Compare schools
Side-by-side comparison for schools on your shortlist. Figures are from published DfE and Ofsted data.
This is not admissions or catchment advice. Check your council's admissions booklet before you apply.
Your school comparison
Your school shortlist is empty
Open a postcode district or search your postcode. Tap Add to school shortlist on up to six schools, then come back here. Your table will look like the example below, with real figures.
Example comparison
Illustration only. These three schools are fictional so you can see how the live table is laid out. Your shortlist uses real DfE and Ofsted figures. Pick priorities and we highlight the stronger values in each row. We never combine them into one overall score.
| Measure | Ash Grove Primary | Riverside Academy | St Mary’s CE Primary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase | Primary | Secondary | Primary |
| Ofsted | Good | Outstanding | Good |
| Attendance | 96% | 94% | 95% |
| Attainment | 72% met expected standard (KS2) | Progress 8: +0.31 | 68% met expected standard (KS2) |
| Roll vs published capacity | Below published capacity | Close to published capacity | Around published capacity |
| First preferences offered | 41 of 45 (91.1%) | 196 of 318 (61.6%) | Not published |
Fee-paying independent schools and independent special schools (usually LA-funded) are labelled on live cards so you can tell them apart from state-funded schools. Area averages on district pages stay state-funded only.
How compare works
Compare is for parents who already have a shortlist. It does not rank every school in England, and it does not replace your council's admissions rules. Pick up to three priorities to order your shortlist, then use the table for Progress 8, Attainment 8, attendance, SEN and admissions before you book visits.
Shortlist schools
Open a postcode district, add your home postcode if you want distance, then tap Add to school shortlist on up to six schools. Your shortlist stays in this browser until you clear it.
Compare here
Open this page from the shortlist bar to see attainment, attendance, SEN, applications and offers, roll vs capacity and Ofsted in one scrollable table. Choose up to three priorities if you want a ranked list above the table.
Download CSV
Save the table as a spreadsheet for your own notes before you read council admissions booklets and book school visits. You can also copy a share link to open the same shortlist on another device.
What to compare
Near home
Check distance from your postcode. Add your home postcode on the area page before you shortlist schools.
Progress 8
Secondary progress score where published. Latest year may fall back to 2023/24 when DfE has not released Progress 8.
Attainment 8
Average GCSE-level attainment across eight subjects for secondary schools.
English & maths (grade 5+)
Share of pupils achieving grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSEs.
KS2 expected standard
Primary: share meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Good attendance
Higher attendance % is better. Lower persistent absence % usually means fewer pupils missing lots of school.
SEN support
We rank on on-site provision first (resourced provision, SEN unit, or special classes from GIAS), then SEN % from the school census. Need types (for example ASD, SLCN) are shown when published.
Places available
See how many families put each school first last year and how many of them got a place. Roll vs published capacity shows whether the published roll is close to, around or below GIAS capacity. Neither is a guarantee for your child.
Ofsted grade
Ranks on overall grades where published (Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate). Schools with a report card show each area grade instead. We do not rank those against older overall grades, because Ofsted does not make that comparison.