Every school is required to publish your exam results information. You will find full and specific details of the action information you need to publish in our school website requirements guide.

As of 12th November 2020, DfE released significant changes to the information all schools are required to publish on their websites. This is due to the issues caused by coronavirus (COVID-19) and the changes reflect the impact this has had on exams and results. We anticipate this requirement will be updated very soon.

Exam Results Information Major Changes November 2020

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Schools are not required to publish their exam and assessment results from 2019 to 2020 or 2020/2021 academic year as these have not been published as performance measures by the Secretary of State. You must, however, continue to display your 2018 to 2019 performance measures until new performance measures are published. You should clearly mark that these performance measures are not current. There’s further information on school and FE accountability expectations for the 2019 to 2020 academic year.

IMPORTANT NOTE: for Academies, Free Schools & Trusts all these requirements are listed as should rather than must

The key points to pull out are:

1/ You are not required to publish results for the 2019/20 or 2020/21 academic year.

2/ You must continue to display the previous year’s results.

3/ You must clearly mark that the information is not current.

4/ All the requirements in this section are noted as MUST for maintained schools and SHOULD for academies, free schools and Trusts.

What are the requirements for results by Key Stage?

The specific requirements are different depending on what Key Stage your school covers. Here’s the current breakdown as taken from the DfE website.

Requirements for Key Stage 2 (end of primary school) results

Performance Tables Published in December

1. You must publish the following details from your school’s most recent key stage 2 performance measures as published by the Secretary of State (for most schools, the performance measures published for the 2018 to 2019 academic year):
2. Progress scores in reading, writing and maths
3. Percentage of pupils who achieved at least the expected standard in reading, writing and maths
4. Percentage of pupils who achieved at a higher standard in reading, writing and maths
5. Average ‘scaled scores’ in reading and maths

Requirements for Key Stage 4 (end of secondary school) results

Performance Tables Published in January

1. You must publish the following details from your school’s most recent key stage 4 performance measures as published by the Secretary of State (for most schools, the performance measures published for the 2018 to 2019 academic year).:
2. Your school’s Progress 8 score
3. Your school’s attainment 8 score
4. Attainment in English and maths – percentage of pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in GCSE English and maths
5. English Baccalaureate (EBacc) average point score (APS) – in 2018, the EBacc attainment measure changed to an average point score, showing pupils’ point scores across the 5 pillars of the EBacc

Academies and Free Schools

1. Pupil destinations – percentage of students staying in education or employment after key stage 4

Requirements for Key Stage 5 (KS5)

Performance Tables Published in January & March [Previously Required, Now Recommended]

1. If your school operates a sixth form, you must publish the following details from your school’s 16 to 18 performance tables page most recent key stage 5 (16 to 18) performance measures 16 to 18 accountability headline measures guidance as published by the Secretary of State (for most schools, the performance measures published for the 2018 to 2019 academic year).:
2. The progress your students have made compared with students across the country. (Shown separately for A levels, academic, applied general and tech level qualifications)
3. The average grade that students in your college get at KS5.(Shown separately for A levels, academic, applied general and tech level qualifications)
4. The progress students in your college have made in English and Maths
5. Retention (this is the proportion of students who get to the end of the main programme of study that they enrolled on at your institution)(Shown separately for A levels, academic, applied general and tech level qualifications)
6. Destinations (this is the percentage of students who continue in education or training, or move on to employment at the end of 16 to 19 studies)

** This information is correct at the point of writing.

When should I publish results on my school website?

The times of the year vary based on, once again, when you should publish information. For Key Stage 2 Results you should be publishing in December. Key Stage 4 the key dates are in January. So, for more detailed information on when you should be publishing your results, and indeed other key information read Key School Website Dates for Your Diary .

How should I display my exam results information?

While it is only a specific requirement to publish certain aspects of your statutory content in a ‘readily accessible’ way, best practice says that there are specific rules to follow.

Firstly, if you’re relying on linking to PDF files and Word files you’re not using the best options. PDFs can be fine but some users will still find them difficult to interact with. Your school website partner should be able to provide a way of presenting statutory content that will work reliably on any device.

Schudio clients should use document groups for this type of content.

For best practice advice and critical information on how to really get to grips with displaying your results information read Presenting Statutory Policies for Schools.

When publishing data on your school website it would be advisable to use the language of the requirements.  From our point of view, this makes it easier to understand when we’re completing a compliance audit on your school website.  But, it also means that you’re giving any inspectors that might visit your website a good first impression.

How do I keep up to date with what exam results information I must publish online?

The single most effective way to keep on top of what results information you need to publish is to set up a selection of reliable resources to keep your website current.

First, enrol on The School Website Compliance Course which is an online, on-demand course. Our team talks you through each requirement, step-by-step so you always are fully trained in every area of compliance.

Also, check out our School Website Compliance Software. It’s a powerful tool that lets you check your school website against the latest requirements all year round. Furthermore, we keep the checklist up to date. Then, we notify you of any changes to the statutory requirements and provide ongoing support and advice. This is available within any website package or as a standalone product.