Overview

This article explains the various set-up checks that you need to consider when a cohort of students transitions from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4. Typically, this happens when students move from Year 9 to Year 10.

Prerequisites

You must be an administrator.

Instructions

Follow the guidance in the steps below when you roll a cohort from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4:

• By default, Sisra Analytics includes Year 7, Year 8, and Year 9 within KS3, and Year 10 and Year 11 within KS4, but not all schools work this way. Some schools categorise Y9 as being part of KS4.

  To change the Key Stage that Year Groups fall into:

  1. Select CONFIG.
  2. Select Settings.
  3. Select Key Stages.
  4. In the Cohorts section, select Edit:
     
  5. Select the where Key Stage 3 ends, and Key Stage 4 begins for the chosen cohort:
     
  6. Select Save.

  You must configure Sisra Analytics to the way your school works because:

  1. When importing student data or uploading grades, Sisra Analytics uses these settings to assign students to the correct Key Stage based on your KS3 or KS4 selection..
  2. It determines which classes populate which Key Stage (KS3 or KS4) in your reports based on the term and year selected during import.

• When a cohort moves from KS3 to KS4, some students take separate KS4 qualifications, rather than KS3 subjects, for example, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, instead of Science. To accommodate this, when you upload grades collected in the new academic year, you are prompted to Confirm Upload Qualification Names.

  You must select whether unrecognised qualifications are new or can be merged with existing KS3 subjects. For example, students taking Art in KS4, can be merged with an existing KS3 Art subject (if available). Meanwhile, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, must be created as new qualifications, to ensure that they are created as individual rows on the Matching page.

  For further information, see Sisra Analytics: What is the Confirm Upload Qualification Names page? (Admin).

• After uploading your first set of KS4 related grades, you’ll likely need new Expected Attainment Pathways (EAPs).

  1. Check existing EAPs in DATA > KS3/4 and Cohort > KS2 / EAP > EAP.
  2. To create a new EAP select Create EAP.
  3. Where a relevant baselines are not available for subjects:
     1. Upload a file containing the baselines in DATA > KS3/4 and Cohort > KS2 / EAP > Uploads. Set the subjects as new during the upload process.
     2. Open DATA > KS3/4 and Cohort > KS2 / EAP > Baselines > Baseline Management:
        
     3. Set the new baselines to the relevant Grade Type and Grades Method before creating new EAPs.

  If your KS3 baselines used a non-KS4 method, for example, Art, label the new KS4 ones distinctly from those in KS3, for example, Art KS4 and upload them as New in the Confirm Upload Qualification Names page. These will appear as separate rows in Baseline Management, ready for EAP creation.

  Copy EAPs from another KS4 cohort if the EAP Baselines use the same Grade Methods on the Baseline Management page. For further information, see Sisra Analytics: KS3/4: Copying EAPs (Admin).

• Separately set up KS3 Subjects and KS4 qualifications on the Matching page (DATA > select KS3/4 and cohort > Grades > Matching):

  Update KS3 Qualification Names

  For KS3 subjects that you won't be collecting grades for (for example, Science when it is split into Biology, Chemistry, and Physics), update the qualification name to reflect this:

  1. Open Matching page (DATA > select KS3/4 and cohort > Grades > Matching.
  2. Select Edit.
  3. Enter the new name in Qualification Name for each appropriate qualification:
     
  4. After updating all appropriate qualifications, select Save Changes.

  Any subjects carried onto KS4, for example, Art, can remain as they are.

  Mark outdated KS3 Subjects as not current

  For KS3 Subjects that our outdated (not current):

  1. Open Matching page (DATA > select KS3/4 and cohort > Grades > Matching.
  2. Select Edit.
  3. Scroll to the right of the page to the Current column (if necessary).
  4. Toggle No for each appropriate qualification:
     
  5. After updating all appropriate qualifications, select Save Changes.

  This will not exclude the subject from the reports, however, it will move the subject to the Historical section at the bottom of the Matching page:

  

  This lets you easily manage current qualifications at the top. Qualifications set to No in the Current column will be excluded from the Data Collaboration, for applicable cohorts.

  Set Predecessors for KS4 Qualifications to ensure Flight Path Continuity

  Historical KS3 subjects can be used as the predecessor for KS4 qualifications to fill in any blanks within flight paths or the tracker.

  1. Open Matching page (DATA > select KS3/4 and cohort > Grades > Matching.
  2. Select Edit.
  3. Scroll to the right of the page to the Predecessor column (if necessary).
  4. Select the appropriate KS3 subject to use as the Predecessor for each appropriate qualification.
  5. After updating all appropriate qualifications, select Save Changes.

  In the screenshot below Science is selected in the Predecessor column for Sci Biology, Sci Chemistry, Sci Physics and Science Combined. As grades are collected for Sci Biology, Sci Chemistry, Sci Physics and Science Combined in KS4 only, by setting the predecessor, this allows Sisra Analytics to fill in blanks in flight paths and tracker reports with the previously collected Science data:

  

  For further information, see Sisra Analytics: KS3/4 - How do I complete the Matching page? (Admin).

Related information

• Sisra Analytics: How do I define which Year Groups are in each Key Stage? (Admin).
• Sisra Analytics: What is the Confirm Upload Qualification Names page? (Admin).
• Sisra Analytics: KS3/4 - Creating EAPs (Admin).
• Sisra Analytics: KS3/4 - Copying EAPs (Admin).
• Sisra Analytics: KS3/4 - How do I complete the Matching page? (Admin).

Training

Updated 01 October 2025 09:49