The children's services watchdog said performance statistics - such as attainment, attendance and exclusion rates - offered "great opportunities for inspectors and schools to explore strengths and weaknesses". The report, Using Data, Improving Schools, said: "As schools seek to maximise the progress of pupils and look for innovative ways of doing so, performance data - particularly when complemented by teacher assessment - can provide a useful guide." It added that data also helped ensure pupils benefit from schools' commitment...