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. Outstanding schools score highest, with a recency discount for older inspections.
Attainment
30%Raw exam results including Attainment 8, Grade 5+ English & Maths, EBacc scores (GCSE), and A-Level points. Uses 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. Progress 8 for GCSEs and Level 3 Value Added for A-Levels.
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 25% 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.
Which Schools Get a Score?
Scores are currently available for secondary, all-through, middle deemed secondary, and 16 plus schools.
Primary schools do not receive a score as the performance data available (KS2 SATs) is not directly comparable to the GCSE and A-Level metrics used in the algorithm.
Country coverage
- England — Full coverage across all four domains
- Northern Ireland — Partial coverage (limited performance data available)
- Wales & 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
- 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.