An early-warning system that predicts how schools will perform in GCSEs and compares their performance to similar institutions is to be launched next term.

The Families of Schools interactive database, developed by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), places schools into groups of 50 based on factors such as prior attainment, numbers of pupils receiving free school meals and the proportion of children in the highest and lowest deprivation bands.

It is the first attempt at a national system to predict future performance and to partner schools with a similar intake so they can learn from each other. It is hoped that better-performing schools will pass on advice about ways to improve.

Kevan Collins, chief executive of the EEF, said: “Schools will have their family that will be like them and will enable them to get more support. We are moving towards a much more school-led system, which is a good thing. But we need to engage and support schools to use this opportunity and work with each other more if we are to narrow the attainment gap.”

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