While mainstream schools have seen an increasing focus on performance and attainment in recent years, this focus has often been resisted by special and alternative educational provision in the United Kingdom. However, concern is now growing about the low levels of achievement for children and young people educated outside mainstream schools. This article reports the findings of an evaluation which examined the work of one group of special school head teachers who set out to develop an alternative framework for mapping, tracking and evaluating achievement; one which would be recognisable to, but not limited by, the pressures on the mainstream. The findings suggest that, if adopted more widely, such a framework could contribute to the search for common ground and common understanding across different educational settings, with the potential to bring direct benefits to pupils but also to make a contribution to addressing under-achievement and educational inequalities more broadly.