By combining work on Data Analysis with that of Undertaking & Analysing Opinion Surveys we are able to organise a substantial database of evidence from which inferences of a setting or school’s state of health may be drawn.

This database sits inside a hyperlinked template database known and copyrighted by ECARDA as DEMIST (Dynamic Education Management Information System Template).

Inferences drawn from the evidence are written directly onto the SEF template and are hyperlinked back to the evidence. Where the inference suggests an improvement action may be required, then a further link takes the reader/user to that specified action. The actions are sorted into priority clusters which form the basis of the annual improvement plan.

Thus, DEMIST may be viewed in three ways:

• As the SEF configured for centre, setting or school;
• As the Improvement Plan for the next period;
• As an organised database of the establishment’s performance evidence.

To facilitate making judgements in line with those of OfSTED, The SEF template includes easy-to-use hyperlinks to the current OfSTED inspection framework as it refers to:

• The scope of each statement area;
• The OfSTED evaluation criteria.

There are separate templates for children’s centres, early years’ settings, and schools. B meeting with the setting or school throughout the year, ECARDA consultants are able to establish and keep up-to-date the establishment’s database of evidence. Certain key meetings are necessary to draw the inferences from the evidence and come to a view on accurate judgements based on those inferences. At the same time, the emerging necessary action points inform the priorities for improvement over the next period.

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ECARDA provides the setting or school with access to Dropbox on which all this inter-hyperlinked data is stored.