Our data and methodology
Every figure on this site comes from official UK government data. This page says which dataset produces which number, how often it refreshes, and where it can mislead.
How we work
We do not create our own ratings, scores or league positions. Everything shown is either a figure published by a government body, or a clearly labelled estimate derived from one. Where we derive something, we say how on this page.
Every school is identified by its official reference: the URN in England and Wales, the seed code in Scotland, and the DE reference in Northern Ireland. Datasets are joined on those identifiers rather than on school names, because names change and repeat.
Where the data comes from
Get Information About Schools (GIAS)
Department for EducationEvery school's name, address, phase, type, age range, trust and open/closed status
Updated: Daily
The URN from GIAS is the key that links every other dataset on this site.
Ofsted inspection outcomes
OfstedInspection dates, overall judgements, sub-judgements and report links for English schools
Updated: Monthly
Ofsted inspects England only. We show the date of every judgement, and say so on the page when a judgement is older than Ofsted's routine cycle.
KS2 performance (primary)
DfE Explore Education StatisticsReading, writing and maths outcomes for primary schools in England
Updated: Annually
KS4 performance (GCSE)
DfE Explore Education StatisticsAttainment 8, Progress 8, English and maths pass rates and EBacc for English secondaries
Updated: Annually
Progress 8 ships with the revised release, so the newest year often has Attainment 8 but no Progress 8. We show each measure from the most recent year that actually has it, labelled with that year.
16-18 performance
DfE Explore Education StatisticsA-level results, subject entries and leaver destinations
Updated: Annually
My Local School
Welsh GovernmentAttendance, free school meals, teacher numbers, budget per pupil and the Capped 9 points score for Welsh schools
Updated: Annually
Wales is not in the DfE performance tables and is inspected by Estyn, not Ofsted. Capped 9 is the Welsh equivalent of Attainment 8.
School contact details
Scottish GovernmentContact details, school characteristics and Gaelic-medium provision for Scottish schools
Updated: A few times a year
Scotland is inspected by Education Scotland and does not appear in Ofsted or DfE data.
Annual school census
Department of Education, Northern IrelandEnrolment, free school meals, religion breakdown, newcomer pupils and management type
Updated: Annually
Northern Ireland is inspected by the Education and Training Inspectorate.
NaPTAN and Translink
Department for Transport / TranslinkBus stops, rail and tram stops near each school
Updated: Monthly
NaPTAN covers Great Britain only, so Northern Ireland stops come from Translink's open data.
Price Paid Data and LSOA house prices
HM Land Registry / ONSResidential sale prices near a school
Updated: Quarterly
Ofsted Parent View
OfstedParent survey responses where a school has enough of them to publish
Updated: Termly
What the data does not mean
Independent schools can show 0% at GCSE
DfE performance tables do not count IGCSEs, which many independent schools enter. A selective independent school can therefore publish 0% for grade 5+ in English and maths and still be academically strong. Where you see a zero on an independent school, read it as 'not measured by this dataset' rather than a result.
Ofsted grades can be old
More than half of rated English schools were last given an overall grade more than six years ago. We print the date of the judgement next to it, and flag when it predates Ofsted's routine inspection cycle, because a school can change completely in that time.
Catchment areas are estimates, not boundaries
Very few admissions authorities publish a catchment polygon. Our catchment indicator is modelled from how tightly packed a school's neighbours are and how oversubscribed its area is. It is a guide to plausibility, not an admissions decision, and it is never a substitute for the authority's own published criteria.
The four nations are not comparable
England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different inspectorates, different qualifications and different measures. We show each nation's own data and label it as such. We do not convert one into another or rank schools across a border.
Some data is missing, and we say so
Where we do not hold a figure we leave it out rather than substituting a zero or a national average. A page title only claims data the page actually holds.
Corrections
If a figure on this site is wrong, tell us and we will fix it. Most errors come from the source data, and where that is the case we will say so and link the original. Schools can also claim their profile to correct details directly.
Email [email protected] or call 020 7046 1295, or use the contact form.
Licensing
The government datasets above are published under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and contain public sector information licensed under it. Ofsted, DfE, Welsh Government, Scottish Government, the Department of Education Northern Ireland, HM Land Registry and ONS are the respective publishers; School Signal is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.