Building a Data Baseline Overseas: Evidence You Can See
Start with human‑scale measures that live in books and rooms; earn trust before dashboards.
Challenge
Leaders inherited fragmented data and dashboards that obscured learning; staff trust was low.
Result
A simple baseline built from artefacts—books, retrieval snapshots and short assessments—created credible evidence fast.
Outcome
Clearer priorities, better conversations with families and inspectors, and workload that fell rather than rose.
Innovation
Two‑week learning reviews, sample‑based book looks, retrieval audits and short common assessments aligned to unit maps.
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Brief overview
In a new context with mixed systems, dashboards can mislead. We built a baseline from artefacts people trust. Teachers saw value, families understood it and boards received clear evidence of movement within weeks.
Mechanisms that move practice
Every department chose three artefacts to sample. Book pages, retrieval snapshots and a short common assessment. Leaders visited for five minutes and asked one question. What can pupils do now that they could not do two weeks ago.
Human moments that matter
A teacher who disliked data saw her own model answer and pupil work used as evidence. A parent understood progress through a simple before‑and‑after sample. Inspectors appreciated the honesty of artefact‑based review.
Keeping workload net zero
One in, one out. Old reports and duplicate trackers were retired. The baseline used materials teachers already produced. Meetings shortened because evidence spoke clearly.
Evidence and alignment
Approach aligns with EEF implementation guidance and Ofsted emphasis on curriculum and classroom evidence. We used human‑scale signals first, then added light analytics once trust formed.
Impact
Within a half term, schools had a credible picture of strengths and gaps. Staff conversations focused on teaching rather than on spreadsheets. Families engaged because evidence was visible.
Lessons for leaders and investors
- Use artefacts first, dashboards later.
- Sample simply and review fortnightly.
- Tie assessments to unit maps.
- Retire duplication so workload falls.
Full Article
Arriving at an international school with multiple curricula and legacy systems, the temptation is to design the perfect dashboard. It is an understandable instinct and usually the wrong first move. People will not trust numbers that do not match what they see in books and in rooms. We therefore built a baseline from artefacts that carried immediate credibility for teachers, families and inspectors.
Each department chose three artefacts to sample that were close to learning, easy to collect and sensitive to change. One page from a pupil’s book that represented the target technique. One retrieval snapshot that captured core knowledge from the last fortnight. One short common assessment built from the unit map. These items have limits, but they have the strength of being human readable. You can look at them and have an honest conversation about what pupils know and can do.
The sampling plan was small and regular. Teachers brought artefacts to a fortnightly learning review where a leader and a peer looked together for movement. We asked the simplest question. What can pupils do now that they could not do two weeks ago. If the answer was unclear, we did not blame people. We improved the mechanism. The next review looked again. This rhythm turned large problems into manageable steps because no one had to defend a termly judgement they did not trust.
We aligned the baseline to curriculum maps to avoid the common error of testing what is easy to test rather than what matters. Short common assessments pulled directly from the knowledge and skills the unit required. Retrieval audits drew from spaced lists that departments maintained openly. Book samples were chosen to reflect the technique the team had rehearsed that cycle—a model paragraph, a worked example or a vocabulary routine. The coherence calmed debate because everyone could see the join between plan and evidence.
Trust with staff improved because the artefacts were theirs. A teacher who h... Back artefact‑first baselining. Protect a fortnightly learning review with samples. Add light analytics only when culture trusts the evidence. Expect two‑page board notes with artefacts attached. Because artefacts are human‑readable, the approach crosses language barriers and reduces potential gaming. It replaces synthetic metrics with samples that prompt better decisions and kinder accountability. Departments sampled books, retrieval and common assessments; leaders asked the two‑week question; tweaks followed quickly; old trackers and reports were retired. Teachers felt seen rather than judged; families understood progress; inspectors recognised coherence. The climate became more honest and hopeful. Baseline used existing artefacts; reviews replaced long meetings; analytics stayed light and purposeful. Aligned with EEF implementation guidance and Ofsted’s emphasis on curriculum evidence in books and rooms.What this means for school leaders and investors
Full narrative expansion
What changed in practice
Human moments that built culture
Results we saw
How we kept workload net‑zero
Evidence and UK alignment
Lessons for leaders and investors
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