Andy Milne/Bill Oates

1. Andy Milne/Bill Oates Department for Education and Knowledge and Analytical Services, Welsh Government

2. What is My Local School? • Fully bilingual data portal containing information on all maintained schools in Wales • Designed to open up access to schools data for parents and others with an interest in their local school • Contains performance data plus a wealth of supporting contextual information • Launched February 2013 • Updated at various points throughout the year as data becomes available. Welsh Government My Local School

3. Background • Thomas Review (March 2011) – The Structure of Education Services in Wales • Recommendation 5: “Recommend a single national IT data platform…available to all with an interest, including parents” • Push from Minister for Education and Skills to make this a priority in March 2012 • Cabinet Office data transparency agenda • Criticism for lack of access to data… Governors, press etc. • All Wales Core Data Sets – data packs updated at various points throughout an annual cycle for schools and local authorities but not publically available. Welsh Government My Local School

4. Background Oct 12 – Beta 1 Nov 12 – Beta 2 Mar 12 – first prototype developed Feb 13 – MLS full launch Jan 13 – Beta 3 Internal version available • Initial scoping exercise • Brainstorming sessions – statistical staff + policy colleagues • Investigation of existing sites • Focus mainly on performance data – available from existing sources (AWCDS) • Difficulties with presentation and format • League tables scrapped in Wales, however, providing comparisons still important • Policy driver was to enable parents to engage with and challenge schools My Local School

5. Background Oct 12 – Beta 1 Nov 12 – Beta 2 Mar 12 – first prototype developed Feb 13 – MLS full launch Jan 13 – Beta 3 Internal version available • Initial version of the site developed and shared with key stakeholders: • Minister for Education and Skills • Directors of Education • Estyn • Governors Wales • Unions • Parental focus groups • Visual appeal / colour schemes • Format / functionality • Supporting information Welsh Government My Local School

6. Background Oct 12 – Beta 1 Nov 12 – Beta 2 Mar 12 – first prototype developed Feb 13 – MLS full launch Jan 13 – Beta 3 Internal version available • Restricted version of site made available to schools and other key stakeholders • Facilitated feedback and testing on a much larger scale • Major issues identified and resolved: • Browser compatibility • Chart load issues • Suggestions / feedback on data items included / excluded Welsh Government My Local School

7. Background Oct 12 – Beta 1 Nov 12 – Beta 2 Mar 12 – first prototype developed Feb 13 – MLS full launch Jan 13 – Beta 3 Internal version available • Further restricted Beta launches as new data became available • Fixed bugs identified in previous iterations • Allowed schools and other stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the site prior to full launch Welsh Government My Local School

8. Background Oct 12 – Beta 1 Nov 12 – Beta 2 Mar 12 – first prototype developed Feb 13 – MLS full launch Jan 13 – Beta 3 Internal version available • Launch promoted through school newsletters, WG website, Twitter • Positive feedback at launch – TES Cymru, head teachers, local authority data contacts • Site developed in-house with existing resources alongside current workloads. External project manager brought in for approx. 6 months My Local School

9. Data • Important that site was launched without errors in data in order to establish credibility • Much of the data drawn from existing sources – minimised the risk of errors • Disclosure risk assessment undertaken • Increased level of intelligent data use in the education sector • Runner-up prize in RSS Excellence in Official Statistics awards. Welsh Government My Local School

10. Site Demo http://mylocalschool.wales.gov.uk Welsh Government My Local School

11. Welsh Government My Local School

12. Welsh Government My Local School

13. Welsh Government My Local School

14. Welsh Government My Local School

15. Welsh Government My Local School

16. Welsh Government My Local School

17. Welsh Government My Local School

18. Facts and Figures • Millions of data items covering all maintained schools in Wales • Approximately 100,000 site hits • Average of 5 pages viewed per visit • Launch day – over 6,000 hits, average visit length around 5 minutes • First annual cycle of updates under business as usual just completed • My Local Health Service launched – http://mylocalhealthservice.wales.gov.uk Welsh Government My Local School

19. Future Developments • Comparison tool for a selected group of schools • Data exportable into Excel format • New data items – Sport Survey • Data items re-used by other sites – My Local Council Welsh Government My Local School

20. Any Questions? Welsh Government My Local School