4Matrix is an acclaimed system for the management of  In School Variation.

4Matrix is a high impact, professional toolkit that can help schools raise standards -particularly at Key Stage 4.  4Matrix can support any school's teacher-led research into school improvement. This system measures performance and produces automated reports at school level, subject level and group level.  Teachers and managers can use the tools for their own research into standards, and add their own commentaries to those provided by the system.

The focus is on within-school variation rather than the differences between schools.  It can provide up-to-date measures of comparative achievement of pupils at an individual level, group level or subject level. Many schools have already used this system in their National Challenge work, in their journey out of special measures, or to endorse and improve their position as a data-confident, self-evaluating school.

The 4Matrix system can be used for research into actual 16+ exam results so that teachers and managers can work on proposals for action at the start of the new academic year.  However, a powerful Forecasting feature will allow a school to track the comparative achievement of current Year 11 students through the year to their 2010 examinations. 4Matrix is an all-year round professional toolkit for those staff with a responsibility for handling performance data.

The 4Matrix system can show the impact of leadership decisions on the performance of students at key stage 4.  School inspections are now much more data-driven, and it is no longer sufficient to just use last year's data and Excel for this important work.

Importantly, 4Matrix can be used to support the grades that headteachers must now give to the teaching - by providing the tools for teachers to grade the impact of their own teaching. Many schools have already discovered the benefits of using 4Matrix in improving staff use of performance data tools, and in having greater control over the inspection process. (See What Users Say)