How are primary school rankings calculated?

Primary school rankings combine three KS2 measures: attainment (% of pupils meeting expected standard in reading, writing and maths), progress (average of reading, writing and maths progress scores), and equity (the FSM disadvantaged gap — smaller gap = higher equity rank). These are weighted 35%, 40%, and 25% respectively into an overall composite score.

How are secondary school rankings calculated?

Secondary rankings use four KS4 measures: Attainment 8 score (30%), Progress 8 score (35%), EBacc average point score (15%), and pupil destinations — % continuing to education or employment (20%). These produce an overall composite rank. Separate rankings are also computed for each individual dimension and for the disadvantaged gap.

What is the disadvantaged gap ranking?

The disadvantaged gap ranking measures the absolute difference in Progress 8 scores between FSM-eligible pupils and their non-FSM peers at a school. A smaller gap means the school is more effective at closing the attainment gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils. Schools are ranked nationally and within their local authority, with rank 1 going to the school with the smallest gap.

What is the A-level value added ranking?

The A-level value added ranking uses the DfE's institution-level A-level value added score (va_ins_alev). This measures how much progress sixth-form students made relative to their prior GCSE attainment. A positive score means pupils did better than expected; a negative score means they did worse. Schools with sixth forms are ranked nationally and within their local authority.

How is admissions demand ranked?

Admissions demand is calculated as the ratio of first-preference applications to total places offered. A ratio above 1.0 means more parents put the school as first choice than there were places available — the school is oversubscribed. Schools are ranked nationally and within their local authority by this demand ratio.

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How School Rankings Work

Every ranking on SchoolsInfo is derived from official DfE data. Here is exactly what each dimension measures, how it is calculated, and what it can and cannot tell you.

info Understanding the limits of rankings — what these numbers cannot tell you →

update Updated May 2025 · Source: DfE school performance tables, Ofsted inspection data

Overview Primary Secondary Disadvantaged Gap Sixth Form Ofsted Admissions Demand Limitations

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Overview

SchoolsInfo computes rankings annually from DfE school performance tables. All schools are ranked twice: nationally (compared to all schools of the same phase in England) and within their local authority (compared to schools in the same LA). Rankings are recalculated whenever new DfE data is released.

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Primary Schools

· KS2 Attainment (% meeting expected standard)
· KS2 Progress (reading, writing, maths)
· Equity (FSM attainment gap)
· Overall composite (weighted)
· Admissions demand
· Ofsted grade

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Secondary Schools

· Attainment 8
· Progress 8
· EBacc average point score
· Pupil destinations
· Disadvantaged gap (P8)
· A-level value added (sixth forms)
· Overall composite (weighted)
· Admissions demand
· Ofsted grade

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All underlying data comes from the DfE's published school performance tables and Ofsted's inspection outcomes. SchoolsInfo does not adjust, smooth, or modify the source figures — only the ranking position and percentile are calculated here.

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Primary School Rankings

Based on KS2 results from the DfE performance tables. Only open schools with at least one valid metric are included.

Overall Composite Weights

Primary

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KS2 Attainment35%Higher is better

ptrwm_exp — percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined.

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KS2 Progress40%Higher is better

Average of the three individual progress scores: reading progress, writing progress, and maths progress. Progress scores compare each pupil's outcome to other pupils nationally who had the same KS1 starting point.

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Equity (FSM gap)25%Smaller gap is better

The absolute difference in % meeting expected standard between FSM-eligible pupils and their non-FSM peers (diffn_rwm_exp). A smaller gap means the school is more equitable across its intake.

How the composite is calculated: Each metric is converted to a percentile (0–100) within the national cohort. The percentiles are then weighted and combined. A school that is 90th percentile for progress, 80th for attainment, and 70th for equity would score (90×0.40) + (80×0.35) + (70×0.25) = 36+28+17.5 = 81.5. Schools are then re-ranked by this composite score to give the overall rank.

Schools with missing data in one dimension have that dimension replaced with 50 (the median) so they are not unfairly penalised for suppressed data.

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Secondary School Rankings

Based on KS4 results from the DfE performance tables and pupil destinations data. Only open secondary schools with at least one valid metric are included.

Overall Composite Weights

Secondary

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Progress 835%Higher is better

P8 measures how much progress pupils make from the end of primary school to GCSE, compared to similar pupils nationally. Zero means pupils made exactly the national average progress. Positive scores mean better-than-average progress; negative means less.

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Attainment 830%Higher is better

The average grade across a pupil's best eight GCSE subjects, weighted by subject group (English and maths count double). A score of 50 is roughly equivalent to a grade 6 in all eight subjects.

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Pupil Destinations20%Higher is better

Percentage of pupils recorded as being in sustained education, employment, or training one year after finishing Year 11. Sourced from DfE pupil destinations data, matched by school and year.

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EBacc APS15%Higher is better

The EBacc average point score measures performance specifically in the five EBacc subject areas: English, maths, science, history or geography, and a language. Higher scores reflect stronger performance in academic core subjects.

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Disadvantaged Gap Ranking

Secondary schools only · Source: KS4 performance tables

The disadvantaged gap ranking measures how well a school closes the attainment gap between its FSM-eligible pupils and its non-FSM peers.

How it is calculated: The DfE publishes separate Progress 8 scores for FSM-eligible pupils (p8mea_fsm6cla1a) and for non-FSM pupils (p8mea_nfsm6cla1a) at each school. We take the absolute difference between these two scores:

gap = |P8_non_FSM − P8_FSM|

A smaller gap means FSM and non-FSM pupils made similar progress — a strong sign of inclusive teaching. Schools are ranked nationally and within their LA, with rank 1 = smallest gap.

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Data is available for 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, and 2024. Years 2021 and 2025 are suppressed in the DfE source tables. Around 3,400 schools have valid data in a typical year.

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A low gap rank does not always mean the school performs strongly overall. A school could have a small P8 gap because both FSM and non-FSM pupils made below-average progress. Always read the gap ranking alongside the overall Progress 8 rank.

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Sixth Form Value Added Ranking

Schools with sixth forms · Source: KS5 performance tables

The A-level value added score (va_ins_alev) measures how much progress sixth-form students made relative to what would be expected given their prior GCSE grades.

+0.1 Pupils achieved roughly one-third of a grade better than expected across their A-levels
0.0 Pupils made exactly the national average progress given their prior attainment
−0.1 Pupils achieved roughly one-third of a grade below what was expected

Schools are ranked nationally and within their LA. Only sixth-form providers with at least one valid A-level score in the DfE data are included.

Coverage: approximately 2,500–2,550 sixth-form providers in 2024 and 2025.

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Ofsted Grade Ranking

All phases · Source: Ofsted inspection outcomes

Ofsted rankings are based on each school's most recent graded inspection. Schools are ranked nationally and within their LA by the four-point Ofsted scale:

Outstanding

Rank 1 tier · ~3,400 schools

Good

Rank 2 tier · ~19,500 schools

Requires Improvement

Rank 3 tier · ~2,750 schools

Inadequate

Rank 4 tier · ~1,400 schools

Because all Outstanding schools share rank 1, and all Good schools share rank 2 etc., the Ofsted ranking functions more like a tier classification than a fine-grained rank. The percentile tells you what proportion of schools were rated at or below the same grade: an Outstanding school is always in the 100th percentile.

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The Ofsted ranking uses each school's latest inspection date, not a specific academic year. An Outstanding school inspected in 2016 holds the same rank position as one inspected in 2024. Always check when the inspection took place — the date is shown on every school's Ofsted tab.

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Admissions Demand Ranking

Both phases · Source: DfE school admissions applications data

The admissions demand score is the ratio of first-preference applications to total places offered:

demand = first_preference_applications ÷ total_places_offered

> 1.0 More parents chose this school first than there were places — oversubscribed
= 1.0 Exactly as many first preferences as places
< 1.0 Fewer first preferences than places — under-subscribed

Schools are ranked nationally and within their LA by this score. Higher demand rank = more competitive. The demand ranking is not a measure of quality — it reflects a combination of school reputation, location, catchment area size, and local demographics.

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What Rankings Can and Cannot Tell You

groups Intake is not adjusted

Attainment 8 and KS2 attainment scores are not adjusted for the social or economic profile of the pupils. A school in a more advantaged area will typically score higher on attainment than one in a deprived area, even if both are equally effective. Progress 8 and KS2 progress scores partially address this by comparing pupils to national peers with the same prior attainment.

history Rankings reflect past data

The most recent KS4 data on the site is from the 2024–25 academic year, published by the DfE in early 2025. A school's ranking reflects performance 6–12 months ago. Leadership changes, new curricula, or significant intake shifts since publication will not yet be reflected.

child_care Small school volatility

In small schools with fewer than 10 eligible pupils in a cohort, the DfE suppresses individual results and the school may not appear in rankings. Where data is available, a single unusual cohort can move a small school dramatically up or down the rankings year-on-year.

favorite Rankings don't capture fit

The best school for your child may not be the highest-ranked school. Culture, SEND provision, specialist subjects, distance from home, and the specific peer group all matter enormously and cannot be captured in a ranking. Use rankings as a starting filter, not a final decision.

Explore the Rankings

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How School Rankings Work

Overview

Primary Schools

Secondary Schools

Primary School Rankings

Overall Composite Weights

Secondary School Rankings

Overall Composite Weights

Disadvantaged Gap Ranking

Secondary schools only · Source: KS4 performance tables

Sixth Form Value Added Ranking

Schools with sixth forms · Source: KS5 performance tables

Ofsted Grade Ranking

All phases · Source: Ofsted inspection outcomes

Admissions Demand Ranking

Both phases · Source: DfE school admissions applications data

What Rankings Can and Cannot Tell You

groups Intake is not adjusted

history Rankings reflect past data

child_care Small school volatility

favorite Rankings don't capture fit

Explore the Rankings

Primary League Tables

Secondary League Tables

Ofsted Ratings Explained

Understanding Rankings