How to compare schools in England

Most families shortlist open schools of the right phase (primary, secondary or other) within a realistic travel distance. UKSchoolSearch lets you search by postcode, town or “near me”, then add schools to a compare shortlist.

Compare up to four schools at once. A shareable link keeps the same set of URNs so you can revisit or send the comparison to someone else.

Ofsted headlines summarise the latest inspection framework available for that school. They are not a league table and frameworks change over time.

For secondary schools, Attainment 8 and Progress 8 are the core DfE Key Stage 4 measures. For primary schools, look at the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (RWM).

Overall and persistent absence rates come from DfE pupil absence statistics. Lower absence is generally better, but context (phase, special provision) matters.

Where published, admissions demand ratio shows how many families listed a school first preference compared with offers on national offer day — preference pressure, not catchment distance.

Published statistics do not show catchment likelihood, teaching style, or how your child would experience the school. Use the official school website, Ofsted report, and open days alongside any comparison table.

In England you apply for a school place through your home local authority, not through each school. The usual national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, with offers made on 1 March the following year. For primary (reception) places the closing date is usually 15 January, with offers on 16 April.

Always list the schools you genuinely would accept, in your true order of preference. Check each school's admissions criteria, such as distance, siblings, faith or feeder schools, because the same data on UKSchoolSearch cannot tell you whether you would get a place.

Use published figures to decide which schools to visit, then use the visit to learn what the numbers cannot show: how behaviour is managed, how the school supports children who need extra help, what the school day and wraparound care look like, and how it communicates with parents.

Ask what has changed since the last inspection, and how the school uses its own results. A school with a lower headline grade may be improving quickly, and a high grade can be several years old.