Website of the UK government

Finding out about school performance

Most schools print their own prospectus for parents with detailed information about the school. You may also be able to get this information online.

Follow the 'Find schools, childcare and nurseries' link, and then type in your postcode to get contact details for schools near your home, including links to schools' websites.

• Find schools, childcare and nurseries (opens new window)

School achievement and attainment tables

Every year the Department for Education and Skills publishes information on the achievement and attainment of pupils in all schools. These tables provide a guide to how well a school is doing. They list National Curriculum test results for each school in England and show how they compare with other schools.

There are four tables published each year:

Test results will not give you a complete picture of a school, but they may help you to form a fuller impression of a school you are considering.

Get achievement and attainment data for schools near you

You can get achievement and attainment data online. Just follow the 'Find schools, childcare and nurseries' link and then enter details of where you live.

You'll be able to see how each school near you compares with the average for your local authority area and across the country.

You can also order copies of the tables to be posted to you.

• Find schools, childcare and nurseries (opens new window)
• Order copies of school and college achievement and attainment tables

Read the school's Ofsted report

Ofsted inspects all state schools in England at least every three years. After the inspection is complete, Ofsted publish a report. When assessing a school, inspectors consider evidence from a range of sources including:

• the school’s self-evaluation (the school’s assessment of its own performance)
• performance data
• pupils’ work
• lesson observations
• input from parents
• discussions with pupils and staff

The inspection report includes an overall assessment of the school’s effectiveness, along with specific judgements on:

• achievement and standards
• pupils’ personal development and well-being
• the quality of teaching and learning
• curriculum provision
• the care, guidance and support provided by the school
• the leadership and management of the school 

The judgements are made on a four point scale – a one is ‘outstanding’, two is ‘good’, three ‘satisfactory’ and four 'inadequate’.

The report also indicates what the school should do to improve. The school is expected to use Ofsted’s recommendations as a basis for making improvements as quickly as possible.

• How Ofsted inspects state schools (opens new window)

Read Ofsted reports online
You can read Ofsted reports online by following the 'Find schools, childcare and nurseries' link.

• Find schools, childcare and nurseries

School Profile
Many schools report their progress in the areas identified by Ofsted in an annual School Profile. Since Ofsted inspections usually take place once every three years, you may want to check whether the annual School Profile has additional up to date information on how the school is doing.

A limited number of School Profiles are available online, and more will be added in the future. See 'Find schools, childcare and nurseries' to find out more.

• Find schools, childcare and nurseries

More useful links

• Check a school's achievement and attainment tables (opens new window)