KS3/4: Completing the Matching page (Admin)

What is the Matching page?

Each cohort has one universal Matching page for all types of grades data, such as Exams, Targets, Assessments, etc. This is the area where your EAPs, and hence Grade Methods are assigned to each qualification. Completing the Matching process ensures your qualifications count accurately towards figures in the reports (and the Sisra Data Collaboration, if setup), and allows you to publish your grades data. 

To complete matching, click DATA > KS3/4 and cohort > GRADES > Matching.

The columns that are displayed will vary depending on the cohort you're working with, explained further below.

Completing Matching

To begin, click 'Edit' and work through the following:

1 / Select an EAP

Firstly, select an appropriate EAP in the EAP column, taken from those you have created for that cohort.

This is used to define the grade method (grade structure, points, and size) the qualification will use such as GCSE 9-1, BTEC First Award etc. It also determines ‘on track’ analysis in the reports if you have entered expected grades into your EAPs.

2 / Select whether each qualification should be included in the Reports

Once an EAP is selected, the Included column can be set to Yes for each qualification, to include them in the reports.

However, you can set a qualification to 'No' if you do not want this to be included in the reports. Qualifications that are not included don't need to have matching completed in order to proceed.

3 / Match the qualification to the official DfE qualification 

If available for the cohort, we recommend setting the Use QN column to Yes, which allows you to enter the qualification's QN code, syllabus, and/or title into the QN Title column.

Using the QN allows Analytics to automatically populate the remaining columns and identify how the qualification should count towards measures, meaning you can skip to step 7.

You may need to scroll right on your matching page to view the columns covered below.

4 / Select the type of qualification in the KS4 Measure column (if not using QN)

If you do not have the option to use a QN code, or have chosen not to, you can set the qualification type in the KS4 Measure column. This controls how the qualification counts towards measures.

The selections available here are:

• N/A: For qualifications which do not fall into any of the below measures, e.g. KS3 subjects and should NOT be included in school performance measures.
• GCSE (9-1): For reformed GCSEs awarded 9-1 grades.
• GCSE (A*-G): For unreformed GCSEs awarded A*-G grades.
• AS Level: For AS qualifications sat in KS4.
• L3 Asset Lang: For level 3 Asset Language qualifications (which are eligible to count towards performance measures, despite being smaller than a single GCSE).
• L3 FSMQ: For level 3 Free Standing Mathematics qualifications (which are eligible to count towards performance measures, despite being smaller than a single GCSE).
• Non-GCSE: For qualifications which would not count towards GCSE only measures, such as BTEC or Cambridge National qualifications.
• Unapproved: For qualifications not eligible to count towards school performance measures. You can use the DfE's list of qualifications, which provides a tab for each cohort linked in our article here - KS4 - Approved Qualifications, Discount Codes and Point scores.

5 / Set the Special column for subject specific measures (if not using QN)

If you do not have the option to use a QN code, or have chosen not to, you can identify which qualifications should count towards subject specific measures in the reports (for example, Attainment 8, EBacc, etc.) in the Special column.

Below we have listed qualifications likely to fall under each nomination, however we recommend checking the DfE’s official guidance to ensure they’re nominated accurately, linked in our article here - KS4 - DfE's English Baccalaureate: Eligible Qualifications (EBacc).

• Bio/Chem/Phys: GCSE/AS Levels in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.
• Comp Sci: Selected GCSE/AS Levels in Computing and Computer Science.
• English: GCSE English Combined (awarded for the last time in 2016), AS Level English Language and AS Level “English Language and Literature”.
• English Lang: GCSE English Language 
• English Lit: GCSE English Literature / AS Level English Literature.
• Humanity: GCSE History, GCSE Ancient History, GCSE Geography, AS Level Geography, AS History, AS Ancient History, and AS Classics: Ancient History. RE and Humanities should NOT be nominated here.
• Language: Majority of GCSE/AS Level Languages (e.g. Spanish, German, Dutch, Gujarati, Urdu, etc.)
• Maths: GCSE Maths, AS Level Maths and AS Level Further Maths.
• Maths Applications and Maths Methods: GCSE Applications or Methods of Mathematics (awarded for the last time in 2016).
• Science: GCSE Combined Science (and Core/Additional Science, available for the last time in 2017).

6 / Set the bar code for qualifications which discount each other (if not using QN)

If you do not have the option to use a QN code, or have chosen not to, you can manually enter the barring/discount code next to qualifications which share the same code and therefore discount each other. Here you can enter any code (official or your own reference) as long as it's identical for the qualifications which should discount.

You can check whether any of your qualifications share the same discount code using the DfE’s Qualifications & Discount Codes spreadsheet, linked in our article here - KS4 - Approved Qualifications, Discount Codes and Point scores.

7 / Select a Faculty (Handy for Head of Department/Faculty staff!)

Select the appropriate faculty for each qualification (if required).

Faculties allow you to group qualifications together in the reports, to view a summary of their performance. For faculties to be available here, they would firstly need set up in CONFIG. > Faculty, covered in our article here - Creating Faculties (Admin).

8 / Select a Predecessor (if applicable)

Set a qualification's predecessor (if applicable). The purpose of this is to fill in otherwise blank areas in flight paths and tracker data sets.

For example, if students took Science in KS3, progressing to Bio/Chem/Phys in KS4, you can select Science as the predecessor for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. When viewing your flight paths, the Science grades will then pull through alongside the Biology, Chemistry, or Physics grades.

9 / Select whether the qualification is current or historical (if applicable)

Here you can indicate whether a qualification is current (still actively being taken by students) or historical (no longer being taken by students in the cohort), and can be handy to tidy up your matching page, or to remove qualifications that you do not wish to be included in the Data Collaboration.

When this column is set to “No”, the qualification will be moved to the ‘Historical’ section at the bottom of the page. Historical qualifications can still appear within the reports if the Included column is set to “Yes”.

For example, you may only use this to set a historical KS3 subject to “No” (e.g. Science), if your students are now taking KS4 qualifications (such as Biology, Chemistry, and Physics).

10 / Save your changes and check for issues

Finally, click ‘Save Changes’ at the bottom. All included qualifications must be matched and highlighted green in order to publish your grades data, and all current qualifications must be fully set up with QN codes in order to publish with the Data Collaboration.

If you have been able to enter QNs, Analytics will then highlight issues with the grade method setup expected for that QN code and the actual grade method in use in the selected EAP, in the DC Exams Check column, as shown in the example below. If you are presented with this, we recommend checking out the following article for help troubleshooting this -  KS3/4 Matching: DC Exams Check Troubleshooting.

If no issues have been highlighted, we recommend checking the Grades Management section to resolve any setup issues being flagged. For further information, see our articles here. 

Thanks for reading!