The KS4 Performance Dashboard is useful for quickly analysing key performance measures for Year 10 and Year 11 Students, either as a Cohort or at an Individual level. The Dashboard can be linked to ‘Snapshots‘ created in Headline Figure Datasets of Assessment Data or Exam Results stored in the MIS.
Please ensure you work through all sections of this guide before using the KS4 Performance Dashboard.
In this guide we will look at how to set up and manage the KS4 Performance Dashboard.
- Key Stage Cohort Definitions
- Disadvantaged Cohort
- Attainment Estimates
- Review KS2 Fine Levels
- Headline Figure Datasets
- Subject Mapping
- Headline Figure Grade Mapping
- Markset Mapping
- Assessment Subject and Timetabled Subject Mapping
- KS4 Performance Dashboard Settings
- Using the KS4 Performance Dashboard
- Results Broadsheet
For DfE information on KS4 Performance Measures, please see here: Secondary Accountability Measures (Including Progress 8 and Attainment 8)
Key Stage Cohort Definitions
Use this section to define which Students are included in the figures on the KS4 Performance Dashboard.
Go to Modules > Analysis > Key Stage Cohort Definition
Select KS4 Cohort Definition from the Cohort Dropdown.
Select the Academic Year and Year Group from the Dropdowns.
The system will automatically populate the Included list with Students on roll at the start of each Academic Year and will add new Students to the Included list thereafter. The only exception being that Year 11 Students joining the school roll after Spring Census will automatically be Excluded from the Cohort.
You can choose to Exclude students from the Cohort (and therefore from the figures on the KS4 Performance Dashboard) by selecting the Students to Exclude using the Tick Boxes to the left of the Students and then clicking the Exclude button.
Then click Proceed on the following warning message.
Students do not have to be Leavers to be Excluded. Students may be Excluded if the school wants to see what results would look like without certain individuals. These can be restored at any time simply by selecting them from the Exclude list using the Tick Boxes to the left of the Students and clicking Include.
Then click Proceed on the following warning message.
Disadvantaged Cohort
To improve accuracy of cohort data, users can manually adjust the disadvantaged cohort for KS4.
March 2025: A new “Disadvantaged” button has been added under the Included process, along with a tooltip (“Check Included Disadvantaged Cohort”) to guide users. Additionally, a pop-out table now displays students in the disadvantaged cohort, allowing for easier review and adjustments.
The report is titled Student Disadvantaged Status Included in Cohort for Year (Selected year group).
- Search box provided to locate specific students.
- Save and Close buttons to abandon or confirm changes.
- Label and checkbox: Show only Disadvantaged Students (default is set to On).
- Cohort Definition updates apply when the snapshot is refreshed.
- Unrefreshed snapshots will remain unchanged.
These updates provide users with greater flexibility in managing the disadvantaged cohort for KS4 , ensuring more accurate performance data.
Attainment Estimates
Use this section to define your Attainment Estimates, you can access Attainment Estimates through Modules > Analysis > Attainment Estimates
Select the Academic Year and the Version to view.
This will display the Attainment Estimates table for the selected Academic Year and Version.
We will update the DfE Attainment Estimates once they have been published, up to twice per year. Please Note: there may be a slight delay between them being published and appearing in the tables.
Schools also have the option to Export the table and Import their own Attainment Estimates, to give them more control. You can do this by clicking Export.
This will download the currently selected table as an Excel file which you can open and use as a template to enter your own Attainment Estimates on. Once you are happy with the file, Save it and then click Import at the top of the page.
Select the Academic Year that the Imported Attainment Estimates apply to, select Create a New Version, give the Version a Name and Description to help you identify it, then select the File using the Browse button.
Once you are happy click Save at the top of the page. The Imported Attainment Estimates will now be available in the Version dropdown.
Review KS2 Fine Levels
Use this section to review and change the KS2 fine levels and Scaled Scores for your Cohort. This information is used to calculate Progress Measures so if you intend to use the Progress 8 analysis function of the KS4 Performance Dashboard you will need to ensure this information is populated and correct for the desired Cohort.
Go to Modules > Analysis > Review KS2 Fine Levels
Select the Academic Year and Year Group you would like to review the KS2 fine levels for
This will display the Scaled Scores for all on roll Students within the selected Year Group. If the scores are different to the scores you hold for any of the Students and you need to amend it, or the Student did not sit KS2 (Due to Covid for example) and you would still like to use the Progress 8 measures you can enter an Override Scaled Score in the column on the right.
Alternatively, you can also update the scores by Importing a CTF, using the Import button at the top.
Note: Fine Scores have been discontinued for Current Year Groups, so if you plan to use the Dashboard to review Progress 8 Measures for a Current Year Group, you will need to ensure all members of the Cohort have a Scaled Score.
Once you are happy with the information entered, click Save .
Headline Figure Datasets
Use this section to create a ‘Snapshot’ to use on the KS4 Performance Dashboard. This is what tells the Dashboard which Data to use in it’s analysis, the Dashboard will not work without this.
Go to Modules > Analysis > Headline Figure Datasets
Click New.
Enter the required information.
- Name – Name your Snapshot so you can identify it.
- Description – Enter a brief Description
- Cohort – Select the Cohort you configured earlier on the KS4 Cohort Definition page
- Attainment Estimates – Select which Attainment Estimate you would like to use (Note: if this is for a current year group you will need to select an Attainment Estimate that uses Scaled Scores rather than Fine Scores.)
- Focus- Select whether the Snapshot will look at Exam Results or Assessments. Exam Results is the default setting and is set automatically to the Summer Season of the Academic Year of the selected Cohort. Selecting Assessments will prompt new fields to appear to allow you to select the Assessment Type and Term you would like to use.
- Enabled – This needs to be ticked in order for the Snapshot to appear on the Dashboard.
- Embargoed – If this is ticked only people with access to view Embargoed results will be able to see the information on the Dashboard.
Important: Because the Dashboard can include Exam Results from multiple Seasons If the Focus is set to Exam Results and you do not tick the Embargoed box, the data displayed on the Dashboard will not comply with any Embargoes in place in Config > Exams > Seasons. So if you are including Exam Results from seasons that are still under Embargo, you will need to tick this box to avoid breaching the Embargo.
Once you are happy with the information, click Save.
Subject Mapping
Use this section to map the Subjects you have set up in Bromcom to the relevant qualifications using QN codes.
If you are unsure of your QN codes please consult your Exams Officer as they should have the QN codes attached to the Exam Entries , you can also run a report on QN codes from Reports>Curriculum>QN data
Go to Modules > Analysis > Subject Mapping
Select the relevant Academic Year for the Cohort you intend to use from the Academic Year drop down
Next to the Subject that you wish to update the QN code for, click in the field in the KS4 QN and Discount code(s) column. Search for the QN code either using the QN code or by keyword and select it by clicking on it.
Note: You can add multiple QN codes per Subject.
Once you have added all relevant QN codes for that Subject, click the tick to confirm.
Note: English and English Literature each has its own KS4 QN and must be added to avoid incorrect discounting and calculations. Similarly, Science may have multiple KS4 QNs, for example Biology, Chemistry, Physics etc.
Once the Subjects have been mapped, they can be carried forward to the next Academic Year by using the Clone option, which will copy the QN codes from the previous year for all active Subjects.
Headline Figure Grade Mapping
Use this section to map any Grade Sets you have created in Modules>Assessment>Assessment Components>Grade Sets to a DfE Grade Structure, this allows the system to convert your custom Grades into KS4 Performance measures.
Select the relevant Academic Year and Grade Structure, then select any custom Grade Sets to be mapped to the selected Grade Structure.
Map any Grades included in each Grade Set to the corresponding Grade in the Grade Structure.
Important: You may have a range of grades with 0 points value, such as U, Ungraded, Unclassified, X or some other school definition to indicate the state of a student’s results. For the system to include these in the data output as entries, you must map them to the Unclassified Grade Scheme at the bottom of the Grade Scheme dropdown menu.
Markset Mapping
Use this section to Map any Marksets you use within Assessments for use on the KS4 Dashboard.
Go To Config > Analysis > Configurations
In the Markset Mappings panel, enter the Markset Name and the Range of values covered, once you’re happy click the Tick on the right to confirm, then repeat on the next line until you have covered all the necessary values.
This will then be available to map as a Grade Set within Modules > Analysis > Headline Figure Grade Mapping. Select the Academic year, and the relevant Grade Structure, then in the Grade Set drop down select Markset.
Then continue to map the Grades as per the instructions in the Headline Figure Grade Mapping section of this guide.
Assessment Subject and Timetabled Subject Mapping
Use this section to map where the Assessment Subject is different to the Subject assigned to the Timetabled Class within Bromcom. For example you may have a Maths class that is studying Statistics.
Go to Config>Analysis>Configurations
in the Assessment Subject & Timetabled Subject Mapping panel, click New.
The Academic Year will default to the current Academic Year. Select the Timetabled Subject to map from the drop down. Then select all relevant Subjects from the Assessment Subjects field. Once you’re happy with your selections click Save.
Note: This is only necessary where the Timetabled Subject is not the same as the Assessment Subject, for example, a class with a subject of English that will be assessed on English and English Literature. You can check the Subjects assigned to your Teaching Classes by selecting the Groups page from the left hand menu and filtering the Group Type to Teaching Class using the drop down in the top right.
KS4 Performance Dashboard Settings
To view the Dashboard, from the Bromcom Home Page, click Overview (For Teaching Staff this will default to My Dashboard rather than Overview) and select KS4 Performance.
In the top right hand corner, click Settings.
This will open the Settings panel which allows you to customise the information displayed on the Dashboard.
First, select the Snapshot you created earlier from the Snapshot drop down.
It is good practice to Refresh the Dataset regularly using the Refresh button, this ensures all the information in the Dashboard is up to date.
If you would like to see a Comparison of this Cohorts current performance against either National Comparison Data or your schools previous data, you can select what data to use in the Comparison drop down. You do not need to select a Comparison, if you do choose to include one then all the Graphs and Widgets on the Dashboard will display your Schools Current Performance against the Comparison data.
Select the Headline Title Default from the drop down. This will be used to display a percentage of Students who have achieved a minimum of the selected baseline in both English and Maths.
If you would like to see information about the performance of specific groups of Students included in the analysis, you can do that by selecting the required groups within the Cohort Groups field.
You can also choose to create Custom Groups to include in the analysis by clicking the + button in the Custom Groups section
Enter a Name for your Custom Group and then select the Students you would like to include in you Custom Group using the tick boxes on the left.
Note: Only Students included within the Cohort associated with the Snapshot you currently have selected will appear as available to select. So if there are students missing, you may need to review your Cohort. Please see they Key Stage Cohort Definitions section of this guide for help with this.
Once you are happy with the information click Save .
Your Custom Group will now be available to select in the Cohort Groups field
Once you’re happy with your selections, click Apply to update the information on the Dashboard.
Using the KS4 Performance Dashboard
The Dashboard will then calculate various Performance Measures based on the information you have provided. At the top of the Dashboard you will see a summary of key Performance Measures.
Followed by Graphs allowing you to drill down further into the Analysis of 4 key areas:
- Progress 8
- Attainment 8
- Ebacc
- Diminish the Difference
Each individual Graph has a dropdown in the top right, allowing you to change the Focus of the Graph.
Each Graph also has an Expand icon allowing you to make the Graph full screen.
If you have chosen to include a Comparison you can hover over any bar on a Graph and it will display your Schools Performance, the Comaprison and the Gap between your school and the Comparison data.
You can also click on any of the Bars on any of the Graphs, this will Expand the Graph and display a table at the bottom including all the information for the Students included in the figure for the Bar you selected. In the example below we have selected the ‘Male’ bar on the Attainment 8 Graph, and the table below is displaying all Male Students and their associated Attainment figures.
At the bottom of the Dashboard, you have a Quick Measures panel, this allows you to breakdown performance into key measures by subject.
On the right of the Dashboard, you will see a Cohort Information Panel, a Pupil Progress Panel and an En & Ma Focus Panel.
The Cohort Information panel displays how many of the Students that make up the currently selected Cohort fall into certain key groups
You can click on any of the rows and this will update the information on the Dashboard to include only the group you selected.
Below the Cohort Information panel you will see the Pupil Progress panel. This displays how many Students fall into different ranges of Progress 8 scores. You can customise the ranges displayed here by clicking the Settings icon in the top right corner of the panel.
Clicking on any of the P8 ranges will display a list of the Students included in that range, along with their Scaled Scores, Progress and Attainment in key areas. You can export this using the Grid Actions in the top left hand corner.
Finally, you have the En & Ma Focus panel.
You can change the Focus by clicking on the drop down across the top of the panel
Clicking on any of the rows in the panel will load a list of the Students that make up the figure, alongside some key information about the students and their English and Maths Estimates and Attainment. This can be exported using the Grid Actions in the top left.
Results Broadsheet
Results Broadsheets can be downloaded using the Download button in the top right hand corner of either the Cohort Information panel, or the Pupil Progress Panel.
If you select any of the rows in the Cohort Information panel prior to clicking the Download button, the exported file will include only the Students that make up that group. So using the previous picture as an example, if you were to select Disadvantaged, and then Download the Broadsheet, it would only contain those students that make up the ‘Disadvantaged’ group.
You can choose to download a Results Broadsheet containing either the Grades or the Grade Points. Click the option you would like to use and this will Download a file to your chosen Download location on your PC.
Note: Please ensure you allow Pop-Ups from Bromcom, or the Download may be blocked.
The following is an example of what a Results Broadsheet downloaded from the KS4 Performance Dashboard can look like.
