The OS-Schools project – NIoT's data-driven journey so far

As we approach the end of this academic year, it's a perfect time to reflect on the significant strides we've made in the TED (Teacher Education Dataset) and OS-Schools projects. These initiatives, driven by our commitment to enhancing educational outcomes through data-driven insights, have made considerable progress and promise even greater impact in the future.   

Testing feasibility 

The TED/OS-Schools project aims to enhance evidence-based decision-making in schools by providing data for educational research. MATs offer a unique opportunity, with thousands of pupils taking the same assessments simultaneously within the same curriculum. By linking teacher data to student outcomes, we can identify effective teaching practices and develop useful resources and interventions. 

NIoT’s Dr Raj Chande conducted an initial feasibility study with the help of Professor Rob Coe at Evidence Based Education. The study found that teachers and leaders generally support the use of anonymised assessment data to evaluate teaching impact so that we might identify effective teacher development practices, as long as the data remains anonymous and is not used for performance management. 

We also found that while collecting and matching assessment data within schools is complex, it is feasible with concerted effort, collaboration with MAT data managers, and proper data management practices. Assessments were mostly of sufficient quality for our intended analyses, but some were too easy as too many pupils achieved the top scores, and some were too hard as many pupils got the lowest scores. Despite this, most assessments were found to be suitable for estimating teaching impact. Finally, our value-added models reliably estimated teaching impact without creating statistical ‘noise’. 

Our initial analyses have already yielded valuable insights, which we have shared with the educational community through several expert groups such as the TED Technical Advisory Group, the TIDE Strategic Advisory Board and the TIDE Expert Working Group. These groups allow us to gather feedback to ensure our methods are feasible and usable by educators. Further information about the pilot study and expert groups can be found on the TED and TIDE project pages on the NIOT website (Home – The National Institute of Teaching)  

Building the TED  

Ensuring the privacy and security of educational data is paramount, and the NIoT’s Director of Data, Shaun Dillon, has been working on developing a scalable and secure system to host the Teacher-Education Dataset (TED). This system will serve as the foundation for OS-Schools - a platform intended to provide research access to the TED while protecting the privacy of staff, pupils, and schools. All analysis outputs are fully anonymised so that no individual teacher or pupil data can be accessed directly.  

The TED currently contains teacher and pupil information from our four founding MATs, and we have been spent this year establishing connections with our Associate Colleges and external MATs with the aim of having them contribute to the TED in the future. This will allow us to access data from a broader range of school contexts, enhancing the relevance of our research findings to the sector. 

Developing partnerships 

Our partnership with the Bennett Institute for Applied Data Science has been essential. During a visit to Oxford University in October we established working relationships and clarified responsibilities, setting the stage for ongoing collaboration on OS-Schools. 

To reciprocate, the NIoT hosted the Bennett Institute team at the Harris Institute of Teaching and Leadership in Beckenham. We visited Harris Girls’ Academy Bromley to discuss school data collection and its use in decision-making with senior leaders. This visit offered valuable insights into the practical challenges of school data and demonstrated how the TED can enhance teaching practices and pupil outcomes. 

Collaboration continues through regular meetings, which maintain momentum and coordinate activities across teams. 

Conclusion

As we build on these achievements, the coming year promises to enhance our partnership with the Bennett Institute to promote data-drive transformation in teaching and learning across the educational landscape. 

You can find out more about the National Institute of Teaching on our website www.niot.org.uk, and sign up for updates straight to your inbox here: https://niot.org.uk/form/eoi