Where the information comes from
- England: Ofsted's monthly management information for state-funded schools, with addresses and websites from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools. Independent schools in England are not included yet.
- Wales: the Welsh Government's list of schools and pupil referral units, with inspection reports and follow-up status from Estyn.
- Scotland: the Scottish Government's list of publicly funded schools, with inspection letters from Education Scotland (HM Inspectorate of Education).
- Distances: worked out from each school's postcode using postcodes.io (ONS data), measured in a straight line.
The data is checked every morning. Ofsted publishes its figures once a month, so a very recent English inspection may take a few weeks to appear here.
How the plain-English summary is made
No AI writes or rewords these summaries. Each one is built by fixed rules from the inspector's own published grades, plus sections lifted word for word from the report:
- Grades are explained using the inspectorate's own definitions.
- Lists marked as quotes, such as "What inspectors found" and "Strengths inspectors found", are the inspectors' own words.
- "What the school was asked to improve" lists the report's recommendations.
- "What happens next" says whether inspectors will return.
The coloured label (Positive, Expected standard, Some concerns, Serious concerns) is our short guide to those grades. It is not an official judgement.
England: Ofsted
Since November 2025, Ofsted gives each school a report card. Instead of one overall grade, it grades up to eight areas, such as inclusion, achievement and leadership, on a five-point scale. Safeguarding is judged separately as met or not met.
Schools not yet inspected under report cards show their last result on the old scale: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. Many good schools have had shorter "ungraded" inspections that confirm their previous grade. Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted gave grades for separate areas only, with no overall grade.
Wales: Estyn
Estyn stopped giving grades in 2022. Its reports describe strengths and weaknesses in words and end with recommendations. We show Estyn's summary, its recommendations and the school's current follow-up status:
Estyn also publishes a short report written for parents and carers. Where it exists, we link to it.
Scotland: Education Scotland
Scottish schools are inspected less often, and each inspection grades only a few key areas, on a six-point scale: excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, weak and unsatisfactory. Education Scotland only keeps reports online for five years, so many schools show "No recent report". That doesn't mean anything is wrong.
What this tool cannot tell you
- An inspection is a snapshot of a few days. Schools change, especially when leaders change.
- It cannot tell you whether a school has places or how admissions work. Check with the local council.
- Northern Ireland and independent schools in England are not covered yet.
Use it to decide which schools to visit and what to ask. Then go and see for yourself.
Your privacy
This tool doesn't ask for your name or email. If you search by postcode or use your location, it's used only to find nearby schools. Postcodes are looked up through postcodes.io and are not stored. We count visits with privacy-friendly analytics that do not use cookies. See VALERON's privacy policy.
Spotted a mistake?
If a summary doesn't match the report, please tell us. The full report always takes priority over this tool.