Schoolboard uses official, publicly available data from the Department for Education. This page explains where the data comes from, how metrics are calculated, and when updates are published.
All data is sourced from the DfE's Find School and College Performance Data download service. We do not modify the underlying values — we import, normalise column names, and present the data.
| Dataset | Description | Source File |
|---|---|---|
| School Information | Name, address, postcode, school type, age range, Ofsted rating, religious character, admissions policy, and governance. | england_school_information.csv |
| KS2 Final Results | Key Stage 2 reading, writing, maths and combined achievement at expected and higher standards, plus scaled scores and progress measures. | england_ks2final.csv |
| KS4 Final Results | GCSE Attainment 8, Progress 8 (with confidence intervals), English Baccalaureate entry and achievement, grade distributions, and disadvantaged pupil comparisons. | england_ks4final.csv |
| KS5 Final Results | A-level average points per entry, AAB+ achievement, academic and applied general progress, retention rates, and maths/science participation. | england_ks5final.csv |
| School Census | Total pupils, gender split, Free School Meals eligibility, English as additional language (EAL), Special Educational Needs (SEN), and ethnicity breakdown. | england_census.csv |
| Absence Data | Overall and persistent absence rates, authorised/unauthorised absence breakdown, and severe absence percentages. | england_abs.csv |
| Pupil Destinations (KS4) | Post-GCSE destinations including further education, sixth form, apprenticeships, and employment. | england_ks4-pupdest.csv |
| Student Destinations (KS5) | Post-A-level destinations including higher education (HE), Russell Group, apprenticeships, employment, and NEET. | england_ks5-studest.csv |
What each metric means and how to interpret it when comparing schools.
A school's average GCSE score across 8 qualifying subjects. Each subject grade is converted to a numeric score (Grade 9 = 9, Grade 1 = 1). English and maths are double-weighted. The national average is approximately 46.
How to read it: Higher is better. Compare schools of similar intake — a selective grammar school will naturally have a higher Attainment 8 than a non-selective comprehensive.
Measures how much progress pupils make between the end of primary school (KS2) and GCSEs, compared to pupils nationally with similar starting points. A score of 0 means average progress; positive means above-average progress.
How to read it: This is the single most informative school-level metric. A Progress 8 of +0.5 means pupils achieved half a grade higher on average than similar pupils nationally. Look at confidence intervals — if the interval includes 0, the school may not be significantly different from average.
The English Baccalaureate measures the percentage of pupils entering and achieving grade 5+ in English, maths, sciences, a humanity (history or geography), and a modern or ancient foreign language.
How to read it: A high EBacc entry rate shows the school offers a broad academic curriculum. A high achievement rate shows pupils are succeeding across all five pillars.
Percentage of pupils achieving at least the expected standard in each subject at the end of Year 6. Writing is teacher-assessed; reading and maths are externally tested.
How to read it: Compare with the national average (~73% reading, ~71% writing, ~73% maths). The combined RWM figure shows the percentage meeting the expected standard in all three.
Measures pupil progress between KS1 (Year 2) and KS2 (Year 6) compared to pupils nationally with similar KS1 results. A score of 0 = national average progress.
How to read it: Like Progress 8 for primary schools. Positive scores indicate above-average progress. Confidence intervals apply — check whether the interval includes 0.
The average UCAS tariff points per A-level entry. Grade A* = 60 points, A = 48, B = 36, C = 24. This reflects the average grade achieved.
How to read it: Useful for comparing sixth forms. A score of 36 equals an average grade B. Consider alongside the number of A-level students — small cohorts are less statistically reliable.
Ofsted inspects schools and rates them as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate. Inspections cover quality of education, behaviour & attitudes, personal development, and leadership & management.
How to read it: A useful headline but not the complete picture. Ofsted ratings can be several years old. A school rated 'Good' five years ago may have changed significantly. Always check the inspection date.
Percentage of pupils eligible for Free School Meals, a proxy for economic disadvantage. Eligibility is based on household income and benefits status.
How to read it: Contextualises performance data. A school with 40% FSM and strong Progress 8 is likely doing excellent work. Nationally, about 23% of pupils are FSM eligible.
Overall percentage of school sessions (half-days) missed. Persistent absence is defined as missing 10% or more of sessions.
How to read it: Lower is better. The national average is around 7%. Persistent absence above 20% is a concern. Absence rates correlate strongly with attainment.
The DfE publishes data on a fixed annual schedule. Schoolboard imports each dataset shortly after release.
| Event | Typical Timing |
|---|---|
| KS2 provisional results | September (following academic year end in July) |
| KS4 provisional results | October |
| KS5 provisional results | October |
| KS2 final (revised) results | December |
| KS4 final (revised) results | January–February |
| KS5 final (revised) results | March |
| School Census | January (spring census) |
| Absence data | March |
| Destination data | October (for leavers 2 years prior) |
| Ofsted reports | Published after each inspection (rolling) |
1. Download: CSV files are downloaded from the DfE's public download service. Each file covers one dataset for one academic year across all schools in England.
2. Normalise: Column names are mapped to consistent internal slugs (e.g., ATT8SCR → attainment8Score). Values marked as "SUPP" (suppressed for privacy), "NE" (no entry), or "NP" (not published) are stored as null.
3. Import: Data is loaded into a PostgreSQL database with per-school, per-year, per-metric granularity. Each metric value records its source dataset, academic year, and school identifier (URN).
4. Validate: Automated coverage regression tests verify that import completeness meets minimum thresholds (e.g., Attainment 8 populated for at least 70% of secondary schools).
5. Serve: The website queries the normalised database. No calculations are performed on the fly — all values are direct imports from DfE data. Suppressed values appear as "N/A" or are omitted.
• Suppressed data: The DfE suppresses values for very small cohorts to protect pupil privacy. These appear as N/A on Schoolboard.
• Inspection dates: Ofsted ratings can be several years old. A school rated "Outstanding" in 2018 has not been re-inspected under the current framework.
• Independent schools: Most independent (private) schools do not appear in DfE data. Only state-funded schools are fully covered.
• Year lag: Performance data for the 2024/25 academic year is typically published in late 2025 / early 2026. There is always a 6–12 month lag.
• Context matters: Raw performance figures do not account for intake. Progress measures (Progress 8, KS2 progress) are more meaningful for comparing schools with different intakes.
DfE Find School Performance Data — official school performance tables
Progress 8: Technical Guide — DfE methodology for Progress 8
Ofsted Reports — search for individual school inspection reports
Schoolboard Field Catalog — browse all 107+ metrics tracked by Schoolboard
Parent Guides — practical advice on choosing schools and interpreting data