School Compass
How to read Key Stage 2 figures
End-of-primary tables help you spot patterns across a shortlist. Combine them with inspection excerpts and a visit.
How to read Key Stage 2 figures
End-of-primary tables show how Year 6 cohorts met expected and higher standards. Use them to spot patterns across a shortlist, then visit. COVID years and blank cells need a careful reading — see caveats below.
What this data can tell you
- Share of pupils meeting expected / higher standards in reading, writing, maths (and combined).
- How a school sits against England (and trends across published years).
- Whether a year looks unusually high or low — small cohorts bounce more.
- Inspection themes from the latest usable Ofsted or ISI report.
COVID years and blank cells
- 2019/20–2021/22 KS2 performance tables were cancelled or unpublished nationally — year charts leave a hatched gap and do not invent scores.
- A blank cell is usually an unpublished or suppressed table (new school, tiny cohort, or statistical disclosure), not a School Compass join error.
- Independent prep schools rarely have comparable state KS2 RWM columns — that is a sector data gap, not a ranking of “no results”.
- Compare like-for-like years; do not read across the COVID gap as a sudden drop or rise.
What this is not telling you
- Whether your child will be happy, taught well, or make friends here.
- A guaranteed place — catchment overlays and offer-day demand figures are context, not admission chances, faith criteria, or waiting-list practice.
- Day-to-day ethos, behaviour climate, or SEND support beyond short excerpts.
- A ranked “best school” — tables and reports are one lens, not a verdict.
Fair conclusions you can draw
- Relative strengths and gaps across the schools you are comparing on published years.
- Which schools warrant a visit based on outcomes plus distance.
- Questions to ask about reading, writing, maths, and support for SEND.
How to use this for decisions
- Shortlist a few settings that look plausible on paper and on the map.
- Treat gaps and older inspections as prompts to ask, not automatic rejects.
- Visit (or watch a normal session), talk to staff, and weigh fit for your child.
- Keep notes on what you saw — printed packs are for that, not for league ranks.
Reading the inspection précis
- Excerpts are verbatim from the latest usable Ofsted or ISI report PDF.
- Positives and improvements are what inspectors wrote — not our summary of quality.
- A short précis cannot replace reading the full report in context.
- Academy conversion letters and admin PDFs are skipped when a real inspection exists.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers parents ask before they shortlist.
What is KS2 RWM expected standard?
The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of Year 6. It helps compare schools on the same published measure — not whether your child will succeed there.
Should I pick the school with the highest KS2 score?
No — a high score can reflect intake as well as teaching. Shortlist a few plausible schools, read inspection excerpts, visit, and weigh fit for your child rather than ranking on one number.