Recommendations for benchmark selection

Recommendations for benchmark selection

If you have arrived here from the information hover in the benchmark selection in Connect or Summit, then here are the headlines on choosing your benchmark. 

Part 1: Benchmark selections

  1. There are two benchmarks available within the platforms for Key Stage 5
    1. The National Selection - the full national dataset 
    2. The Alps Customer selection - the benchmarks provided by Alps following Results and generated from Alps customer data only. 
      1. In Wales, only Welsh schools are included in this customer benchmark 
    3. NOTE IN ENGLAND - from 1 May 2025 to Sept 2025, the benchmark behind the Customer benchmark for monitoring gradepoints from September 2024 up to Results 2025 will be the 2024 national dataset, with the default remaining as the 2019 DfE national dataset. Reasons are set out in article listed in part 3 below
  2. Key Stage 4 has only one benchmark, that generated from the full national dataset
The summary tables look as follows: 



And in Wales 

In both cases, the yellow highlighted boxes indicate the benchmark we would most recommend given the unique value-added situation of any cohort. 

Part 2: Recommendations on Benchmarks

There are various articles detailing the decisions made behind our benchmark selection and recommended dataset per cohort. 

There are separate articles for different qualifications. 
1. For analysing Results in 2024, use the 2024 DfE dataset
2. For tracking from Sept 24 onwards use 2019 DfE dataset, ie Current Year 13 and 12. 

1. For analysing Results in 2024, use the 2024 Alps Customer dataset (Welsh schools and colleges only)
2. For tracking from Sept 24 onwards use 2019 dataset, ie Current Year 13 and 12. 

Part 3: Switching your Benchmark - the mechanics 

There are two main tools in Connect and Summit which allow you to view your analysis against an alternative benchmark.

Account Benchmark selector

Selector allows admin user in a Connect/Summit account to impose a benchmark for all users.


Session benchmark toggle

  Selector allows admin user in a Connect account to give control of benchmark selection to individual users.

  User selects session benchmark.



How do I find these tools? 

Connect 

  1. Click on Analysis Settings from the Homepage 
  2. Admin users will see the Account Benchmark Selector 
  3. Colleagues who have been given permission to toggle benchmark will see the Session benchmark toggle (see below) 


Summit
  1. Click on Benchmark setup from the Homepage 
  2. All users will see the Account Benchmark Selector 
  3. All users will see the Session benchmark toggle 





Account benchmark selector

Summary: 
Admin users have the permission to select a benchmark across the whole of the Connect or Summit account. 
This will affect all users.
This will be a permanent change, ie when a user logs out and then in again, they will see this benchmark. 

We highly recommend you read the articles signposted on the page as switching benchmarks has implications for all users and the resulting analysis. 

1. Navigate to the Account Benchmark Selector page from the Homepage (see above).
2. Use the dropdown to select the desired benchmark. 
3. Click SAVE and agree to the ARE YOU SURE dropdown. 

All users will now use this selected benchmark. There will be a lozenge in the top bar informing the user which benchmark they are using. 



Session benchmark toggle 

Summary: 
Admin users have to give users permission to see and use this tool in Connect. Summit users have this by default. 
The benchmark switch lasts for the duration of the session and will reset to the account benchmark default on signing out and in again or refreshing the page. 
The tool switches the benchmark for individual users only. 

1. As an Admin user in Connect you will be able to give other user rights to toggle the benchmark. Note:  Summit you will have this option by default. 
      a. Click into Manage Users 
      b. Note new column headed 'Client benchmark switching'
      c. Click on edit user in final column. 



2. On user page, scroll to bottom and toggle the Client benchmark button and SAVE.
Note that users will have to log out and in again for this to take effect.


3. User will now have the ability to switch benchmark. They should click on the Analysis Settings in the Homepage menu. 
      a. Click on the Session Benchmarks toggle  
      b. Read the information carefully. There are links on this page which we would urge any colleague looking to switch benchmarks to read as they contain essential information regarding the educational context.
      c. Scroll to bottom of page and select the desired benchmark from the dropdown and SAVE. 





4. The user will now be viewing Connect using the 2024 provider benchmark. There will be a lozenge in the top bar informing the user which benchmark they are using. 


5. This switch will be applied to the whole of Connect/Summit and will persist until users either 
      a. Switches benchmark toggle back to national OR
      b. Signs out of Connect/Summit, at which point the benchmark will default back to the 2019 version.