Overview
This article explains how to manually calculate the KS4 APS GCSE and KS4 APS All baselines. This is particularly useful where students are missing in Get information About Pupils (GIAP). This may happen when they did not study Year 11 at your school within the corresponding year, or if you’re working with 21/22 or 22/23 Leavers.
Instructions
Follow these steps to manually calculate L3 Value Added Core Baselines:
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Where students are originally from other schools, if the grades are unavailable in your MIS, contact their previous schools.
Only qualifications approved to count towards the performance tables in the year that student completed their Year 11 Exams will count towards the calculations (see the DfE's 16 to 18 Accountability measures - Technical Guidance).
- These should reflect the KS4 points used for the year that the students will be reported on in KS5. For example, if you’re working with Leavers (24/25), whom were reported on in 2025, the KS4 2025 performance points should be used (see the DfEs KS4 DfE’s Performance Points spreadsheet).
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When calculating the average point score, for either GCSE or All qualifications, best grade discounting applies. Therefore, if a student has resat a qualification in KS4, although the first entry would count towards the KS4 performance tables, the best grade would count towards their prior attainment. Any resits or additional qualifications taken in KS5 will not count towards this.
Where students have taken the Combined Science double award, this would count as one entry towards these calculations, using the average points.
Worked example
Student A has achieved the grades shown below:
| Qualification | Type |
Grade |
Points |
| Art | GCSE |
7 |
7 |
| Business Studies | Non-GCSE |
L2M |
5.5 |
| Combined Science | GCSE |
65 |
5.5 |
| English Language | GCSE |
6 |
6 |
| English Literature | GCSE |
5 |
5 |
| Geography | GCSE |
8 |
8 |
| History | GCSE |
4 |
4 |
| Maths | GCSE |
7 |
7 |
| Spanish | GCSE |
4 |
4 |
Student A’s KS4 APS GCSE (to 4dp) is calculated as:
\( \frac{7 + 5.5 + 6 + 5 + 8 + 4 + 7 + 4}{8} = \mathbf{5.8125} \)
Student A’s KS4 APS All (to 4dp) is calculated as:
\( \frac{7 + 5.5 + 5.5 + 6 + 5 + 8 + 4 + 7 + 4}{9} = \mathbf{5.7778} \)
As an alternative to the above, you could refer to the Prior Attain - Applied General tab within the DfE's Value Added Ready Reckoner.
After collecting all grades for each student at KS4, follow the instructions above to enter the number of qualifications achieved at each specific grade to calculate the APS which can be imported into Sisra Analytics.
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