A Wellbeing and Engagement Barometer could assess:

• Student self-reports on motivation, stress levels, and school experience.
• Teacher observations of student participation and social interaction.
• Behaviour and attendance patterns, analysed for trends rather than just punitive measures.

An effective school is one where students feel happy, motivated, and engaged, this should be measured alongside academic success.

5. The Community Impact Score, Schools as Hubs of Change

A truly effective school doesn’t just serve its students, it makes a difference in its wider community. A Community Impact Score could consider:

• Parental engagement, how well schools involve families in learning.
• Local partnerships, collaborations with businesses, charities, and universities.
• Social mobility, how well the school supports disadvantaged students to access opportunities.

By measuring a school’s impact beyond its walls, we can better recognise institutions that drive positive change.

Final Thoughts, Are We Measuring What Matters?

The more I reflect on how we measure school effectiveness, the more I realise that our current approach is too narrow and data-driven. Schools are judged on numbers, but true effectiveness is about much more than that.

If we want to create genuinely great schools, we need to broaden our definition of success. We need to recognise:

?? Long-term learning, not just short-term performance.

?? Great teaching, not just one-off inspections.

?? Student wellbeing and engagement, not just attendance figures.

?? Future readiness, not just exam results.

?? Community impact, not just internal outcomes.

Perhaps the real challenge is not whether we can measure effectiveness, but whether we are measuring the right things. It’s time for a new conversation about what success in education really looks like.

References

• Coe, R. (2002). Evidence on the effects of selective educational systems. University of Durham.
• Coe, R. (2013). Improving Education: A Triumph of Hope over Experience. Durham University.
• Coe, R., Aloisi, C., Higgins, S., & Major, L. E. (2014). What makes great teaching? Sutton Trust.
• Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning: A Synthesis of Over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating to Achievement. Routledge.
• Fullan, M. (2021). The Right Drivers for Whole System Success. Centre for Strategic Education.