Benchmarking helps you understand how your survey results compare with other schools nationally.
How Benchmarking Works
We compare your survey results with the national average for each question. Benchmarking considers both the national average and the spread of scores across different schools, helping to show whether your result is typical or meaningfully different.
The benchmark is based on recent survey results from schools included in the national comparison group.
Why isn't the rating based simply on the difference from the average?
A result that is slightly above or below the national average can mean different things depending on how closely schools' scores are grouped.
For example:
Imagine the national average for a question is 3.00.
Your school scores 3.10, so your score is 0.10 above the national average.
If most schools have scores very close to 3.00, a difference of 0.10 may be meaningful, and your result could be rated Above Average.
If schools' scores vary much more widely, a difference of 0.10 may still be typical, and your result could be rated Close to Average.
This means the benchmark looks at both where your score sits compared with the national average and how it compares with the overall spread of school results.
A Dynamic National Benchmark
Our national benchmark is dynamic, meaning it is refreshed using the most recent two years of eligible survey data. This helps ensure that your results are compared with a current picture of staff wellbeing across schools, rather than relying on older data that may no longer reflect the current education environment.
Your historic survey results and their benchmark ratings remain fixed. This means that while the national benchmark may be updated as new data becomes available, the benchmark shown for a completed historic survey will not change.
Why do we do this?
Using recent data provides a more relevant and statistically robust comparison. Schools and the wider education environment change over time, so using the most current available data gives a more meaningful picture of where your organisation sits today.
Rating Benchmark
š“ Significantly Below Average: Meaningfully below the typical range
š“ Below Average: Below the typical range
š Slightly Below Average: Just below the typical range
š” Close to Average: Within the typical range
š¢ Slightly Above Average: Just above the typical range
š¢ Above Average: Above the typical range
š¢ Significantly Above Average: Meaningfully above the typical range
In Summary
The benchmark is not based simply on how many points your score is above or below the national average. It also considers how much schools' results vary from one another.
This gives you a more meaningful indication of whether your result is typical, above average or below average compared with schools nationally.