KS4 Checking Exercise (June 2023)

What is the Key Stage 4 June Tables Checking Exercise?

The June Tables Checking Exercise provides an opportunity for schools to check that the DfE have attributed the correct pupils to their school for the purposes of calculating 2023 school and college performance measures. It is the only chance for schools to request the addition or removal of pupils from the 2023 Cohort. It also provides the opportunity for schools to check and request amendments to the KS2 prior attainment data, and to check limited characteristics of the pupils that will feed into the performance tables for the Year 11 cohort.

You can access the exercise here: https://tableschecking.education.gov.uk/  

This document outlines the checks that schools can work through to ensure that 4Matrix matches the cohort details in the Tables Checking exercise, in preparation for using 4Matrix to analyse and report on results data.

You will need to have imported your KS2 Scaled Scores into 4Matrix to complete the steps in this document. If you have not already done this, please refer to Appendix A (below) on how to do this first. We added support for special consideration pupils in update 3.9.8.5. Therefore, we advise users to re-import GIAP data for Y11 2022/23 cohort if not already done when advised with the 3.9.8.5 update. See 4Matrix GIAP Import Update – Special Consideration article for further information.

Where Does the Information in Tables Checking Come From?

The list of pupils and their characteristics comes from the school’s January 2023 school census submission.

The KS2 Scaled Scores come from the pupils’ KS2 SATS results taken in Year 6 of primary school.

Preparing to Check the Data

From the June Tables Checking Exercise website (Guidance/Documents), download the pupil results-level data file (KS4pu23.csv) from the Downloads tab. We advise schools to download and read all supporting guidance documentation.

We recommend selecting the latest Year 11 cohort series in 4Matrix to check and compare the pupils in 4Matrix with the pupil data supplied from DfE. 

1. From 4Matrix, select Admin -> Edit Markbook to view the Key Stage 2 Scaled Scores 

2. Use the function ‘More Columns’ to add the additional fields listed below to the table (by double-clicking on the field name or clicking and dragging the field into the table):

• DOB
• UPN
• SEN
• First Language
• Ethnicity Code

3. Export this information to a spreadsheet. To do this select File -> Export -> Export data to Excel. 

Check 1: Is Your Cohort Correct?

Check whether your DfE cohort has the same number of pupils as the 4Matrix cohort. 

1. The number of pupils in 4Matrix in the active series is shown on the Dashboard in the Selected Series dialogue.
2. Open the KS4pu23.csv Tables Checking file. Note that pupils with a status code that is not 402 or 407 in column H (Pupil Inclusion Status flag) will be included in the school performance measures for your school.
3. Now compare the list of pupils between the two files:
   - The DfE file - KS4pu23.csv
   - The export created from the 4Matrix Admin -> Edit Markbook tool (as per page 1)
4. Check that these files contain the same pupils. You may wish to paste both lists into a fresh spreadsheet document and use a formula to do this, but it can also be done carefully by eye.

Pupils in 4Matrix that should not count? Pupils can be placed ‘On’/’Off’ roll for the selected series in 4Matrix using the Admin -> Edit Pupils tool.

Check 2: Pupil Characteristics

The DfE data provides information on a variety of pupil characteristics that will appear in the school performance statistics which the school may wish to verify. 

The pupil characteristics that can be checked are:  

• SEN (column L in KS4pu23.csv file)
• Ethnicity Code (column Q in KS4pu23.csv file)
• First Language (column P in KS4pu23.csv file)

Apply a filter to the headings in the KS4pu23.csv file. It is now possible to check the filtered list for each group.

Mismatches? Pupil characteristics can be updated in 4Matrix in the Admin -> Edit Pupils tool. NOTE: Both Ethnicity Code and First Language fields in 4Matrix are pupil-focussed fields and the SEN field is a series-focussed field.

There is no option to amend these characteristics for state funded schools in the June Tables Checking exercise as the data is from the January 2023 census sent from the school. The only data item that can be amended is a pupil’s admission date which may become necessary when you review column O ‘Did the pupil join within the last 2 yrs?’. Admission dates can be imported into a custom field in 4Matrix for review or checked within your MIS.

Check 3: Key Stage 2 Scaled Scores

Using the KS4pu23.csv Tables Checking file you can verify the Key Stage 2 data. 

Now compare the list of pupils between the two files:

a) KS2 reading scaled score column T in KS4pu23.csv file
KS2 mathematics scaled score column U in KS4pu23.csv file

b) The export created from the 4Matrix Admin > Edit Markbook tool

Check that the Key Stage 2 Scaled scores match. You may wish to paste both lists into a fresh spreadsheet document and use a formula to do this, but it can also be done carefully by eye.

Schools can access their KS2 raw data in GIAP - see Appendix A (below) for further information.

What to do in the event of a mismatch:

A mismatch in KS2 Scaled Scores between the DfE and 4Matrix may point the school towards queries with the DfE data or vice versa but bear in mind that 4Matrix only contains the data that has been uploaded into it. 

In certain circumstances the pupil’s KS2 Teacher Assessment (columns X and Y) will be used. Please refer to the DFE Guidance from page 27 Secondary accountability measures (publishing.service.gov.uk).    

The KS2 scores published in the June Tables Checking exercise do not include any increase for Special Consideration. In most cases, we expect KS2 data in 4Matrix to have been imported using the GIAP import routine. Data from GIAP includes Special Consideration. Up until 4Matrix update 3.9.8.5, the 4Matrix GIAP import routine did not deduct points from Scaled Scores where Special Consideration had been applied, and we therefore recommend re-importing your GIAP data now if you have not done so before. Please see the following Knowledgebase article for further details: https://help.4matrix.com/knowledgebase.php?article=259

Corrections can be made manually in 4Matrix by simply overwriting the value in the Admin -> Edit Markbook tool. If the school updates the KS2 data in any way, we advise re-applying the Prior Attainment Bands calculation in Admin -> Edit Markbook -> Calculate (top right corner) -> Set Prior Attainment Bands New!).

For help checking KS2 data for any individual pupils of concern, please contact 4Matrix by logging a support ticket at: https://help.4matrix.com/ 

Confirming Your Data

Once all checks and amendments have been completed it is important to confirm your data on https://tableschecking.education.gov.uk/. You can do this by navigating to the Home page and completing the KS4 June Checking Exercise confirmation drop down, change the selection from ‘Not Checked’ to ‘Information checked and submitted amendment requests, if appropriate’ then click ‘Save Status’. It is important to confirm your data even if there are no amendments.

Useful Links

DfE Approved Qualifications and points for Key Stage 4: Click here

DfE Secondary Accountability Measures: Click here

Tables Checking website: Click here  

Appendix A

Clearing existing KS2 Data from 4Matrix

Before clearing the data from the 4Matrix Admin -> Edit Markbook tool, we recommend exporting it first to keep a copy of the data. Please refer to page 1 for details on how to do this. To clear the existing data:

1. Go to Admin -> Edit Markbook
2. Select a cell in the relevant column or click the column heading
3. In the top right corner of the page, click ‘Clear Column’
4. When prompted to proceed, select OK
5. Repeat the process for all columns that contain data you wish to remove

How to download your KS2 CSV file from GIAP

1. Log into Secure Access https://services.signin.education.gov.uk/my-services
2. Select GIAP (Get Information About Pupils) and go to ‘Search national pupil database’
3. Paste the UPNs for the Year 11 cohort into the Search panel and click Search
4. Select ‘Download NPD Data’
5. Select ‘Key Stage 2’ and keep “Select Format’ as ‘CSV’
6. ‘Download’ the KS2 CSV file

How to import your KS2 CSV file into 4Matrix

1. It is important that you do not edit the CSV in any way
2. In 4Matrix, go to Admin -> Spreadsheet -> GIAP
3. Select the relevant cohort (Year 11 academic year 2022/23) 
4. Select a recent series. It doesn’t matter which one as the data attaches to the pupil record, not an individual series. Bear in mind though that pupils in the file will be marked as On Roll for that series.
5. Proceed to Step 2 and paste in the CSV
6. Move on to Step 3. All columns that are required will be mapped automatically
7. Proceed to Step 4. All columns that are not mapped are automatically removed when reaching this step
8. Finally, in Step 5, ensure that the Pupil Match has worked correctly and finish the import

As a final step, if you have been using 2019 Validated Estimates as your ‘P8 Measure’ (you can check in Admin -> Edit Series -> Calculations), we would advise using Admin -> Edit Markbook to run the Scaled Score conversion routine (top right corner -> Calculate -> Scaled Score Conversion) to update the Custom P8 Start point based the updated KS2 data.

If the school updates the KS2 data in any way, we advise re-applying the Prior Attainment Bands calculation in Admin -> Edit Markbook -> Calculate (top right corner) -> Set Prior Attainment Bands New!)

Article revised: 05/07/2023