School League Tables 2025: How to Read Them

What are school league tables?

School league tables are published rankings of schools based on their pupils' exam results. In England, the government publishes official performance data for every state school each year. National newspapers and comparison websites then use this data to rank schools - hence the name "league tables".

The official source is the Department for Education's Compare School and College Performance service. School Signal draws on the same underlying data, making it available alongside Ofsted grades, SEN data and admissions information in one place.

League tables can be useful - but only if you understand what the numbers actually mean. Used carelessly, they give a misleading picture. Used well, they are one of several tools that help you assess whether a school is right for your child.

Attainment 8: what pupils achieved

Attainment 8 is the headline attainment measure for secondary schools in England. It measures the average grade achieved by pupils across eight GCSE subjects.

The eight subjects are grouped into three "buckets":

• English and maths (double-weighted): GCSE English Language or Literature, and GCSE Mathematics. These count twice because they are considered the most important qualifications.
• EBacc subjects: Up to three subjects from the English Baccalaureate set - sciences (including computer science), history, geography, and languages.
• Open bucket: Up to three further qualifications - GCSEs or approved non-GCSE qualifications - from any subject.

Each GCSE grade is converted to a points score (Grade 9 = 9 points, Grade 8 = 8 points, and so on down to Grade 1 = 1 point, with a U = 0). The Attainment 8 score is the total points across the eight subjects, divided by 10 to give a score on roughly the same scale as individual grades.

The national average Attainment 8 score in 2024 was approximately 46. A score well above 50 typically indicates a strong school - but the raw score is heavily influenced by the intake, which is why Progress 8 is generally a more meaningful measure.

Progress 8: how much progress pupils made

Progress 8 is the government's preferred measure of secondary school performance. Rather than asking "what did pupils achieve?", it asks "how much did pupils improve between Year 6 and Year 11?"

Here is how it works:

1. Each pupil's KS2 SATs results (from Year 6) are used to predict the Attainment 8 score they would be expected to achieve at GCSE, based on the performance of all pupils nationally with the same starting point.
2. The pupil's actual Attainment 8 score is compared to that prediction.
3. The difference - positive or negative - is the pupil's individual progress score.
4. A school's Progress 8 score is the average of all its pupils' individual progress scores.

A Progress 8 score of 0 means pupils made exactly the progress expected given their starting points. A score of +0.5 means pupils did half a grade better than expected across their eight subjects. A score of -0.5 means pupils did half a grade worse.

Progress 8 is powerful because it levels the playing field between schools with very different intakes. A school in a deprived area with a low-attainment intake can score a positive Progress 8 - showing it adds real value - even if its Attainment 8 score looks modest on paper. Conversely, a selective school with a high-attaining intake might have a negative Progress 8 if it fails to push pupils further than their starting points would predict.

See our dedicated guide to Progress 8 explained for a deeper walkthrough.

The EBacc

The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) is not a separate qualification - it is a government measure of whether pupils entered GCSEs in a specific combination of subjects: English, maths, the sciences, history or geography, and a language.

In league tables, you will see two EBacc figures:

• EBacc entry rate: The percentage of pupils entered for the full EBacc combination.
• EBacc achievement rate: The percentage of pupils who passed all EBacc subjects at grade 5 or above (or grade 4 or above, depending on the measure used).

A high EBacc entry rate signals that a school encourages - or requires - pupils to take a broad academic curriculum. Some schools push this strongly; others are more flexible and allow pupils to pursue vocational or creative subjects. Neither approach is inherently better: it depends on your child's interests and strengths.

Why context matters more than raw numbers

The most important thing to understand about league tables is that raw scores reflect the school's intake as much as the school's teaching. Schools in wealthier areas, with more advantaged intakes, will almost always show higher Attainment 8 scores than schools in more deprived areas - regardless of teaching quality.

Before drawing conclusions from any league table, ask:

• What is the school's Progress 8 score? This adjusts for prior attainment and is a much fairer basis for comparison.
• What is the proportion of disadvantaged pupils? Schools with a high percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals face a harder starting point. A Good Progress 8 score in that context may represent better teaching than an Outstanding score at an advantaged school.
• How large is the cohort? In small schools, a handful of pupils can swing the data significantly. Treat results from schools with fewer than 30 pupils in a year group with caution.
• Are the figures from one year or an average? A three-year average smooths out anomalous cohorts and gives a more reliable picture.

Primary school tables: what to look for

For primary schools, the main published measures are:

• KS2 SATs results: The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined (RWM). The national average is typically around 60–65%.
• Average scaled score in reading and maths (100 = expected standard).
• Phonics check: The percentage of Year 1 pupils passing the phonics screening check - a measure of early reading skills.

For a full explanation of how primary assessments work, read our guide to SATs explained.

Where to find league table data

The official government service is Find and Compare Schools in England. School Signal pulls from the same DfE data and displays it alongside Ofsted ratings, SEN figures, and admissions information - so you can compare schools without jumping between multiple government websites.

Every school profile on School Signal includes its most recent Attainment 8 and Progress 8 scores for secondary schools, and KS2 results for primary schools. Use the browse schools tool to filter by location and school phase and start comparing schools in your area.

The bottom line

League tables are a useful starting point, but they are not a substitute for nuanced judgement. A school ranked 50th in a local table might be a better fit for your child than the school ranked 1st, depending on teaching style, extracurricular activities, SEND provision, and simple geography.

Use Progress 8 over Attainment 8. Consider context and intake. Read the Ofsted report. And if possible, visit the school - no league table captures what it actually feels like to walk the corridors.

For more help interpreting what you find, explore the School Signal knowledge hub or read our guide to understanding Ofsted ratings.