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Why School Guide?

Everything you need to compare schools in your catchment area

Official School Data

Unbiased and updated daily, all of School Guide's information is from official sources and we offer a one-stop-shop for all key statistics. We add new information on schools every day and refresh all the data on the site every month so that the information is reliable, accurate and trustworthy.

Our school data includes essential exam results and performance data from all the stages of education: Key Stage 2 SATs, GCSEs, AS levels, A levels, Nationals and Highers. Our official sources include Ofsted, the Department for Education, Independent Schools Council, School Inspection Service, Education Scotland, Estyn (Wales), the Welsh Government and the Department of Education (Northern Ireland). Ofsted reports and inspection gradings are all included so users have all the exam data they need to choose the best school.

School Catchment Areas

School Guide is home of the original catchment heat maps that show you exactly where you need to live to get into a school. Pioneered by School Guide back in 2015 with exclusive government data and used by Rightmove, we have the most tried and tested catchment area heat maps that over 10 million parents in England, Wales and Scotland have used to locate their nearest school.

Many other sites have copied our maps, but we created the system and regularly update the catchment area using the latest government data. Our catchment heat maps are fully interactive and allow users to drop a postcode pin on the map and see exactly where pupils currently attending the school live. The catchment areas are carefully calculated and show the likelihood of admission to a certain school based on exact location.

Parent Reviews

Thousands of parents have added their feedback to our school pages. Search engines now use our TripAdvisor-style parent reviews as a valuable source of trusted information for parents choosing schools. Find out exactly what parents with children currently attending think of the school and whether they would recommend it or not.

Each review has a star rating from one (not recommended) to five (highly recommended) to help you choose the best school based on user experience. Our reviews have been described as “as good as being at the school gates” and are updated daily.

Easy-to-Read Data We offer the simplest school information interface with clear, concise graphics that mean you don’t have to spend time deciphering graphs and tables or trying to figure out how to see the latest information. Clear dials and percentages are key when it comes to understanding core performance data and our colour coded school pages feature parent-friendly infographics that have won awards for their straightforward and helpful design.

Intuitive and straightforward, we also cherry-pick the official data to show the most important statistics and deep dive into government tables to bring you the headline measures parents can rely on. You can easily read the data so you can compare the local options easily and use School Guide as your number one school finder.

School Rankings Based 100% on official data, we have a unique system of grading schools to give parents a reliable snapshot of how each school performed in the last academic year. Ranked from five (best) to one (worst), all the key statistics are fed into an algorithm to create our School Guide Star Ratings that have been trusted by parents since 2014.

Schools also use our school rankings as a reliable indicator of their hard work and dedication and our annual Certificate of Excellence scheme sees thousands of schools receive official confirmation of their school ranking. Many display their School Guide Star Rating on their website and in their school office alongside their inspection certificate.

Compare Schools

Creating a shortlist is a key part of choosing a school and our comparison tool allows you to select schools and easily compare their data. See key statistics side by side and see which schools performs better in which area. A school may have been rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted a few years ago but now actually have data that is slipping down the league tables.

We can show you an easy-to-read school comparison that will inform a calm and confident choice about your first choice school. Just tick the compare button next to the school’s name on the league table and you can create a helpful shortlist.

School Finder Our high speed search tool helps you find the best schools in your local area quickly and easily. Simply search by location, postcode or school name and you will get an instant result from every single school across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Our school finder puts all the information on primary and secondary schools at your fingertips and can help you discover a detailed school page or a local league table at touch of the ‘search’ button.

School league tables

Our primary and secondary school league tables have been created using official data including exam results and inspection reports. Our unique school rankings show the best schools in each area and you can filter by state and private fee paying independent schools to match your search criteria.

School Guide’s league tables are respected by schools and featured in the press as a go-to report on how schools have performed in the last academic year. Our comprehensive school data sets have also been used by leading UK websites such as Mumsnet and Rightmove.

Expert Help and Support School Guide offers technical help 24/7 for parents with quick responses to any questions you have about using the site. No question is too small or too big!

We also offer exclusive access for subscribers to our leading education consultants so you can get expert guidance on any question about choosing a school.

Parents also get to read independent advice in our weekly blogs including the latest information on catchment areas and league tables as well as changes to exams and education policies. Our popular weekly newsletter gathers key news and insights from school experts and education journalists and is delivered directly to your inbox every week.

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We've done all the homework on 34,000 UK schools

Unique star ratings based on official school data

24,000
PRIMARY
SCHOOLS

7,500
SECONDARY
SCHOOLS

2,500
INDEPENDENT
SCHOOLS

"I wish I'd had a site like School Guide when I was first looking for schools for my children. It's built for parents and all the information is right there at your fingertips."

Victoria,
Mum & Founder of School Guide

Trusted by over 15,000 parents every day, School Guide makes it quick and easy to find the best school for your child. Key school statistics are clearly presented including Primary Key Stage 2 SATs, GCSE and A-levels, and parents can compare all their local options on one simple School Guide local league table. Schools are ranked based on their School Guide summary star rating. The star rating gives parents a snapshot of academic performance in the last year.

School Guide’s colourful school pages also offer news and photos direct from schools as well as reviews from parents. School Guide’s parent reviews give valuable local information and can be used alongside school data to help you decide which schools to visit. Expert blogs on admissions, school open days, homework, tests, 11+ papers, catchment areas and National Curriculum changes complete the picture and make School Guide the perfect one-stop-shop for school information. Want to find the best school for your child? Engaged parents start their search with School Guide.

Blog

By experts for parents

View All

Classroom Nutcracker Basketball Routine 22 JANUARY 2021

Have Your Say on Exams 2021: Official Government Survey Now Open 17 JANUARY 2021

How will exams be replaced in 2021? Government sets out latest expectations 13 JANUARY 2021

Primary School Applications Explained 12 JANUARY 2021

Reviews

By parents for parents

Merrywood House Independent Special School 2 days AGO by Luke

"From the moment we first visited Merrywood, we fell in love with the school, the setting and their ethos. The school is set in a beautiful old Manor House in stunning grounds surrounded by..." Read Full Review

St Clare's School 6 days AGO by Gemma Morgan

"My children have attended St Clare's since they were 3 and a half, they are now 10 and 13. It has always been an excellent school, with wonderful supportive teachers and staff. During the recent..." Read Full Review

School news

By schools for parents

Cranleigh School

23 JANUARY 2021

Ryde School with Upper Chine

23 JANUARY 2021

Redmaids' High School

From September 2020, Mr Paul Dwyer will take over as Head...

23 JANUARY 2021

Bristol Grammar School

Bristol Grammar School holds regular open mornings, when you...

23 JANUARY 2021

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