Getting the most from the High Middle and low prior attainment filter
Applying the high/middle/low PA comparison is straightforward:
- In the subject analysis area, use the dropdown from the Apply Comparisons box
- Select all - High/Middle/Low PA or select those you want to view
Overview for all subjects – in the subject overview table, use it to see how well each student group is performing across all subjects.
All three PA bands are being shown in one table. For many subjects the high PA students are performing less well than those of middle and low prior attainment. This might lead to discussions over stretch and challenge strategies for the more able across the curriculum.
Clicking into an individual subject/teaching set pages – once the comparison is switched on, the comparison will continue to be applied. Your thermometer will visually display how each group is performing in that subject or teaching set. You also have a table showing the relative Alps scores for each group.
Here we see that the performance of the high prior attainers is slightly lower than those of lower prior attainment and is contributing to the overall value-added grade being lower than it might be otherwise. As the subject leader or teacher of this group of students, you might look at strategies which will have an impact on stretching them to attain top grades.
In the student tab of the subject area, the comparison will separate students into prior attainment groups. Teachers can perform ‘What Ifs’ on specific students within a prior attainment group to model the impact an increase of grade might have on the overall or comparison group’s Alps grade.
Definitions of Prior Attainment
1. KS4 England - The definitions of prior attainment follow the DfE guidance. The Alps bands which correspond to the Fine Grades and Scaled Scores are as follows:
PA definition | Alps Bands |
| |
High | 1-3 | ||
Middle | 4-6 | ||
Low | 7-10 |
2. Key Stage 5 England – the definitions vary across qualification types. The table below shows the banding groups for monitoring bands for 2019.20 onwards.
England | GCSE Score | ||||
PA definition | Alps Band | A/AS level | BTEC/ | UAL |
|
High | 1-4 | 6.10+ | 5.23+ | 4.39+ |
|
Middle | 5-7 | 4.77+ | 3.75+ | 3.67+ |
|
Low | 8-11 | >0 | >0 | >0 |
|
3. Key Stage 5 Wales - the definitions vary across qualification types. The table below shows the banding groups for 2019.20 onwards.
Wales/Northern Ireland | GCSE Score | ||||
PA definition | Alps Band | A/AS level | BTEC/ | UAL |
|
High | 1-4 | 48.4+ | 44.8+ | 41.2+ |
|
Middle | 5-7 | 43.0+ | 38.2+ | 37.6+ |
|
Low | 8-11 | >0 | >0 | >0 |
|
4. At Key Stage 4 in Wales, the following definitions apply:
PA definition | Alps Bands | Y8 WNT Score |
High | 1-3 | 108+ |
Middle | 4-6 | 89+ |
Low | 7-11 | >0 |
Related Articles
Alternative KS4 Prior Attainment
With no SATs taking place in 2020 or 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those year groups will have no KS2 SAT scores. This article introduces the different options available, enabling providers who currently use KS2 SAT scores to make informed ...Summit Subject Analysis
In Summit, Subject Analysis allow you to analyse your overall subject performance from your different providers. Step-by-step Guide Before you use the analysis zone, make sure you have selected your Gradepoint Trend, if you need to change it you can ...CAT4 Prior Attainment
In Alps Connect you can import your CAT4 scores to use as Prior Attainment for KS4 and KS5. Importing CAT4 During the first step of the Student Data import, you will be asked to select a Prior Attainment type, CAT4 MeanSAS will be an option for all ...What can you do in the new strategic section - compare student groups
In the new strategic section, we have designed the comparisons option to be easy to apply and flexible. There are two ways in which you can use the comparison option to compare the performance of your student groups across the strategic pages: 1. ...Choosing a Prior Attainment Type
We have expanded our range of prior attainment scores that can be directly imported into the system. This will better support our International schools and colleges and our schools who, due to the covid-19 pandemic, do not have prior attainment ...