Schoolchecker.io Rating Explained
How fair, comparable school ratings are calculated using official Ofsted data
The Problem: Ofsted's System Change
Before September 2024
Schools received an overall effectiveness rating
Easy to compare schools with a single rating
Clear: Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate
After September 2024
No more overall effectiveness rating
Only individual category judgments
Difficult to compare schools fairly
The Result: Parents can no longer easily compare schools. Some schools have old overall ratings, others only have individual category scores. How do you compare a "Good" school with a school that has "Good" in 3 categories but "Outstanding" in 1?
What's Next: From September 2025, Ofsted will introduce further changes with a new 'Report Card' system as part of their inspection process. This will bring additional changes to how school performance is assessed and reported.(Source: Ofsted announcement)
The Solution: Schoolchecker.io Rating
A weighted average is calculated using Ofsted's own historical methodology to create a single, comparable rating for every school. This allows schools to be compared at a glance using data from Ofsted inspections, even when no overall effectiveness judgement exists.
How It Is Calculated
For Pre-September 2024 Schools
The official Ofsted overall effectiveness rating is used when available, as this is the most accurate representation of the school's performance.
For Post-September 2024 Schools
When no overall judgement exists but category judgements are available (such as quality of education, personal development, etc.), the weighted average is calculated from these individual category judgments using Ofsted's historical weighting system.
Important: The 'Schoolchecker.io Rating' is not an official Ofsted rating! It is a calculated rating based on Ofsted's own historical methodology to enable fair comparison between schools when official overall ratings are not available.
Why These Weights?
The weighting system is based on Ofsted's own historical approachbefore they changed their system. This ensures consistency and fairness.
Quality of Education
The most important factor - what children actually learn and how well they're taught. This directly impacts pupil outcomes and future success.
Leadership & Management
Strong leadership drives school improvement and ensures high standards are maintained. Good management creates the conditions for excellent teaching.
Behaviour & Attitudes
Positive behavior and attitudes create a safe, productive learning environment where all pupils can thrive and achieve their potential.
Personal Development
Supporting pupils' personal development, wellbeing, and character development helps them become well-rounded individuals ready for life beyond school.
Why This Matters
For Parents
- ✓
Compare any school with any other school fairly
- ✓
Get a single, easy-to-understand rating
- ✓
Make informed decisions about your child's education
- ✓
Understand school performance at a glance
For Schools
- ✓
Fair comparison regardless of inspection date
- ✓
Uses official Ofsted data and methodology
- ✓
Transparent calculation process
- ✓
Consistent with Ofsted's historical approach
Transparency & Accuracy
Always Transparent
- • Calculated ratings are clearly marked as "Schoolchecker.io Rating"
- • "(calculated)" is shown when using the weighted system
- • "Official Ofsted Rating" is displayed when using their data
- • The methodology is explained openly and honestly
Data Sources
All calculations are based on official Ofsted inspection data, ensuring accuracy and reliability.
- • Inspection data from Ofsted's official database
- • Category judgments from latest inspections
- • Historical overall ratings where available
- • School data from Department for Education
- • Updated regularly as new inspections are published
Looking Ahead
Ofsted's plans for their new "Report Card" systemare being monitored. When this is introduced in September 2025, the approach will be reviewed and adapted to ensure the most helpful and accurate school ratings continue to be provided for parents.
Commitment
The methodology will always be adapted to provide the most useful, accurate, and fair school ratings possible, using official data and transparent methods. Once there is clarity on the new 'Report Card' system, the approach will be further refined to ensure continued accuracy and usefulness.
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