Independent/International Benchmark for A level from 2025 DfE national dataset - February 2026
What is the Independent/International Benchmark and why does it matter?
The Independent/International Benchmark allows Independent and International schools to track performance specifically against other schools with a similar profile. By showing both national and independent-sector perspectives, it helps Independent and International schools highlight their strengths, identify areas for improvement and confidently demonstrate their performance.
This new benchmark is based on the Department for Education (DfE) 2025 dataset, but has been generated from the subset of schools in the national dataset which are designated as Independent Schools.
This article presents an overview of the findings from the Alps review of the DfE national dataset from 2025 for Independent schools.
It provides a comparison with
- the 2019 DfE national dataset for Independent Schools, currently available on toggle 3 of the benchmark selector for eligible schools - see below
- the 2025 DfE national dataset for all schools and colleges in England including Independent schools. This benchmark will be made available to all schools and colleges in the week beginning 16 February 2026, and will be the default toggle 1 option.
Note that the 2025 DfE Independent benchmark has been generated from 510 schools in the national database who have prior attainment for A level.
Who is eligible for the Independent/International Benchmark?
This benchmark is available exclusively to Independent and International schools using the English configuration, i.e. those schools and colleges using reformed A levels. Schools outside these parameters will not be able to access the benchmark, as it relies on data from the DfE 2025 dataset, which would not provide accurate comparisons for other configurations.
2025 DfE National dataset for Independent Schools: comparison with the 2019 DfE national for Independent Schools and the 2025 DfE national (all schools and colleges)
MEPs and MEGs
The diagram below shows the Alps prior attainment bands for A level from 1 to 11 and the proportion of students in each band. It compares the 2025 DfE (Independent) dataset with the 2019 DfE (Independent) dataset and the DfE 2025 national dataset.
There is a significantly larger proportion of students in the top few bands for the 2025 Independent datasets than that of the overall national picture.
In terms of Minimum Expected Points, diagram below compares the target points required at the 75th percentile across Alps bands.
In most prior attainment bands, the MEPs generated from the Independent benchmarks are higher than the DfE 2025 overall national data. Generally speaking, there is little difference between the Independent benchmarks generated from DfE 2019 and DfE 2025.
Translating those MEPs into grades, we arrive at the Minimum Expected Grades or MEGs. We can see in the table below that the MEGs needed across all the two Independent benchmarks are broadly higher than those from the 2025 DfE overall dataset.
Implications on QI (Quality Indicator) grade
In this section we will consider the impact of the MEP changes on the QI scores and grades for A level for Independent and International colleagues should you choose to view your analysis against the 2025 DfE dataset for Independent Schools which will be deployed to toggle 3.
This means that we look at the QI scores and grades for all Alps customers, and analyse the shift patterns when we switch from one benchmark to another. We will continue to compare the three benchmarks, 2019 DfE (Independent), 2025 DfE (Independent) and the 2025 DfE Overall.
Summarising the above:
- If you have been using the 2019 DfE benchmark for Independent Schools (Toggle 3) for 2025 results analysis and monitoring, generally speaking you are likely to see a similar picture when you switch to the 2025 DfE benchmark for Independent Schools (Toggle 3). Four fifths of Alps customers remain on the same QI grade.
- If you plan to use the new 2025 DfE Overall benchmark but want to see how you measure against the 2025 Independent benchmark, then you are likely to see a drop in the overall QI. Two thirds of Alps customers will drop by at least one QI grade.
- We have no official recommendation for the use of the 2025 DfE benchmark for Independent Schools on toggle 3. It has been generated and published in response to customer feedback. Independent and International Alps customers use the benchmark in different ways, with many interested in the ability to compare progress with a similar subset of schools from the national dataset.
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This article was last updated on 16 February 2026, and relates to the Academic Year 2024/25 and 2025/26 This article links directly from the platform and is accessed from either the Current Benchmark lozenge in the top bar, or from the Analysis ...