How Our Score Works
We combine publicly available school data into a single quality score to help parents compare schools at a glance. Here's what goes into it.
The Grade Scale
Every eligible school receives a score out of 100, translated into a letter grade:
What We Measure
The overall score is built from four independent areas, each weighted to reflect its importance:
Inspection
25%The school's Ofsted (or equivalent) inspection rating, adjusted for how recently the inspection took place. For older single-word grades, Outstanding scores highest. For schools on Ofsted's new report-card framework, we distil the per-area grades into a comparable sub-score (a safeguarding failure caps it). A recency discount applies to older inspections. Welsh schools are not scored on inspection: Estyn stopped issuing graded judgements in 2022, so this area's weight is redistributed. A school placed in an Estyn statutory follow-up category has its overall score capped instead.
Attainment
30%Raw exam results, using each nation's own published measures. In England: Attainment 8, Grade 5+ English & Maths, EBacc scores (GCSE), A-Level points, and KS2 results for primary schools. In Wales: the Welsh Government's interim KS4 measures (the Capped 9 points score plus literacy and numeracy points scores). In Northern Ireland: GCSE outcomes from school-level attainment data. All use a 3-year weighted average to smooth cohort variation.
Progress
30%Value-added measures showing how much progress pupils make relative to their starting points. In England: Progress 8 for GCSEs and Level 3 Value Added for A-Levels, and KS2 progress scores for primaries. Wales publishes no value-added measure, so we compare each school's Capped 9 points score against the average for its benchmark group of schools with similar free school meal levels, as published by the Welsh Government.
Engagement
15%Pupil attendance rates (lower absence is better), sustained destination rates after leaving, and sixth form retention rates where applicable.
How It All Comes Together
3-year weighted average
For exam results and progress measures, we use a weighted average of the last three years of data. The most recent year counts most, smoothing out one-off cohort effects.
Missing data is handled fairly
If a school doesn't have data for a particular area (e.g. no sixth form means no A-Level data), the weight is redistributed among the areas that do have data. No school is penalised for data it can't have.
Confidence indicators
Schools with limited data are flagged with a confidence indicator. A school needs at least 30% data completeness to receive a score at all.
Inspection recency
Ofsted ratings are factored in with a recency adjustment. A school inspected recently gets full weight; older inspections are gradually discounted, reflecting that a school may have changed. Ofsted's new report cards are handled too; see how we read them.
Which Schools Get a Score?
Scores cover primary, middle, secondary, all-through, and 16 plus schools, wherever enough published data exists. English primary schools are scored on KS2 results; Welsh primary schools cannot be scored because Wales does not publish school-level primary attainment.
Country coverage
- England: full coverage across all four domains
- Northern Ireland: partial coverage (limited performance data available)
- Wales: secondary and middle schools, scored on the Welsh Government's interim KS4 measures (Capped 9 and literacy and numeracy points), progress against each school's FSM-similar benchmark group, and attendance. Schools placed in an Estyn statutory follow-up category have their score capped. Primary schools are not scored: Wales does not publish per-school primary attainment.
- Scotland: not yet available (compatible data sources pending)
Data Sources
All data used in the score is drawn from official, publicly available government sources:
- Department for Education: school performance tables (GCSE, A-Level, destinations)
- Ofsted: inspection ratings and management information
- DfE School Census: attendance, absence, and pupil demographics
- Welsh Government: My Local School performance data (KS4 measures, attendance) and StatsWales school census
- Estyn: inspection follow-up status
- Department of Education Northern Ireland: enrolment and school reference data
Scores are computed on-the-fly from the latest imported data and cached for performance. They are not manually set or editable.