What are KS2 Core Baselines?
KS2 core baselines are the official KS2 data students have achieved at the end of Y6. These must be uploaded and set up accurately within Analytics for the cohort you’re working with, as they are used as the KS2 Prior Attainment for specific headline measures in the reports, such as Progress 8 and Value Added, where DfE guidance is available.
You may be able to find these from:
|
The 24/25 and 25/26 cohorts did not take KS2 tests due to COVID-19 and so they will not have any official KS2 Scaled Scores available. For information on the options available for setting up these cohorts in Sisra Analytics, please see the guide linked here. |
Which subjects do I need?
The subjects and type of KS2 data used can vary per cohort, based on DfE guidance. Below we have outlined what you will need to prepare depending on which cohort you’re working with and when they finish Y11, as well as which columns to use from the exports in Get information about pupils (GIAP).
These must be uploaded as separate subjects, not as an average.
| Y11 in: | Official KS2 Subjects | KS2 Grade Type | Columns from GIAP |
|
20/21 to 23/24 26/27 onwards |
English Reading & Maths | KS2 Scaled Scores |
Maths: MATSCORE_noSpeccon* Reading: READSCORE_noSpeccon* |
| 16/17 to 19/20 | English Reading and Maths | KS2 Fine Levels (5dp) |
BA for Maths (MATTOTMARK) DL for Reading (READMRK) |
| 15/16 | English (combined reading and writing) and Maths | KS2 Fine Levels (2dp) |
*The DfE have confirmed that KS2 scaled scores, when used for the purpose of the Progress 8 baseline, do not have special consideration applied.
Uploading and Setting up KS2 Baselines
1 / Preparing KS2 Baselines
KS2 files need to be uploading in a four column list, with the columns Student ID, Student Name, Subject, and Grade, as shown below. This file should be saved as a CSV (MS DOS) file. The Sisra Analytics Excel Add-In can be used used to prepare the file by clicking the SISRA tab.
The Excel Add-In provides two options to format grades files:
| Prepare from Broadsheet |
Prepare from Grade List |
|
Suitable for files which have qualifications/subjects in separate columns, students down the left, and grades scattered throughout.
|
Suitable for files where the grades are contained in a single column. This may be useful if your file contains additional columns or your student forenames and surnames are in separate columns, as the add-in can combine these for you.
|
|
Please see the following guide for further information on preparing your KS2 baseline file - Extracting and Preparing Grades or AtL Data (Admin) |
2 / Uploading KS2 Baselines
Once the file has been prepared and is saved in CSV (MS DOS) format, it can be uploaded via DATA > KS3/4 > Choose cohort > KS2/EAP > Uploads > Upload Grades File.
Next, choose your file, enter a clear file title to identify the contents of the upload (this will only be visible in DATA to allow you to distinguish between your KS2 / EAP baseline files), and click Upload.
3 / Setting up KS2 Baselines
Once uploaded, KS2 Baseline must be setup in KS2/EAP > Baselines > click 'Edit'.
-
Grade Type - Select the type of grades uploaded for each subject. For example, official KS2 data would be set to Scaled Scores for current cohorts.
- Core - Nominate the official KS2 subjects for that cohort (e.g. English Reading and Maths). The subjects nominated here will be used for calculating Headline measures (such as Progress 8).
For some current cohorts awarded Scaled Scores, at the time of writing, the DfE haven’t confirmed which subjects should be used but we recommend nominating English Reading and Maths Scaled Scores here to reflect the most recent guidance available. For leavers cohorts, you can see a table of the subjects used each year in the 'Which Subjects do I need?' section above.
Thanks for reading!