FFT Overview
The Fischer Family Trust (FFT) processes the National Pupil Database for the Department of Education and provides data and analyses to all schools in England and Wales. They provide grade predictors for student attainment at the end of KS4 and we use these to inform the setting of ambitious and aspirational targets for students.
FFT is based on KS2 scores - the non-for-profit organisation look at the GCSE scores of all the students who got the same scores as your child when they were in Year 6 and then use that to work out the probability of your child getting particular grades at GCSE. These datasets are updated each year.
*For our current Year 8 (2020/2021) Year 9 (2021/2022) KS2 SATs have not been taken, however we to overcome this we will conduct a baseline set of exams in English reading, English SPG and Mathematics arithmetic and Mathematics reasoning.
FFT Target Grades
FFT benchmarks are based on how similar students nationally performed in the subject last year (similar students are defined as similar prior attainment, gender and month of birth). Noadswood will be using a mid-point grade between the FFT-50 benchmark (the 50th percentile progress for students) and the FFT-20 benchmark (the 20th percentile progress for students).
There is a specific philosophy to target grades and how they should be used where around 50% of the final grade is predictable by knowing a student's previous attainment but the other 50% is determined by the quality of teaching, the support at home, the determination of the student and other factors which impact the final outcome.
The purpose of the Noadswood targets are to:
- Be realistic
- Motivate the student into achieving this result - aspirational whilst remaining realistic
- Be useful for the students, parents / carers and staff to establish progress in a given subject when linked to what is currently being achieved
FFT Example
The example dashboard gives an indication of the statistical likelihood for a student to achieve a given target (benchmark grade), though this target completely depends on the individual. Across a large dataset the pattern of outcomes has been established, but it will of course never fully predict the outcome for any given individual - benchmarks are not prophecies. Though many students progressed from a particular KS2 score to a given GCSE outcome doesn't mean that any given student with their particular circumstances is destined to follow suit.
