ABSTRACT
One way of looking closely at the effectiveness of teaching in English is to use available data to shed light. Since the onset of the move towards comparing school performance there has been a growing supply of statistical information. There are many arguments about the reliability and validity of the data and the way it is gathered and used. Within the school, whatever the views on the data, it cannot be ignored as a source of information and an opportunity to review teaching and learning in English. The coordinator needs to able to use this source of information to find out whether the school is achieving the highest standards for its children. Put simply, we need to be able to answer the question, ‘How well are we doing?’
