I was interested to read this week that New Zealand has not only begun to evaluate the value of government projects in terms of GDP, but also their impact on the well-being on its population. Bids to the Treasury for money from now will not only need a cost-benefit analysis, but also an assessment of the project’s contribution to people’s well-being. Perhaps our focus on measures such as GDP alone at national level can mask what is really going on in some people’s lives? New Zealand’s statisticians argue that GDP can grow under governments of any political persuasion while, for some at least, wages stagnate, housing remains at the edge of affordability and life expectancy halts.

This development reminded me of OfSTED’s aspirations to look beyond raw academic data when evaluating schools in years to come. Whilst we are a school and will continue to ensure that our pupils are maximising their learning and achieving superb outcomes, we must surely begin to accept that some of these outcomes cannot be measured by grades alone. This is not an either/or equation. To be a great school, we must accomplish both excellent progress in learning and the development and protection of our young people’s emotional well-being – and I know the school staff are determined to do so!